Organization

I am currently employed as an Instructional Designer at a large multinational software consulting firm based in the United States. The company specializes in Industrial research delivering software solutions, consulting services, and hybrid cloud technologies to help businesses address complex challenges and achieve their strategic goals. Its offerings include artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, and automation, with a strong emphasis on hybrid cloud and AI-driven solutions. With thousands of employees across numerous specialized departments, the organization operates at a significant scale.

As a member of the Internal Employee Onboarding and Development Team, my role focuses on designing and developing innovative learning solutions that set industry benchmarks for engagement, scalability, and long-term sustainability. I contribute to solving complex challenges related to onboarding processes across various departments.

My responsibilities include conducting needs assessments, updating and designing instructional materials, and developing comprehensive learning experiences. I gather and analyze data through environmental scans, surveys, interviews, and stakeholder consultations to identify gaps in the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of new or transitioning employees. Additionally, I collaborate with both internal and external subject matter experts (SMEs) to define learning outcomes, determine instructional strategies, create assessments, and ensure alignment with established learning objectives.

Current Project

The core software division of the company is planning to transition approximately 20% of its software engineering roles from in-person to fully remote over the next five years. While the primary responsibilities and day-to-day operations of these employees will remain largely unchanged, communication protocols—particularly those related to code sharing—will be restructured to better support a remote work environment.

To support this transition, the company requires a comprehensive instructional training module for newly remote employees. This module will introduce updated code sharing protocols and cloud-based unified communications (UC) and collaboration tools. It will also cover essential company policies regarding data sharing, privacy, client communications, and expectations for internal remote meetings. This training must be scalable, asynchronous, and engaging.

The training is designed to help employees effectively use these tools while adapting to the cultural and workflow changes associated with asynchronous, remote work. To support this initiative, the Principal Instructional Designer on our team has tasked me with developing a prototype of the module. This prototype will be pilot tested with the Pioneer remote team within the next six months, allowing for feedback-driven revisions prior to the broader rollout of remote role transitions.

Application of IDD&E Principles

While working on this project I will be utilizing the ADDIE framework as a means to ensure relevant, impactful, and goal oriented instructional training material. 

Analysis:

Although the instructional material has already been approved by company stakeholders and is moving forward without a formal Front-End Analysis (FEA), I have chosen to incorporate FEA tools to ensure the learning solution is targeted, relevant, and performance-based.

To guide this process, I am using Harless’s (1970) Front-End Analysis Model, with a focus on the “Smart Questions” framework to help uncover the gap between the organization’s current capabilities and its desired performance outcomes.

The first step in this analysis is to determine whether a performance problem exists, what kind of problem it is, and how success will be measured once the issue is addressed. In this case, the organization’s strategic goal is to transition approximately 20% of its software engineering workforce from in-person roles to fully remote positions within the next five years. While this transition is still in its early stages and formal instruction has not yet been provided, it is already possible to identify ways in which the organization is not fully positioned to meet this goal. These insights help expand and strengthen the instructional solution I am designing.

Defining the Performance Problem: The core issue is that targeted employees lack the knowledge and skills required to operate effectively in a remote, asynchronous environment. Specifically, they are unfamiliar with:

• Updated remote communication protocols

• Code-sharing tools suited for remote collaboration

• Relevant company policies regarding data privacy and client communication in virtual settings

This performance gap impedes the company’s ability to meet its strategic objective of remote workforce expansion.

For the purpose of this analysis, I am assuming that necessary resources—including time, tools, personnel, and leadership support—will be available to support the instructional intervention.

Cause Analysis: Following the identification of a performance issue, I conducted a Cause Analysis to determine its root causes. Preliminary findings indicate that the performance gap stems primarily from a knowledge and skill deficit. These software engineers have not previously used remote collaboration tools or worked within asynchronous workflows in their current roles.

Thus, the performance issue is not related to motivation, environmental resources, or organizational incentives, but rather to a lack of training and exposure—reinforcing the appropriateness of an instructional intervention.

Some secondary barriers may influence learner performance and engagement, including:

• Cultural disruption from shifting to remote work

• Inconsistent home office setups

• Unfamiliarity with unified communication (UC) tools

• Change fatigue and reduced motivation

However, these are design constraints—not root causes—and will be addressed during the instructional design phase.

Intervention Selection: With the performance gap and root causes established, I proceeded to select an appropriate instructional intervention. The most suitable solution is an asynchronous training module, designed to help employees succeed in remote roles by addressing identified knowledge and skill gaps. Key focus areas for the module include:

• Remote Tool Proficiency: Interactive tutorials on communication and code-sharing platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams, GitHub, Slack)

• Policy Compliance: Clear, scenario-based instruction on company protocols related to data privacy, information security, and client communication

• Workflow Adaptation: Practical strategies for navigating asynchronous team environments and documentation standards

To enhance learning impact and accessibility, the module will also incorporate:

• Microlearning components

• Job aids for just-in-time performance support

• Follow-up assessments to reinforce retention and application

During the design phase, I will weigh factors such as development time, cost, scalability, and organizational constraints to ensure a solution that is both effective and feasible.

Summary of the Problem and Solution: In summary, this project addresses a clear performance issue: employees lack the knowledge and skills to transition successfully into remote, asynchronous roles. There is no evidence that the issue stems from non-instructional factors such as motivation or inadequate resources. The primary cause is a lack of training, which justifies the use of an instructional solution. The proposed intervention—a scalable, asynchronous training module—will:

• Equip employees with the technical skills needed for remote collaboration

• Ensure compliance with critical company policies

• Prepare them for cultural and workflow shifts inherent to remote work

By integrating targeted instructional strategies and performance support tools, this solution will help the organization achieve its remote workforce goals efficiently and sustainably.

