D E S I G N E R S ' C H A L L E N G E - S O F T WA R E T R A I N I N G W H E N S O F T WA R E ' S I N F L U X

SO FTWAR E TRAINING
WH EN SOFTWARE ’S IN F LUX

Michaels & Associates Docntrain, Ltd. dba Michaels & Associates

11639 E. Wethersfield Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85259 USA
marketing@michaelsandassoc.com www.michaelsandassoc.com
Phone: 480-614-8440 Toll-free: 877-614-8440 Fax: 480-614-2775

Copyright © 2009 Michaels & Associates Docntrain, Ltd. dba Michaels & Associates. All rights reserved.
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S U C C E E D AT D E V E L O P I N G T R A I N I N G W H E N
THE S O F T WA R E I S U N D E R D E V E L O P M E N T

Your company is releasing brand new software to its customers and it’s your
job to create the instructor-led training materials for a worldwide audience. The
problem is the software is under development, functionality and the interface
are volatile, the requirements, design and testing documents for the software
are nonexistent and communication with subject matter experts is limited.
Sound like an impossible task?

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How to Do It and Avoid the Pitfalls

Let’s face it—most learning development managers would pack up their desk and contact a

professional recruiter before taking on a project like this. The odds are heavily stacked against

success. The thought of drowning in all the work, rework, late nights and other pitfalls trying to make

the training a success sends shivers. But, you can do it with five-star results.

Before you get started, take a deep breath and take solace in the fact that it’s not about how many

hours you put in, how hard you work or how flexible and reactionary you are to changes. Rather, it’s

about using a methodical approach to analyze, design, develop and deliver great training. Success is

within reach if you follow these simple guidelines.

1. Align the right team

2. Determine your processes and procedures

3. Identify the needs of your entire audience

4. Get stakeholder approval

5. Develop in chunks
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Align the Right Team

Failure to align the right team can result in a severe disconnect in the expectations for the training and to the desired learning outcomes. The right

team consists of key stakeholders, subject matter experts (SMEs) and instructional designers who are savvy in determining the scope, project

schedule and direction based on input from the stakeholders and subject matter experts.

Bribe Subject Matter Experts

Building relationships with the right SMEs is paramount when developing instructor-led training for software that is still under development. SME bait

(a.k.a. baked goods and other bribes of a similar nature) is a good way

start building rapport. At a minimum, bribing with baked

goods ensures that people won’t run and hide when

they see you coming. When people can connect or

relate to your plight, it is human nature for them to

want to help. One way to help SMEs (and in this

case, software developers) relate to your predicament

is to show them a diagram of your instructional design

process. More than likely they will be amazed at

how closely the instructional design and

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systems design processes relate. Other things you can do to help turn the dire situation of limited

time with SMEs are to educate them about the importance and value of the training and be

conscious of their time. Build a schedule that both of you can live with, and prepare your questions

ahead of time. You can even give your questions to the SMEs ahead of time, to reduce the ―face

time‖ you spend with them.

Identify a Point of Contact

If for entertainment reasons you would enjoy watching your team run amuck, do not assign a point

of contact. The havoc that follows might be worth the price of admission. On the other hand, if

derangement is not the state you were going for, select a point of contact from the business side.

This is the ―go to‖ person for your developers. This person should be able to find the answer to

technical questions, coordinate and reconcile reviews and validate or approve changes to the

materials. Make certain that the point of contact is committed to the responsibilities that come with

this role. Getting answers to questions, reconciling reviews and making project decisions in a timely

manner are essential to success and can take a fair amount of their time.
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Determine Your Processes and Procedures

Write a will to avoid probate and estate taxes before throwing yourself out of a third story window, or keep the project under control by using solid

processes and procedures. Set up processes for project communications, analysis, design and development. Set up procedures for reviews, change

requests and versioning. Think of your processes and procedures as the rules of engagement for the project, and make sure every

person involved knows and follows the rules.

Allow Room for Flexibility

Recognize upfront that since the software is not complete, you may have to be

flexible. Build into your processes and procedures the ability to develop out of

sequence. This way you can work on the parts of the software that are ready

instead of developing and then changing due to modifications in functionality.

Fine Tune Your Templates

Waiting to perfect your templates until after you begin development can result

in scrapping what you have and starting over with a new template. While you’re

waiting for the software to become somewhat stable, make formatting and usage

decisions about your templates. Then fine tune your templates to conform to

your design before you begin development.

