How to keep track of clients’ favorite details
You lurch awake at 2 AM, thinking, “What if the client asks where I put sub-policy 12.5B? Did I cover it? Where?”
At the start of an elearning project, your client will often give you more information than will be useful. Some of it will go into your elearning material, some will go into job aids, and some will get cut. Here’s one way to track what happens to your client’s favorite content.
1. Agree on the goal and activities.
Make sure the client and you agree on what the materials are supposed to accomplish and, therefore, what content is likely to be included. Action mapping can be handy for this.
I start the content-sorting process when we’ve agreed on a high-level outline that briefly describes each activity and suggests what information will be needed.
2. Copy the client’s content files.
I work from copies so I can mark them up. The originals go into an “originals” folder.
3. Choose a place to dump the relevant info.
Your client has probably given you several files in different formats. Often, you need to pull bits of content from all of these files. I put the information I’ve pulled into one document, either an action map or a Word file.
Action map: For mapping, I use Compendium, which lets you paste text, PowerPoint slides, PDFs, and web sites in the map. That way, I can link the raw content directly to the activity it will support. This makes it easy to locate the relevant information when I write the storyboard. Other mind mapping software also lets you include documents; if you have a favorite program, please recommend it in the comments section.
Word dump: If I’m not building a Compendium map, I put all the relevant content into one Word file.
4. Move the info into your content dump and color code it in the source doc.
Write summaries, take screenshots (on Windows, I use SnagIt), and copy and paste the relevant content into your action map or master Word dump.
When the source document is a Word file, I mark it up as I pull information out of it, highlighting text to show what I did with it. For example, you could use these colors:
Grey: Not used anywhere (course or job aids). I might add a comment to remind myself why I’m not using that content.
Green: Will be used somewhere in some form. This means I’ve copied and pasted this info into the action map or master Word file. I usually add a comment to remind myself where the information will be used, like “quick reference card” or “eavesdropping scenario.”
When I’m done, everything in the source file is marked either grey or green, and there are comments recording my decisions. Later on, if the client asks what I did with a specific bit of content in a particular file, I can open that file and answer immediately.
For PowerPoint decks, I often don’t mark the slides as I pull them, because it’s usually easy for me to remember what I’ve done with a slide.
5. Paste the pulled information where you’ll need it.
Paste the information in your action map or Word content dump in an order that makes sense to you. For example, if you’re writing a linear course, your Word content dump might follow the course organization.
As I paste, I usually add comments reminding myself where the information came from. If I’m using a Word doc, I also add headings to make it easy to group information by activity.
6. Identify missing or conflicting information.
Now that you have all related information in one place, it’s easy to see what’s missing or conflicting. Ask the subject matter expert (SME) for help by sending him or her specific questions (not your content dump). For example, you could send an email pointing out that Carol’s PPT said X, while the IT policy document said Y. Which is correct?
7. Write the storyboard and draft the job aids.
Write the storyboard and job aids, incorporating the client’s information in its most useful form. This usually isn’t a word-for-word copy of the original content.
For example, a paragraph that warns staff against sending account information over unsecured email could become a scenario in which someone sends an unsecured email and exposes a client’s account information. You might try to replace as much text as possible with an activity or scenario.
As you use information, mark it or (more satisfying) delete it from your map or content dump. You might also find that some of the information you pulled isn’t relevant after all. You might want to mark it as grey or otherwise record your decision in case the client asks about it.
8. Send the storyboard and job aids for review.
It’s a good idea to have the SME and other stakeholders review your storyboard and draft job aids before you develop anything further. Send them just the storyboard and job aid drafts. The marked-up source documents and content dump are just for your records.
I’ve gotten the best results by writing very specific SME questions directly in the storyboard and highlighting those questions in yellow. Ideally, the SME answers the question by typing right there in the document.
At the end of a project, I save both the marked-up source documents and the unmarked originals. If the client wants to update the elearning materials later on, it can be helpful to have a record of the decisions I made during the first round.
