Process

In the preparation phase, I cover the following:

• Initiate communication with the project sponsor(s), stakeholders, and subject matter experts (SME)

• Examine the scope, tone, and rigor of the learning content; consider comments from learners

• Agree on the project timeline and deliverables, and who should review the project deliverables in what order and when

• Go over any open questions before the development begins

I also explain how I monitor the project's progress and inform the stakeholders of its status. Typically, this involves creating a shared folder on the company's SharePoint site, a dedicated Teams Channel, and a project tracker spreadsheet. I upload the spreadsheet (linked below) to the SharePoint folder so that it's available for anyone at any time.

The project starts with a kickoff meeting, which I usually organize in two parts. The first meeting involves all parties, while the second is dedicated to the subject matter experts only. This is because there are many topics to cover at the beginning of the development, and it's not feasible to address everything in a single meeting. Two separate meetings generally alleviate the pressure to cover everything in one sitting.

In the first meeting, we cover: 

• Needs analysis to identify performance gaps, determine the underlying issues, and recommend solutions

• Current project status, if available

• Desired performance outcomes

• Project requirements, roles, scope, and schedule

• Delivery modality

In the second meeting, we cover: 

• Roles and expected responsibilities

• Collaboration arrangement (agenda and action plan documents linked)

• Development schedule

• Tips on composing robust content, including tools and resources (linked)

The Design phase is a crucial foundation for creating meaningful learning content. I enjoy this part of the process because good writing leads to constructive learning engagement.

During this phase, I follow a few important steps to ensure that the learning objectives are defined based on task analysis and SME feedback. I also sketch out the assessments that map to the learning objectives and business goals.

I pay particular attention to the learning objectives because they are the blueprint for all other content. The learning objectives communicate to the learners what they should be able to do so I make sure each objective is clear, concise, and specific.

The next step is to build the design document. I share this document with the SME for review and feedback and discuss any questions during our regular meetings.

Lastly, I assemble a storyboard that includes the details of the content, theme, images, layout, and assessments. The storyboard is sometimes called a content map.

I then send the completed prototype storyboard to the SME for review and feedback. We finalize the storyboard after examining any necessary changes through quality assurance (QA).

Development is my other favorite part of the process (sometimes, I don't know which step I enjoy more!). I look forward to creating engaging learning experiences that take the learners through their learning journey. Some tools and features I use are:

• Storyline: timeline, avatars, voiceover, states, layers, triggers, variables, branching scenarios, animations, motion paths, accordions, knowledge checks, and quizzes

• Rise: for mobile devices, co-authoring, interactive sorting, labeled graphics, timeline, accordion blocks

• Camtasia: scripts, callouts, tutorials, asset library, templates, transitions, and annotations

• PowerPoint: instructor-led training, interactions, zoom, animations, and transitions

• Word: comments, Track Changes, Editor, Compare, and automatic table of contents

• Canva: job aids, online presentations, infographics, GIFs, whiteboards, banners, collages

• SharePoint: OneDrive, Word and Excel on the web, Teams

My approach is grounded in adult learning principles such as chunking, ensuring that the learning material is visually appealing, relevant, and doesn't overload the learner's cognitive capacity. I also draw from the visual design principles presented by Robin Williams in her book, further enhancing the learning experience. 

During the development phase, the project undergoes several rounds of feedback and revisions, commonly called the Alpha, Beta, and Gold revision stages. Each iteration involves a comprehensive QA review, which subject matter experts and other project stakeholders carry out. We may even return to the Design phase when warranted to refine the objectives and content. I take into account their feedback and address any open issues before proceeding to the next revision stage. 

Working with the Learning Management System (LMS) administrator is typical during the Implementation phase. Depending on the tools or methods used during the development phase, I either upload the final files, such as PowerPoint files, to the SharePoint site or publish the course as a SCORM package and then transfer the zip file to the LMS administrator.

I ask to get access to the course so that I can take one last look before its release.