Production methods for knowledge and eLearning

iPOV's lean, one-cycle editing process can extract technically validated knowledge from video sources and quickly generate eLearning and technical documentation. The signature feature of the iPOV process is its commitment to a lean, modular approach. The iPOV process stands in contrast to the two most widely used approaches to authoring eLearning - "instructional design" and "rapid authoring". Both of these approaches rely on skilled craftsmanship. If you have highly skilled professionals, they can produce brilliant work - but there is nothing routine or easily repeatable about either process. If your skilled professional leaves or is re-assigned, the output can change dramatically.

The Challenge of Lean

iPOV set out to find a reliable eLearning production method that combined the best features of instructional design and rapid authoring. We wanted consistent quality, but we also wanted to avoid the multiple editing cycles of instructional design. We wanted the speed of rapid authoring, but we had to deliver it as an external service. So, for inspiration, we looked to another field - the process design principles embodied in Toyota's 'Lean Thinking' process:

  • Identification and codification of 'standard work'
  • Accurate process mapping
  • Relentless elimination of all forms of material and processing waste
  • Continuous efforts to reduce overall process flow time
  • Consistent investment in tools, processes, training and maintenance

When we initially tried to apply these principles, the concept of standard work posed by far the greatest challenge. How could anyone imagine a way to standardize the production of eLearning or technical documentation? Consider the range of potential topics. How could one standardize across the variations in experts' personalities, communications skills, and motivations? How could anything deal with the variety and pace of innovation in authoring tools, technologies, learning settings, assessment strategies, and on .. and on. Surely the pursuit of 'standard work' must be a fool's errand.

iPOV's Lean, Modular Processing System

The breakthrough came when we observed that a video clip is the same, regardless of the knowledge that it contains. Video is a standard package: a sequence of still pictures (approx. 30 per second) with a synchronized audio track:

This observation led us to the three fundamental principles that are the foundation of iPOV processing system.

  1. Capture all input knowledge on video.
  2. Develop standard transformations that are applied to any video clip to increase its value or to extract its knowledge.
  3. Convert the video to the most universal format (Adobe Flash) so it can be integrated into the widest possible range of end-uses.

The following diagram illustrates iPOV's current processing system. It is extremely modular. Every input video is converted immediately into a Flash movie and stored in our video repository. We apply our standard video transformations to mine the video for all of its information value. If necessary, several transformations can be applied in series to create surprisingly sophisticated effects. Finally, we integrate the transformed video into a wide range of delivery vehicles for a wide range of applications.

With standard transformations and a well-defined process, iPOV can take raw video and produce valuable eLearning assets much faster than the traditional instructional design method and with much more flexibility than the For a more detailed explanation of iPOV's approach and a step-by-step explanation of this diagram, you can view this short (6 min) video.

Prices and Times

With the tremendous flexiblity of the iPOV process, every project will entail a different cost structure. Even so, it is possible to give some rough guidelines to our typical prices and times. iPOV's typical integrated projects vary in price from $2,000 to $10,000 per finished hour of video content. That typically includes all associated costs - including basic document and graphic design. Delivery times for a 2 to 3 hour project will typically be between 3 and 5 weeks - start to finish.