Example No. 1
Booz|Allen|Hamilton
Performance Support Tool
Web Site - (795A )
A link to the actual product cannot be shared
due to the proprietary nature of the organization's information. This link provides a sanitized version.
Analysis, design, development, implementation,
and evaluation of a performance support tool. |
 |
“Information and knowledge are the thermonuclear competitive weapons of our time. Knowledge is more valuable and more powerful than natural resources, big factories, or fat bankrolls. In industry after industry, success comes to the companies that
have the best information or yield it most effectively – not necessarily the
companies with the most muscle.” -Thomas Stewart, Intellectual Capital, 1997
Ed Beale and I collaborated on this project. Since we were tasked with developing a knowledge retrieval tool for the Training & Technology team of the San Diego Booz | Allen | Hamilton (BAH) office, we thought we would refer to what I believed to be Thomas Stewart's visionary ideas from 1997 on the importance of managing the intellectual capital of a company.
The request for a “meet the people” tool for Booz Allen Hamilton in 795A offered my partner and me the opportunity to put the ADDIE model into practice.
The project started off with a bang! Our first lesson was one of tolerance for ambiguity due to some confusion around our intern placement. Interesting enough, a visiting consultant to our class had recently brought up this very point as an issue for consultants. Once past this hurdle, we quickly realized that we had a responsive client. Working relationships developed smoothly, and we felt trusted and supported throughout the project.
We conducted a performance analysis by first doing an audience analysis in which we interviewed key employees. We then reviewed extant data about the company to gain a better understanding of the business culture (Rossett 1999). In addition, we were required to attend an employee orientation that gave us an even better feel for the culture of the company. From these activities we were able to define the opportunity and assess optimals and actuals. We determined that the information needed to be at the capabilities level, and not at the individual staff level because staff could change. We wanted to present them a final deliverable that would not need to be updated if there were changes in personnel. Therefore, the project evolved from a “meet the people” idea to development of a knowledge retrieval tool.
We utilized the recommendations from e-Learning and the Science of Instruction and Jakob Nielson's Ten Usability Heuristics by using a minimalist approach to the content in order to reduce load on short term memory. Much of the material that we received was quite verbose, so it was a challenge to drill down to pertinent information worthy of a website environment (Quality Web Content <words that work> website, 2006). Although our product was basic (no simulations, interactivity, etc.), we utilized the contiguity principle by combining text and graphics to help the content become more meaningful and usable. There is consistent evidence that people learn more deeply from words and pictures than from words alone (Clark, & Mayer, 2003). As with any site development, we tested our html pages in both MAC and PC's and with several browsers.
We also utilized the modality principle by asking for quotes from each of the key content contributors. This principle refers to presenting words as speech rather than text. In addition, this is a good CLAM strategy (Rossett 2006) as quotes tend to capture the attention of the learner and make it more personal.
Another modality tool we used was incorporating audio and video. We recorded the top principal of the team speaking briefly about his team and what the performance support tool was intended to accomplish.
Implementation consisted of two usability tests regarding overall look, navigation, layout, graphics, fonts, and content. We incorporated these suggested changes into the website.
For evaluation purposes, we developed a survey based on two components: 1) our ability to provide a tool that was aesthetically pleasing, with useful and relevant content that was easy to navigate and that added value to their team and 2) our professionalism and ability to development, implement, and manage the project.
Lessons Learned
In retrospect, we realized that we had skirted around some technical issues which affected our final deliverable. Because we were not given office space, on-site computers, or direct access to the IT staff, we were left to fend for ourselves in terms of technical difficulties. Looking back at the contract, we did not specify these requests and we did not press the client with specific technical requirements. Having internal technical support and on-site office space would have kept us closer to the users and would probably have afforded slightly richer and more structured information for a higher quality product.
Affiliate Project
As we developed the BAH website, we also created and populated a parallel internal site to track meetings, data collection, administration actions, creative thought processes, and feedback. We wanted this site as an asset to our BAH project, as well as a tool for our instructor so that she could monitor our progress. The working web site allowed our development team to transfer documents and information between four different locations using the Synchronization feature in Dreamweaver.
This project was a team effort within a team. Our class was tasked with creating a video on “Where Does San Diego's Water Come From?" Anita Greenberg and I were assigned the segment on water storage. Each team produced a 2-3 minute segment which Dr. Hoffman compiled for the full video presentation.
As with many projects, this one incorporated more than one competency. There was much that was technical, and communication and creativity played significant roles. However, I chose this artifact to fulfill the “Processes” category because it proved to be the most linear in terms of the instructional design process. We began, (after several discussions with the instructor on how creative we should be), by creating a video outline and treatment, storyboard, and script.
Armed with video recorder, microphone, and tripod, we set out to Lake Miramar for some taping of a reservoir. We were interested in using strategies to make the information contextually authentic and attention-riveting via historical perspectives (CLAM, Rossett 2006). This was apparently “CLAMMY”, although we hadn't heard of Dr. Rossett's CLAM model yet.
To show methods of water collection before the affordance of current technologies, we created a scene of an African woman collecting water using a clay vessel (a flower pot from my home patio). We were able to use the Scripps Cottage pond here on the SDSU campus for this scene.
In another segment of the video we reenacted a scene of a farmer using the dowsing technique to search for water. We had to go a bit farther east to the Sweetwater River to get an authentic location for this scene.
We taped our narration based on our predetermined script. Using IMovie, we edited our footage, inserted our narration, and submitted it to our instructor, anxious to see the final product in class.
In the real world, it probably wouldn't be optimal to have each segment of a video produced by different teams, as each team has its own look, style, and feel. However, for our personal learning experience, it worked well. Being a production team of two, Anita and I got a taste of many roles, to include Production Manager, Subject Matter Expert, Art Director, Video Director, Talent Recruiter and Video Editor. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed (loved, actually) the combination of creating content and determining how best to deliver it to the audience.
