Business Case
A leading custom e-learning solutions provider working with global organizations secured a long-term contract to deliver a comprehensive Service Technician training program for a major automotive client. The project required development and delivery of 100 hours of course content within a defined timeline, translating to a takt requirement of approximately one hour of e-learning content per day.
However, the company’s delivery capability was significantly below the required pace. Over six months, the team had produced only 70 hours of course content, with the highest monthly output reaching just 15.5 hours. The goal was to improve productivity across the development workflow and build the capability to consistently meet the required delivery rate.
Current State Observations
To understand the constraints affecting delivery performance, our team conducted a value stream mapping exercise covering the entire course development process.
- The scripting stage required nearly three times the planned time due to repeated reviews and rework caused by scripting errors.
- Media production activities took about 25% longer than planned due to unclear script instructions and delays in receiving CAD drawings and technical inputs.
- Validation and fixing stages consumed nearly three times the planned time as many defects originated earlier during scripting.
Solution Synopsis
- The scripting process was identified as the pacemaker for the entire development workflow and improvement efforts focused on this stage first.
- Script preparation standards were revised to provide clearer instructions for animators and reduce interpretation errors.
- Preventive measures were introduced to eliminate common scripting errors and reduce repeated reviews.
- Processes were established to ensure CAD drawings and supporting materials were complete before issuing them to animation teams.
- Workplace and workflow improvements were introduced to minimize strain and reduce time lost due to switching between documents and systems.
- Focused improvement workshops were conducted across scripting, media production, and validation stages to align the workflow with takt requirements.
Outcomes
Focused improvements across the course development workflow significantly enhanced delivery capability and reduced rework.
Before
- Scripting output averaged 5–6 SCOs per day, limiting overall project throughput.
- Scripts frequently generated queries and required multiple rework cycles during animation.
- Validation and fixing stages consumed significant time due to defects originating earlier in the process.
After
- Scripting productivity increased to 8.5 SCOs per day, significantly improving workflow throughput.
- 60% of scripts required no clarification or rework and were directly usable by downstream teams.
- The organization developed the capability to deliver one hour of e-learning content per day, meeting the customer’s delivery expectations.
