IN/FUSION's Development Process
IN/FUSION's Development Process is unique in that we expend a great deal of effort in obtaining consensus on the course of action to be taken at all levels within the project. The Detailed Product Specification, followed by the Detailed Outline, and the Prototype, allow us to fine tune the product before it is developed. This approach significantly reduces the amount of rework typically associated with courseware development thereby reducing the production schedule and more importantly, production costs. Consistent use of documented, well-founded, and proven tools, techniques, and methods has enabled IN/FUSION to consistently deliver high-quality products in a timely manner and within budget.
IN/FUSION's development process can be broken into six primary phases that are all addressed and defined by the first phase, the Detailed Product Specification. The six phases of our development process consist of:
- The Detailed Product Specification
- The Detailed Outline
- The Prototype or Live spec
- The Draft
- The Final
- Packaging & Distribution.
Detailed Product Specification
The Detailed Product Specification serves as a blueprint for producing the final product. Producing the Detailed Product Specification requires a collaborative effort involving all the individuals associated with developing the final product. Representatives from each training discipline (i.e., graphics, programming, instructional design), project management, and the customer provide input and approval to ensure that the specification accurately and adequately addresses all issues associated with developing the final product.
Detailed Product Specification will:
- Identify the requirements for technical content;
- Document the conventions and standards associated with the interface design (e.g., title bars, popup windows, navigation);
- Describe the approach to tracking trainee progress;
- Characterize the delivery platform (e.g., minimum requirements for processor, memory, storage capacity, security, etc.);
- Define the deliverable review process (e.g., the roles and responsibilities associated with each deliverable including an outline, prototype, draft, and final delivery);
- Provide the schedule for the project;
- Identify any assumptions made that could adversely impact the cost or delivery schedule for the project.
Detailed Outline
The Detailed Outline illustrates the menu structure and flow of the courseware as well as identifying each of the technical/instructional elements to be addressed. For this project, the Detailed Outline for each course will identify all of the areas within the KC-135 IRC that need to be modified.
Prototype
The Prototype/Live spec provides a representative sample of every type of functionality including elements from the interface (menus, button actions, landmarks, etc.) and the instructional design (graphic-only screens, graphic with text, multiple-choice questions, etc.). Once the prototype is approved, templates are created and the storyboards are produced.
Draft Version
The Draft represents a significant milestone in the production process. Once the prototype is approved, the instructional designers work with the subject-matter experts to develop the storyboards. A storyboard is created for each screen that contains all information required to produce the respective screen. The storyboard includes the instructional treatment (i.e., storyboard type graphic with text, identification question, summary, etc.), what the positive and negative feedback is if it is a question type, what text will be displayed, what graphic will be displayed, where the Next and Back buttons will link to, etc. These storyboards provide a convenient means for the customer and the subject-matter experts to review the course content prior to producing the actual screens. Once the first series of storyboards are approved, the production process commences while storyboards for other lessons/modules are completed in a parallel effort. The Draft is the result of this production process and provides the first opportunity to the review the entire course on-screen.
Final Version
The Final is just that, the final version of the product with all review comments incorporated. It provides a last look at the courseware before packaging the course for delivery and distribution.
Packaging & Distribution
The courseware is packaged for delivery and distribution as requested.