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Departments Feature

Create and manage departments to organize, sort, and filter learners, assign department managers (optional), and enable department-based training assignments and reporting.

Before You Start

What You'll Need

  • Administrative access to your EasyLlama dashboard
  • List of departments to create
  • Access to Settings > Departments

Quick Reference

  • Departments: Used for organizing, filtering, and reporting on learners
  • Department Managers: Optional—assign a manager to oversee their department training
  • Options to add Departments to Learners: Manual, file upload, or HRIS integration
  • Updates: Department name changes apply to all learners in that department

Add Departments

Step 1: Access Departments

  1. Log in to the Dashboard.
  2. From the left navigation menu, click Settings > Departments.

Step 2: Add a new department

From the top right corner, click Add Department, and:

  1. Enter a Department Name.
  2. Optionally, select a Leader (Department Manager) from the drop down. (They must be created as an admin first)

Step 3: Save New Department

When finished, click Save.

Manage Departments

Step 1: Access Departments

  1. Log in to the Dashboard.
  2. From the left navigation menu, click Settings > Departments.
Edit a department name

Note: Changing a department name updates it for all learners currently assigned to that department.

  1. To the right of the department name, click the three dots (⋮) icon.
  2. Select Edit
  3. Update the department name
  4. Click Save
Remove a department

Important: Removing a department deletes it from all learner profiles. Affected learners will no longer have a department assigned.

  1. Click the three dots (⋮) to the right of the department name
  2. Select Remove
  3. Confirm deletion
Assign Departments to Learners
Option A: During manual learner creation
  1. When manually adding a learner, click Show additional fields to expand the form
  2. Locate the Department dropdown
  3. Select a pre-existing department from the list
  4. Complete the rest of the form and click Add

Option B: Via file upload

Warning: Slight variations in department names (e.g., "Sales" vs. "Sales Department") will create duplicate departments.

When uploading learners via CSV:

  • Add a "Department" column to your file
  • Enter department names exactly as they should appear
  • If department already exists: Learner is added to existing department
  • If department doesn't exist: New department is automatically created
Option C: Via HRIS integration
  • If your HRIS syncs department data, use the synced department names
  • Manual changes to learner departments will revert on next sync
  • If no departments sync from HRIS, you can create and assign your own
Option D: Bulk edit existing learners

Use bulk editing to update departments for multiple learners simultaneously. From Learners, select the Learners that need to be updated, click the Edit function in the selection menu, update the Department, and click Save.

Using Departments for Reporting and Filtering

Once departments are assigned, you can:

  • Filter Insights dashboards by department
  • Generate department-specific reports in Report Builder
  • View department breakdowns in learner lists
  • Send targeted notifications to specific departments
  • Track compliance rates by department

Helpful Tips

  • Match department names exactly when uploading CSV files to prevent duplicates. "Sales" and "sales" will create two separate departments.
  • Utilize department filters in reports and dashboards for consistent analysis.
  • Avoid overwriting synced departments—if your HRIS syncs department data, manage departments in your HRIS instead.
  • Remember to expand the manual entry form when adding learners—the Department dropdown is hidden by default.

What's Next?

Quick Questions

Can a learner belong to multiple departments?

No. Each learner can be assigned to only one department. Use other fields (like Location or Role) for additional categorization.

What happens to historical data if I delete a department?

The department is removed from all learner profiles, but historical training data remains attached to the learners themselves. Reports run after deletion won't show that department.

Can I have sub-departments?

Departments are flat (no hierarchy). For nested structures, consider using Locations or creating department naming conventions (e.g., "Sales - East", "Sales - West").

Do Department Managers automatically get reporting access?

Not automatically. Department Managers need appropriate user permissions to access reporting features. Configure this in Settings > Users.

Llama Fact: Llamas naturally organize themselves into social groups with clear hierarchies—similar to how departments help you organize learners into functional teams!