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Identify the Needs of Your Entire Audience

You’ve heard it before – you’ve got to walk before you can run. The saying is also true when developing instructor-led training materials. To avoid

the pitfalls of a poor design and ultimately poor training, you must first complete a thorough analysis. Start the analysis by identifying the

needs of your entire audience. For instructor-led training courses, the audience extends past

the learner and includes the instructor. When analyzing your learner and instructor audience,

consider prior knowledge, motivations and abilities for both groups of people.

Gain a Clear Picture of the Desired Learning Outcomes

Armed with knowledge about your audience, it’s time to clarify what your audience

should learn. Continue your analysis by determining the skills and attitudes you want

your learners to acquire. To do this, first find out what customer problem(s) the new

software product solves and the functionality it will have. Then, research the most

important tasks learners need to perform to use the software effectively. Be sure to

discover the level of competency required to define success. With this information, you

should be able to compose well written learning objectives. Your objectives should be

specific and describe a measureable behavior, the conditions necessary to perform the

behavior and the desired level of competency. Make sure to get stakeholder approval

for the objectives you write.

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Determine the Instructional Strategy

Now that you have well written objectives and stakeholder approval, it’s time decide how to

teach the skills and attitudes you want learners to perform. Use your objectives to determine

and create the best ways to present, practice and assess the material, but keep in mind that

the more learners interact with the material the better they learn.

Determine the Strategy for the Instructor Guide

During the analysis, spend time finding out about the instructor’s prior knowledge,

motivations and abilities. Then, put that information to use and decide how much information

and support the instructor will need to effectively teach the material. Design the instructor

guide to include this information in an easy-to-find format.

Get Stakeholder Approval

During the analysis, design and development phases in the project, be sure to get

stakeholder approval. This is so important because it ensures that everyone is on the same

page. Stakeholders know what they are getting and you know what you’re developing. The

next page includes a checklist of guidelines to help focus your stakeholders review efforts

during the different phases of the project.

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Review Criteria Questions to Consider

Please use the questions below to guide your hands-on review. Your expertise and knowledge in the content area is important to the development of accurate and
useful training materials. The responsibility of the reviewer is to assure that information provided in the materials is complete, clear, and accurate from a content
standpoint and to assure that the materials are accurate and useful from a business perspective.

Complete and Accurate Content User Experience

 Do the tasks in the materials align with the desired learning  Are the materials easy to use or navigate?
outcomes?
 Does the overall design layout meet business needs?
 Do the tasks identify what the user needs to know to be
 Are the graphic or other media elements such as slides appropriate
successful?
and of reasonable quality?
 Is there anything included that should not be included?
 Is branding or use of logos correct?
 Is the content technically accurate?
 Is the content clear, concise and complete?
Overall Experience

Instructional Strategy  Can the learner apply the skills and attitudes taught in the
materials immediately?
 Is the presentation of the tasks in a logical order?
 Does the mix of presentation, practice, activities and assessment
fit well together?
 Are the activities accurate and meaningful to end-users?
 Do the materials adequately describe the systems and the job
tasks?
 Are all the procedures and instructions clear and accurate?
 Are there cautions that should be included (i.e. about system data
loss, risks to the company in certain types of sales or situations,
etc.)?
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 Do the materials offer useful tools such as a job aid or reference

card where appropriate?
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Develop in Chunks

Okay, now that you have stakeholder approval, you’re ready to start development. When software is

still in the development stages, the most effective approach to developing training materials is to

break down your efforts into smaller chunks. Developing in smaller chunks allows you to be more

flexible because you can work as parts of the software become complete or more stable. Chunking

may also create opportunities for you to reuse content in a different context.

Store Content Chunks in a Central Repository

Keep your project organized, manageable and accessible by storing your content in a central

repository available to all team members. By keeping content in one place, it’s easier to assemble all

of your learning chunks into a course when you’re finished.

Polish the Graphics for Your Materials Last

Don’t worry about getting polished screen shots early on. It’s a waste of time and you’ll end up

redoing this work. Instead, wait until the end of the software development lifecycle when most of the

bugs are fixed and the functionality and interface are mostly stable.

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If you’re ever tasked with developing training for software that is under development don’t pack up your desk and contact a professional recruiter.
Instead, follow these simple guidelines and deliver great training.

Not sure where to start? Drop us a line and we'll be glad to get you started. Michaels & Associates — where tough training comes easy.

marketing@michaelsandassoc.com www.michaelsandassoc.com toll-free: 877-614-8440

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