Design:

Based on this analysis I can begin to establish a series of S.M.A.R.T objectives that will act as a guide for the future storyboard, and syllabus. This will provide me with measurable and actionable goals and are directly aligned with the knowledge and skills the employees lack. These objectives will be achieved in the instruction upon a detailed content analysis that will include consultation with internal subject matter experts (SMEs). They will also support meaningful measurement and evaluation during and after piloting the training. The S.M.A.R.T objectives are as follows:

1. Tool Proficiency
   • By the end of the training, learners will be able to independently navigate and utilize the company’s designated remote communication tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom) to send messages, schedule meetings, and share documents, with 90% accuracy in a simulated environment.
2. Code Sharing Protocol
   • Within two weeks of completing the module, learners will demonstrate correct use of remote code-sharing platforms (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) by successfully completing a version control task that includes pushing, pulling, branching, and merging code in accordance with new remote collaboration protocols.
3. Policy Compliance
   • By the end of the module, learners will identify and correctly apply company policies related to data privacy, client communications, and information security during remote work, scoring at least 85% on a policy application quiz.
4. Asynchronous Workflow Adaptation
   • By the end of the second training module, learners will be able to structure and document their work asynchronously using shared tools (e.g., project boards, cloud documentation platforms) in a way that meets the team’s workflow and documentation standards, as evaluated by a peer-reviewed checklist.
5. Meeting Expectations and Etiquette
   • After completing the training, learners will be able to demonstrate proper remote meeting etiquette (e.g., agenda preparation, participation, follow-up communication) in a simulated remote meeting, achieving a score of at least 4 out of 5 on a standardized rubric.
6. Cultural Adaptation and Engagement
   • Within 30 days of starting remote work, learners will complete a reflection or self-assessment activity and a follow-up peer survey, with 80% of participants indicating improved comfort and understanding of remote team culture and communication norms.

Development:

During this phase, the creation of the instructional module will begin in earnest. This process will start with the design of a comprehensive storyboard that outlines the instructional flow, content structure, and integration of learning objectives. Following storyboard approval, development will proceed with the creation of interactive online components (microlearning modules, job aids, construction of the training platform, assessments, etc.,) with close collaboration with SMEs to ensure content accuracy, relevance, and alignment with identified learning outcomes.

Once the instructional materials are developed, they will be introduced to a select group of beta users from the pilot cohort of future remote software engineers who have voluntarily opted in to participate in the preliminary formative evaluation. These participants will be compensated for their time, as arranged by the company.

The beta group will review the instructional content and provide feedback through surveys, usability testing, and comprehension assessments. This feedback will be used to evaluate key factors such as content clarity, user experience, and alignment with the learning objectives. Insights gained during this stage will guide iterative refinements to the module, allowing for improvements and major adjustments while the course is still in a flexible, pre-launch stage.

Implementation:

Before the prototype instructional materials are implemented with the pilot cohort, formal approval will be required from the Principal Instructional Designer, as well as key stakeholders within the software department, including directors and heads of application development.

The implementation of the prototype will be facilitated by Team Leads overseeing the newly remote software engineering roles. Therefore, it will be essential to ensure that these Team Leads are fully prepared to support the rollout. This includes providing them with a comprehensive orientation to ensure the instructional experience is supported and consistently monitored. This preparation will help ensure consistent delivery, monitoring, and support throughout the pilot implementation.

Evaluation:

During the Evaluation phase, data collected from the pilot cohort will be systematically analyzed to assess the effectiveness of the instructional materials in meeting the defined learning objectives. This analysis will act as a formative evaluation of the materials that will also identify areas for improvement to enhance the training prior to full-scale deployment with the broader software engineering workforce.

This formative evaluation will assess learner comprehension, engagement, and alignment with learning objectives. I will work with other ID team members to collect and analyze this data objectively, guiding adjustments before full deployment.

My role will not include conducting the summative evaluation since I have only been assigned the prototype development. However, the goals, objectives, and comprehension assessments I develop will be valuable metrics for the eventual summative evaluation of the instructional material. 

Reflection on ID Competencies and Professional Identity

This case allowed me to practice and deepen several key IBSTPI instructional design competencies, including:

• 1.6: Practice evidence-based design decision-making
  I based my analysis and design decisions on case data, organizational context, and established models (e.g., ADDIE, Harless), ensuring that solutions were both justified and actionable.
  
• 2.5: Identify required content and gaps
  I conducted a content analysis by mapping current versus desired performance states to clearly identify skill and knowledge gaps.
  
• 3.2: Determine goals, objectives, and assessments
  I created SMART objectives aligned with real-world tasks and developed assessments to measure learner progress against performance expectations.
  
• 5.1: Apply business skills to manage instructional design functions
  I balanced instructional quality with business considerations—like scalability, stakeholder engagement, development timelines, and pilot feedback integration.
  

These competencies were crucial to solving the performance problem, and they reflect my growing ability to bridge strategic business goals and learner-centered design. This project has reinforced my belief in the importance of instructional designers who are not only content experts, but also data-driven problem solvers and strategic thinkers.

Reflection on Strengths and Contributions to the Field

Strengths:

• Strong ability to translate business goals into instructional interventions.
  
• Proficient in needs assessment, gap analysis, and performance-based design.
  
• Collaborative mindset and ability to communicate effectively with SMEs and stakeholders.
  

Areas for Growth:

• Further experience in summative evaluation and ROI analysis.
  
• Greater exposure to adaptive learning technologies and AI-driven personalization.
  

As I continue to grow, I am committed to contributing to the broader IDD&E field through evidence-based practices, peer collaboration, and the development of solutions that enhance both organizational outcomes and learner experiences.