How The Modernize Solution Transformed A Telecom Giant's Legacy Training Portfolio

How The Modernize Solution Transformed A Telecom Giant's Legacy Training Portfolio
Summary: With mobile usage surpassing desktop, organizations are feeling the pressure to produce more mobile content. The problem is that mobile development can be expensive and time consuming. Learn how one Telecom giant reduced the cost of mobile learning by 60% using the Modernize solution, i.e. a content modernization approach.

A Legacy Training Portfolio Revitalized And Transformed With The Modernize Solution

A top 5 Telecom company with over 178,000 employees operating in 150 countries came to us with a problem. They had purchased 40,000 tablets to be used by remote employees, but were facing compatibility issues with their legacy training content. Not only that, but the portfolio of eLearning materials also contained content inaccuracies, outdated graphics and images, and most of the content was not aligned with modern Instructional Design best practices. As we investigated their legacy content and discussed the desired future state of their mobile content, it became apparent that this called for the Modernize solution.

Modernize ensures the proper leverage of legacy content, improvement of design, correction of content inaccuracies, refreshment of instructional strategy, and deployment of platform-agnostic formats.

While this Telecom giant could have developed brand new content, modernizing their existing content enabled them to reduce the cost of their mobile learning by 60%, and develop it in a fraction of the time.

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Modernize In Action

The first step in the process of revitalizing legacy content is to gather source content. We gathered close to 100 assets covering a variety of subject matters and in a variety of formats. When gathering source content, we made sure that all versions and supporting collaterals were consolidated so that the source could be comprehensively reviewed.

Next, we started the Modernize Strategy in order to capture comprehensive details about the objectives of the courses, environments for deployment, and learner profiles. The Modernize Strategy we deployed can be broken down into four steps:

1. Interview.

We interviewed several stakeholders in order to gain an appreciation for the pain points of existing legacy content and the goals for modernization. We discussed course content with Subject Matter Experts in order to understand the changes required.

2. Examine.

We then examined the legacy content map of each course’s content, assets, interactivities, and design elements.

3. Recommend.

Next, we presented a recommendation document which captured all of the specific changes which would be required on a course by course basis.

4. Prototype.

In order to test the revised design, recommended instructional approach, and mobile interactivities before proceeding with the complete modernization, we created a prototype which could be tested within the existing Learning Management System and on client owned mobile devices. We went through several rounds of testing and revision to finally arrive at a prototype which could be followed by the remaining assets.

Upon completing the Modernize Strategy, we moved into the Modernization Development phase of the project. For the most part, InfoPro Learning follows an "ADDIE" styled model for modernization projects, however there are some proprietary elements which are unique in regard to our project management methodology and processes.

One significant difference is the emphasis on agile and parallel development. In this project, we were able to break the 100 courses into smaller batches and stagger development with parallel teams. This allowed us to release storyboards, betas, and gold releases in a manageable volume for Subject Matter Expert reviews. While the company was reviewing the release, we kept working on other batches.

With Modernize development projects, optimizing the delivery process is the key to improving quality, reducing TAT, and reducing cost. We work tirelessly to evolve checklists at each stage to refine our processes.

The Results

When we kicked off this Modernize project we anticipated a turnaround time of eight months, however, due to external pressures and our client’s circumstances, the deadline was shortened with a hard cut-off date of four months. I’m proud to say that we successfully adjusted for the accelerated delivery!

After 4 months the project:

  • Updated 100 courses from Flash to HTML 5.
  • Redesigned the UI, graphics, and images.
  • Revised the Instructional Design approach with a focus on modular design and mobile compatible interactivities.
  • Leveraged legacy content/assets to reduce the cost of modernization by 60%.
  • Achieved a defect ratio of less than .01%.
  • Process optimization led to a shortened TAT and an additional 10% cost reduction.

To read more, download a copy of Modernize – A Content Strategy Guide for Maximizing Corporate Training ROI.

Modernize programs increase ROI and engagement. With significant investments in content development, companies should search for ways to re-purpose content across various learning programs. Not only will this increase ROI, but it will also help increase engagement by modernizing the look and feel of courses to match changes in learner demographics.

Related articles:

1. "Do I Need eLearning Modernization?" 5 Questions To Ask

2. 3 Reasons Why You Need An eLearning Modernization Strategy

3. The First Step To Modernizing Your eLearning Content

4. How To Modernize eLearning For Mobile Adoption