Case Study: Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS) – Cornerstone LMS Implementation

Client Challenge

Implement a new LMS seamlessly in a centralized Cornerstone Platform before the contract on the incumbent LMS expires.

eSkillz first worked with ODJFS when eSkillz implemented the Oracle Taleo Learn LMS for the State of Ohio in August 2019 as part of the State of Ohio “Ohio Learn” initiative for 23 state agencies, which included ODJFS. Our strong partnership led ODJFS to partner with eSkillz again for implementation services to implement Cornerstone for ODJFS.  

ODJFS was looking to create a one-stop shop for individual training, certifications, and licensing needs for the Child and Adult Protective Services that included both internal and external users. This solution needed to replace antiquated legacy systems that required users to login across multiple platforms and eliminate duplicative work processes, improve data integrity, and streamline auditing and reporting functions. The LMS needed to offer the latest in learning development technologies and automatically track a user’s progress toward meeting ongoing training requirements as laws and regulations evolve. The solution had to support county and state employees, as well as external populations that included foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers. Finally, the system needed to be able to provide elevated permissions and constraints for various populations, to include Vendors, Regional Training Centers, and County Training Liaisons. 

eSkillz Solution

eSkillz conducted comprehensive discovery sessions and collaborated closely with ODJFS stakeholders to develop an enterprise LMS strategy tailored to diverse user needs. The 10-month implementation involved extensive configuration, technical projects, and value-added services to ensure a smooth transition to Cornerstone.

In January 2022, this engagement began with conducting discovery deep-dives and gathering requirements from all training providers, then translating everything into a comprehensive strategy for enterprise LMS configurations and deployment that would meet the diverse needs of every group involved. 

This complex implementation required a 10-month implementation timeline and a 5-day downtime period. eSkillz project team worked with many ODJFS and its training vendor stakeholder from various divisions and vendor organizations to make configuration decisions and continue evolving those as the stakeholders grew a deeper understanding of the capabilities of the Cornerstone system. 

This implementation included multiple technical projects: 

• Users and Organizational Unit Inbound Data Feed from SACWIS system 
• Data Transformation for OU, Users, and historical transcript data from legacy systems 
• Single Sign On (SSO) 
• Custom Login Page & Self-Registration Process 
• Migration of ~4,500 training objects and ~700,000 historical training completion records 
• Set-up and configuration of the Edge Import tool 
• Configuration of two VILT integrations with Microsoft Teams & Zoom 

eSkillz also provided additional value-add services to for comprehensive implementation and deployment support, including: 

• Data Migration Plan 
• System Test Plan and UAT Test Plan 
• Detailed Test Scripts by user role 
• Functional and System Testing prior to UAT 
• 30+ custom job aids for end-users and administrators 
• In partnership with Avaap, we offered end to end Change Management services and deliverables 

eSkillz’s technical team offered “full service” data conversion and migration services.  They extracted and transformed the user and organizational unit data from four legacy systems and historical training data from two legacy systems into formats required for uploading into Cornerstone.  This required extraction, mapping, and transformation of hundreds of thousands of records.  As part of this process, eSkillz also diagnosed errors and duplicates in the data and worked with ODJFS system and data owners to correct the data prior to loading into the new Cornerstone LMS to ensure the data integrity and accuracy.  With optimized data conversion tools in place, eSkillz then expediently loaded the content and completion records into the new Cornerstone LMS minimizing errors and reloading efforts and timeline. 

Results

ODJFS successfully launched CAPS LMS, achieving a centralized learning hub, increased efficiencies, and enhanced analytics capabilities. With ongoing support from eSkillz, ODJFS is poised to optimize its new LMS further, focusing on strategic initiatives and seamless end-user support.

In November 2022, ODJFS launched its new Cornerstone Learning portal, called the Child and Adult Protective Services Learning Management System (CAPS LMS) creating a one-stop shop for individual training, certifications and licensing needs of its constituents. The agile implementation approach eSkillz used in combination with applying years of best practices that eSkillz consultants brought to the table resulted in a successful deployment before the incumbent system’s contract end date. 

Now, ODJFS can accomplish all its learning needs in a single location providing a true one-stop shop for their learners, increasing their overall efficiencies, and offering deeper analytics with Cornerstone’s robust reporting and dashboard functionality. 

Additionally, by implementing the Cornerstone LMS, ODJFS postured itself to provide new learning modalities and to support individual training needs assessments and individual development plans. 

eSkillz continues to provide ODJFS Cornerstone license procurement services and professional consulting services to further optimize their new LMS. In addition, eSkillz provides Live Support Services (End User Help Desk Services) to ODJFS for all of its end-users to assist with many technical issues like password resets, course reassignments, and more. This allows ODJFS administrators to focus on strategic Training & Development projects and system operations knowing that end users receive the assistance and answers they need accurately and efficiently from eSkillz LSS team. 

Hands down you are the best vendor relationship I’ve had in my 10 years at the state.
— Program Administrator, Office of Families and Children

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