a year in the life of an instructional designer pinnacle financial partners

A Year in the Life of an Instructional Designer:

Managing and Prioritizing Custom Content

Eddie AlfordPinnacle Financial Partners

Nashville, Tennessee

Pitfalls of Managing and Prioritizing Custom Content

• Lack of Leadership’s Support

• Unexpected Needs Keep Me Sidetracked

• “This and That Dance”(I wanted this, you gave me that / I wanted

that, you gave me this)

Objectives

• Gaining Leadership Buy-in/Support

• Developing Achievable Schedules

• Communicating and Tracking to Build Organizational Trust

• Designing Impactful Content Quickly

Content Cycle

“My custom content

development cycle is a yearly cycle which begins

the 4th Quarter

of the previous year.”

Unexpected Needs Keep Me Sidetracked

Gaining Leadership’s Buy-in

3 – Step Process

1. Outsource Course Recommendations

2. Prepare Online Compliance Annual Course Assignments Document

3. Submit Online Compliance Course Assignment Document to Leadership Team for Approval

Lack of Leadership’s Support

“What is the most effective way to gain Leadership’s Buy-in?”

Creating an Achievable Schedule

Unexpected Needs Keep Me Sidetracked

“How long does it take to develop a 1-hour E-learning session?”

Image Source: http://www.astd.org/LC/2009/0809_kapp.htm

Depending upon various factors, you will see numbers ranging anywhere from 2 – 12 weeks.

• Understand the timelines for the types of courses

• 4-6 weeks for repurpose

• 6-8 weeks for newly created courses

• Create a Schedule • If you can’t, Say you

can’t(show why you can’t and when you can)

Unexpected Needs Keep Me Sidetracked

Creating an Achievable Schedule

Build Trust- Tell It and Track It!

• Develop a course notification system that works for your firm.• Yearly Requirements

Schedule• New Associate E-mails with

Due Date Extensions• Content Place Holders in

the LMS.

• Builds Credibility and Accountability

Lack of Leadership’s Support

The “This and That Dance”

Build Organizational Trust- Tell It and Track It!

• Get Leadership’s Schedule Approval First

• Develop Realistic Schedules• Track Results to Prove Your

Value• Develop Service Level

Agreements – 100% On-time Completion Quarterly

• Find a measuring stick for specific courses.

Lack of Leadership’s Support

Designing Impactful Content Quickly

• Avoiding “New Tool Excitement”

• Let the Learning Objectives Determine the Tool

• Make New Tools Fit Your Organization

The “This and That Dance

Designing Content Quickly- Template

The “This and That Dance

Designing Content Quickly- Errors

The “This and That Dance

Questions

Eddie AlfordEddie.Alford@pnfp.com