Make a Map

There is no way we can talk about the tools and techniques behind job and task analysis without focusing on computer software and technology. A lot of what we train people is how to interact with a computer system to accomplish a task. For some, it’s a constant marriage between a user and a keyboard through a day to enter commands and data into the appropriate fields. For others, it’s an occasional running of a report to monitor something or writing some form of documentation. In either case, our training programs will inevitably include at least some technical training for software and technology. Therefore, it’s important we develop tools to quickly dissect how these systems function and how does someone perform the tasks in them.

One tool we will talk about here is mapping out a software system and codifying it’s navigational structure. This can helps us greatly while we do the initial needs analysis but if done right, it can also help later down the road when it comes to the design and development of training materials.

Maps

There are a few ways you may want to visualize how someone can navigate through a system. The choice depends more on the system itself and how someone can use it than the methods themselves. Remember the primary function of these maps is to represent navigation within a system and while they can show other data, they don’t necessarily focus on other factors such as system access levels, functional capabilities, or user preferences.

• Hierarchical Maps

• Brainstorm Maps

• Network Maps

Hierarchical maps are like an Org Chart. We’ve all seen the top down structures of organizations represented on a hierarchical map showing the CEO at the top of the map and then showing who reports to whom all the way down the chain of command to the lowest levels. This format can also work well to represent how someone may navigate through a system. Often times, there is a gateway point where someone logs into a system. From there, you are presented with a finite number of choices to navigate to. You aren’t always able to go anywhere in the system from anywhere and you must wade through a few screens or menus to get to where you are going. A hierarchical map shows this and for websites it’s often referred to as a site map and if you are working with a system developed internally, you may be able to go to the system engineers or architects and simply request one. Here is a simplified example.

Brainstorm maps often start in the center with a major topic or idea and then relating ideas branch off in all directions around getting smaller and smaller. Structurally this can be similar to a hierarchical map but in some cases it can allow for a more fluid representation of a system especially while you develop the map and aren’t sure how big or deep it may go. Another nice thing about the 360 orientation of the map is that it doesn’t necessarily show any kind of preference for one area over another. It may seem odd but some areas or functions within a system can become points of contention among experts because of functionality preferences, lack of system enhancements, or overdevelopment. The brainstorm map allows me to be fluid as I draw it with experts and avoid any impression of favoring a particular section or set of functions over another.

Here is a simple example.

Network maps allow us to represent more of a fluid and dynamic method for navigating within a system. Using this type of map makes the visual much more complicated but can also be more realistic to how someone navigates. Network maps by definition shun any types of real hierarchy. They may have central points where there are more connections but there is no single way to navigate from one area to another.

In reality, most websites and computer systems offer some form of network like navigation. If you think about it, even though a website is built hierarchically, there are often links on each page that could link to to almost any other section of the site. It doesn’t have to go from one to the next to the next. You may not even always start at the home page. You may click on a link from an email or on a completely different site and end up somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd layer of a hierarchical map.

Before starting a network map, you want to ask whether its valuable to attempt to represent the true network. In some cases it is because you may be looking for ways to teach the various ways to accomplish a task. Often, for the purposes of training, it’s helpful to focus on a single method for novices and then once a learner masters that method, he or she can explore using other methods and adopt one best suited to his or her style. Offering the cornucopia of different methods can be overwhelming and confusing to beginners.

Here is a simple example of a network map.

Codify

After you take some time to map out the navigation within a system, you will want to take a little time to codify the various screens. This simplifies a lot of the documentation as you reference the various screens. Rather that vaguely referencing “Customer Information Page”, you can more clearly reference “CUST-001”. As you document the system, you can capture screen shots of that page showing typical information and save it using the same reference ID number. Having a screenshot saved with a clear identifier avoids future confusion about which screen is used for which steps and tasks.

The nice thing is that your map often helps you come up with a logical naming convention. I’ll often stick to a two or three part identifier depending on how complex the system is. I’ll start with an abbreviation of the section of the system. For customer we may use “CUST” or we may use “ACCT” for accounting. Even if you can navigate to a screen multiple ways, it’s best to choose a particular way and use that as the category.

In some situations, there may need a second level of category. If the system has enough screens, it would be helpful to add a second identifier such as “ACCT-AP” for Accounting and Accounts Payable. Or maybe “CUST-IMP” for screens around setting up or implementing a new customer. From there, I’ll often just start numbering the screens so we’ll end up with something like “CUST-IMP-001” and so on.

Two other things to consider is that many screens don’t always look the same depending on what the user is doing and many systems today use overlays to help speed up user interactions. To codify this, I’ll use a variation letter after a number such as “CUST-IMP-001a” for variations of that screen. I may also use the word “overlay” or just “ovr” after the name to indicate this is an overlay or maybe one of many overlays a screen may use. In the end, you may end up with something like “CUST-IMP-001a-ovr1”. While the number may get longer in the worst case scenarios, it is worlds apart from vaguely saying “Customer Information Screen”.

Bonus

The last bonus of using this method is that this will help a lot with future development of training materials and with updating or maintaining existing training programs. Here is what I mean.

For managing training materials, it’s important training materials are always current and reflect the current methods for doing tasks. Inevitably, systems update and change with new releases adding or simplifying functionality. This means we comb through our materials to find where a lesson has to change to reflect those changes. If we codify the system, we can accomplish those tasks in a fraction of the time. If we store our analyses in spreadsheets or a database, we can more easily filter or query to find which tasks and steps use particular screens. When we find a particular screen is changing, it becomes a matter of running a query to find the tasks and steps and then lookup the training associated with those tasks.

For designing and developing training materials, I’m a BIG fan of using more professional design and layout programs such as Adobe InDesign. InDesign allows a designer to have full control over the design and layout of training materials. It allows you to link to various graphics you may use in training materials such as facilitator guides, participant manuals, handouts, and more. As a general practice I don’t put a lot of screenshots in materials because it’s better for people to see the live versions but sometimes we can’t help it. If you choose to link to a centrally stored screenshot within all your training materials, updating those screenshots becomes much easier when there are inevitable updates. We’ve probably all had the job of updating training materials after a system update to show new screenshots. If you use centrally stored and linked screenshots, updating the materials means just saving a new screenshot with the same name (or system ID number).