My Methods

When working with or for a client or organization, I follow their guidelines, standards, and processes to create the content, run the project, or deliver the training.

When I use my own guidelines and methods, this is a high-level overview of my approach.

Content Creation

Principles

No matter the content, instructional design principles are always at top of mind.

User experience, including accessibility and 508 compliance
Design models, including ADDIE and Bloom's Taxonomy
Assessment through knowledge checks and quizzes
Reporting Data to improve content through feedback

Expectations

Making sure everyone is on the same page before beginning to create the content is vital. Items to define include, but are not limited to, the project timeline, the audience, the outcome (what is success or what does the final content contain), the style, templates, and guidelines of the organization, what access to platform, other software, or file storage is needed, how many reviews/changes are required, and the contact information for the people involved.

Process

The content dictates the exact steps of the processes, however, there are steps included in all content creation after the outline of content to be included is finalized.

First draft of script or mockup of visual
Review and agreement of changes
Approval of final script or mockup
Creation of content
Review and agreement of changes
Approval of final content
Final files provided

Project and Team Management

The project approach varies depending on what is needed, and I can manage traditional, agile, or hybrid projects. Some projects require all the textbook documentation, and some only a few. At the very minimum, the key components of my projects and/or project plan include, but are not limited to:

Kickoff with explanation of the final goal, the project approach, previous lessons learned, and resources
Risk register
Change process and log
Stakeholder communication plan
Visual representation of project (For example: PM software such as Asana, Gantt chart, Spreadsheet, etc.)
Lessons learned
Team check-ins and meetings as needed
Review/Close of Phase or Project with accomplishments, lessons learned, and general discussion of how the project is progressing or final thoughts

My overall goals when managing teams is to promote collaboration, make sure they have everything they need to be successful, and to help them grow into their next role.

Weekly team meetings
Weekly 1:1 meetings
Encourage upskilling
Creating career path plans
Understanding work/life balance
Providing the opportunities to make choices and solve issues

Training

For virtual training, my preferences are to have everyone's video on, include interactive polls throughout the session, have chat or Q&A so people can ask their questions as they have them, have a facilitator to answer questions as I teach and to provide links to additional information as I discuss a topic. Depending on the customer setup, having a hands-on activity to reinforce what they are learning is always beneficial.

For in-person training, my preferences are to have a hands-on activity to reinforce what the attendees are learning, to provide a Quick Reference Guide (QRG), to have a facilitator to help people that get stuck during the hands-on pieces of the training, and to have pauses in the training for Q&A.