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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteAn electronic performance support system (EPSS) is a computer-based work environment that gives people timely access to the tools, information, guidance, and learning resources they need to perform job tasks. Its defining idea is support during the work itself—not just training delivered beforehand.
What an EPSS includes
In a 1999 article, T. J. Bastiaens described an EPSS as “an integrated computerised environment that supports and occasionally monitors employees while doing their jobs.” Bastiaens identified four common components:
- Tools: functions that help a worker carry out the task.
- Information: reference material needed to do the work correctly.
- Advice: guidance for difficult steps or decisions.
- Training: resources that build knowledge and skills.
These are common elements, not a mandatory checklist for every system. In plain terms, an EPSS puts task-relevant help within timely reach, ideally where the task is performed. Bastiaens’s article and University of Twente record provide the original formulation.
How EPSS differs from training and software help
EPSS and training
Training is usually organized as an event or learning activity that takes place before or apart from a job task. An EPSS is organized around doing the task: a worker can consult it while working to recall information, follow a procedure, find an answer, or learn as the work unfolds. Learning can be part of the experience, but the immediate purpose is to support performance. An EPSS is therefore not simply another name for a course or a learning management system. A Pressbooks overview of performance technology also distinguishes performance support from training alone.
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EPSS and ordinary online help
Help for a particular software feature can be part of an EPSS, but the broader concept may support several tasks and combine tools, reference information, procedural advice, and learning material. The boundary is not universally fixed: some definitions include help functions, while others emphasize an integrated environment supporting a whole job. A Virginia Tech-hosted overview of performance technology discusses the wider performance-support context.
How EPSS support can be delivered
EPSSs vary in how closely assistance is connected to the work interface. A review of office work describes both intrinsic support, integrated into the work environment, and extrinsic support, reached through a separate resource. Both can serve the same basic purpose; integration affects how readily support is available in the moment.
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| Design axis | What varies |
|---|---|
| Integration | Help built into the work interface or accessed separately. |
| Function | Task tools, reference information, procedural guidance, or learning material. |
| Timing | Support available while work is happening or delivered mainly before or after the task. |
| Scope | Help for one software feature or support spanning a broader work task or job. |
These are useful ways to describe an EPSS, not a universally established product taxonomy. The 2022 peer-reviewed article “Problem-Solving and Tool Use in Office Work: The Potential of Electronic Performance Support Systems to Promote Employee Performance and Learning” examines task-specific support for solving problems during work.
A historical example—and what it does not show
A University of Twente record describes a 1997 project involving 100 telephone operators in the sales and service department of a Dutch bank. The support system used a large-screen monitor and combined a tool environment for processing data with an information environment for quick access to current information. It illustrates one way EPSS could be designed in that setting; it does not define what a modern system must look like or establish a general performance effect. See the University of Twente record for the telephone-operator project.
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- AUTHOR NOTE: Ray Noe has taught for more than 25 years at Big Ten universities, including Michigan State University and University of Minnesota. Professor Noe conducts research and teaches all levels of students - from undergraduates to executives - in human resource management, training and development, performance management, and talent management. He has published articles an
An ERIC record describes a 2005 comparative study that examined user performance, attitudes, system use, and time on task. The record states that EPSS provides relevant support while users perform tasks, but does not report the study’s results; it cannot support a claim about a specific effect. The ERIC record gives the study description.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the definition does—and does not—tell you
EPSS names an approach or category of work support, not one specific software product. The sources cited here do not establish a universal boundary for the term, a current market landscape, or a sector-wide statistic for adoption or impact. A system’s label alone also does not show whether it improves results: that depends on the tasks, design, and evidence from its particular use.
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