WorkLink Create Training Curriculum

Introduction to the 4 Stages of WorkLink Create Project Development

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Synopsis
This overview allows the user to learn the complete lifecycle of a WorkLink Create augmented reality project from conceptualization, planning and preparation of content through to instruction authoring, distribution and maintenance. This module establishes for the learner what each of these stages entails, with following modules providing detailed instruction for each stage of development.

 

The 4 Stages of WorkLink Create Project Development

 

The 4 stages of WorkLink Create Project development are:

1. Discovery & Planning
2. Content Preparation
3. Instruction Authoring
4. Publishing & Distribution 

For convenience, we refer to these stages by numbering them 1 to 4, which also reflects the fact that each of these stages is very much dependent on the previous one in order to proceed successfully. Often new users will attempt to begin at Stage 2 or 3 which can lead to significant frustration and wasted time. 

Notice that below each stage is an indication of where most of the effort for that stage takes place. Even though the goal is a WorkLink Create project, crucial phases of the process take place outside of the WorkLink Create authoring environment, and should be fully understood by the author. 

 

Stage 1 Discovery & Planning

Stage 1 is the most flexible stage, but usually takes place in standard business software such as Excel and PowerPoint. The goal here is to define the project and its specific goals as well as gather the required source material, and assess the scope of the project as accurately as possible. At the end of Stage 1, the instructional text and source 3D content should be clearly identified, along with any other elements that are needed either for inclusion in the project, or to communicate key functionality to the author (such as reference video).

 

Stage 2 Content Preparation

   

Stage 2 is all about converting and optimizing the source material for use in Create. This may take place entirely in Create, but in some cases may benefit from require the use of 3rd party content optimization software. This stage is generally most focused on 3D content, such as CAD models, but may also include images and video. The goal in stage 2 is to ensure that all content is in a usable format, is optimized for delivery on mobile devices, and looks and behaves as needed to support the requirements of the project as defined in Stage 1. When Stage 2 is completed, all content will be in a WorkLink Create Project, ready for the authoring of the required sequences.

 

Stage 3 Authoring 

Stage 3 is the main effort of project creation in WorkLink Create. Authors develop the project to match the plan from Stage 1, making sequences of steps which combine the text from the source material illustrated using the author ready content provided by Stage 2. A published sample sequence is generally approved first to ensure the look, feel and function of the project matches expectations when completed.

 

Stage 4 Publishing & Distribution

Stage 4 is about making the project available to the correct end users in the WorkLink app, ensuring it’s usable in their work environment and that usage is being tracked correctly. Part of this is having at least a basic understanding of the WorkLink content management system and how it is used to control access to your projects and gather information about the status of the work being performed. 

 

The Production Cycle

One thing to keep in mind as you look at the complete process, is that in the real world it’s rare for an author to work their way from left to right a single time, with a fully completed project being published once at its conclusion and never worked on again.

In reality, the creation of projects is almost always an iterative and ongoing process, with authors publishing and loading their projects onto devices to assess their progress at various stages. This is a good way to ensure the user experience in AR matches expectations, and make any needed adjustments as early as possible. Even once projects are completed successfully and approved, instructions are often updated to reflect changes in product design, safety policy, or best practices, which makes the actual creation process look more like a cycle than a single process. 

 

 

WorkLink is designed to function well in this type of environment, and you will find that making changes to the authoring of existing projects is quick and easy as reflected in green here, with re-publishing rarely taking more than a minute or two. In cases where you have to make changes to the actual 3D models being used in your project, this could require some adjustment, but again WorkLink is designed to minimize the challenge for you as long as your initial planning stage is done with care. Returning to the planning stage in the middle or end of a project however, can be costly in terms of unnecessary re-work. For this reason, we encourage a process that includes a formal approval after each of the stages to minimize the need to return to stage 1 or 2 once stage 3 has begun.

 

Now that you understand the entire cycle, consider looking at each stage in more detail.

 

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