Process Improvement: Two Case Studies
Retail Tire Store Inventory Management
This big name tire company was dealing with a lot of inventory data errors and wanted all employees re-trained. When designing each 2-4 minute process vignette (12 in total), I placed an emphasis on motivating employees to engage with both the learning experience and the inventory process. I also put a critical eye on each process that SMEs relayed to me.
As a result of this critical analysis, I encouraged SMEs to add a self-check and a peer-check to all data entry processes — in these instances, typos can spell disaster! There’s just no way for humans to be accurate 100% of the time, so double-checking and even triple-checking the work is imperative to catch errors. As this was a big change from the current culture of quickly entering data and moving on, I also incorporated change management including explaining thoroughly the importance of the change, highlighting how it will benefit the staff, and in general, stressing the importance of following all procedures as taught.
Vyond was the ideal development tool, as it allowed for a seamless combination of physical scenes and digital workflows, even across the same process. I made sure that all processes were clearly documented before moving on to creative treatments.
Diverse Vyond characters reflected the diverse workforce at this nationwide company. Professional VoiceOver actors were coached in the style I often recommend: fun, friendly, and casual. This course also included a 20-minute interactive learning and job aids for each process.
Vyond scenes are versatile. This 3-minute Vyond vignette included email conversations (as depicted above), whiteboard moments, and software procedures. Each step in the process was shown at the bottom of the screen.
PowerBI Querying & Reporting
In a PowerBI 3-module elearning course, the learner proceeds through the course by clicking on a highlighted process step to launch each chapter. We begin with the preferred process, then go through an alternative path that can be followed when the preferred process is not available. Using a simple process diagram like the one shown here provides structure for a longer elearning course and makes it easy for the learner to understand how everything fits together, especially when there are a large number of subprocesses.
To gain clarity and enable a process to be rolled up (as shown), I first conduct a thorough analysis. I use my process expertise to question any redundant steps and check that the most efficient and effective approach is primary. In addition, I learn each step as if I were a learner myself. Then, once I have a complete understanding of the tasks, I simplify the language, combining steps as needed so the process is level-set all the way across.
Decision trees like the one shown below make excellent job aids because they need to be referenced often. The learning experience can introduce the concepts so that all are well understood by the end of the course, but there is often no need for the learner to memorize all the concepts or the process itself. Differentiating between content that must be mastered vs content that can be referenced at the moment of need is a key way to target resources for the biggest impact on learning outcomes.
For this project, there was no documentation or previous training collateral, so I started from scratch with SME interviews. I ensured the end result was detailed and clear to make it as helpful as possible for learners.
