Flowchart for Digital Learning Assets

Stage 1
There’s a problem. Someone says that it’s Training’s issue. It ends up becoming a “request” for training. But what it it, really? Is the problem really something that training can solve? Not maybe kinda help somehow, but solve. If the target audience acquired a new skill, concept, or fact, would the problem be fixed? If no, stop — this may be important, but it’s not training. If yes, on to Stage 2.

Stage 2
Okay, it’s training. Great! Let’s look at what it does, and who it does it for. How is this measured? If there’s not a clear measure, maybe go back a step. The problem can be measured, and if training solves that problem then with a little work it can too. Capture the everything you’re learning about this training because that will come in handy later, then move on to Stage 3.

Stage 3
Now it’s time make some stuff and test it. Create the first iteration of an asset, and test it with the target group. Can they get it? Did it make a measurable difference? Did it make a measurable difference in the right direction? If not, iterate until it does. If that doesn’t work, go back a step. Once it does work, then and only then has it earned its right to scale to the entire audience in Stage 4.

Stage 4
Time to get that training media out there! We’ve tested it asset by asset with the target audience, we know that this works. If anyone needs to know how well it’s doing, we know exactly how to tell because we have the measure. If the content changes, we know exactly where to go to make that change, all the assets that are affected by that change, and how approve/validate it with the audience/stakeholders. If the audience changes, we know exactly what will need additional testing. If nothing changes, we know how tell when an asset has remained untouched and unreviewed for too long.

By running the training media that we make through this process, we can definitively say that it is a Digital Learning Asset. This is what the Framework is for.