How do you keep track of details? Does your team have an official process in place?
on March 31st, 2009 at 9:27 am
I’ve found there’s nothing better than a Excel file for tracking projects, revisions and budgeting our projects – i can’t count the number of times I’ve saved myself when a client asks why they don’t have a file, or how come a project isn’t completed by the deadline.. i just look in my excel sheet and tell them “I’m just waiting on you for revisions!”. Then they realize I’m the one waiting on them!
There are a lot of great apps out there, and some I thought would be great, but in the end i find the fewer programs I use to manage my business and projects, the more likely i’ll keep those files updated.. Soon as I have 15 URL’s to visit and 15 sets of user names and passwords to keep track of (which by the way, ‘Any Password’ is the greatest password management program I’ve ever found, a life saver!) i tend to give up on the new technology.
on March 31st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Hi Carol,
First, I really like the blog. You’ve got some very useful ideas here that I’m learning a lot from. Thanks!
My Question: What’s the advantage of using Snagit over a simple Alt+Print Screen, Paste, & Crop in any Graphics program?
I’ve got colleagues who swear by it and I’ve never understood the need to pay for something that I can do for free…
-Nathan
on March 31st, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Hi Nathan,
We use SnapIt all time in our training department. What I’ve found is that the resolution of the images are better when I use Snagit (vs. just the print screen) and crop/resize. There are a myriad of other features available within Snagit, which are fun to explore. Perhaps others can comment on their favorite feature.
-Carollyn
on March 31st, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Another advantage of SnagIt: You can use it to create rollovers. Gabe Anderson of Articulate gives a quick overview here: http://tinyurl.com/259e8w
This means you can take a screenshot or just open an image with SnagIt and turn the image into a standalone SWF interaction in which users move their mouse over parts of the graphic to have information appear. You might also be able to have images also pop up from images–I don’t remember, and I’m working on a Mac these days so can’t try it out. I did create several slick rollovers that popped up text.
on March 31st, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Hi!
1. So sorry for calling you “Carol” I really meant Cathy… I don’t know what I was thinking!
2. Those are all great reasons for Snagit.
I had no idea! I’ve been creating some of those rollovers without it, but any tool that makes things easier is great in my book! I’m not sure that I’m ready to shell out money for it just yet, but it’s getting more tempting.
Thanks!
on April 1st, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Nathan, no problem about my name. “Carol” is close enough that I didn’t even notice.
If anyone reading this is on a Mac, I’d recommend trying Skitch to mark up screen shots easily. It’s from Plasq, the same company that makes ComicLife, which I use to make the comics that show up here occasionally. Ignore all the pink hearts; it’s a useful business program:
http://plasq.com/skitch
on April 5th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Nathan, SnagIt is worth the money. Up until recently, I used SnagIt every day and found that once I really understood its capabilities that I was lost without it!
Here is a great article that sheds some light on some of SnagIt’s great features:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/snagit-screenshot-capture,review-1127.html
Sadly, there is no SnagIt for Mac and it is by far the most missed application from my windows arsenal.
Cathy – thanks for mentioning that Skitch is a useful business program, I had tried it out previously and found it a bit . . . um . . . pink. I am currently downloading it again . . .
Wonderful post, I am going to use these guidelines when creating my next ‘epic’ course – I think highlighting which information you left out with comments explaining the thoughts behind the decision is priceless!
Matt.
on April 5th, 2009 at 10:58 am
you all may just make a believer out of me!
thanks a lot for helping!
Nathan
on April 10th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Just wandered back over here to say that Skitch really is an awesome app!
on April 15th, 2009 at 10:28 am
SnagIt is awesome! If you have to take a series of screenshots ALT-Printscreen means you have to paste that and save it.
SnagIt will automatically drop a nice screenie of each of your captured sequences as a sequentially numbered file right into a directory of your choosing! That makes it worthy by those stats alone.
It does so much more though. If you need to capture all of a scrolling window – easy – SnagIt will do that for you.
So many really cool features in a tool that really is affordable and flexible. Worth the money.
For online tools, I’ve found that http://www.activecollab.com serves my needs the best for online collaborative project management. It’s affordable, but does require IT assistance to install on your own host. If you’ve got the means, I’d recommend giving this one a shot.