The Business Challenge

A Grants Management Division within an Indiana state-level agency  developed a robust system to help potential applicants create successful grant submissions. As part of this system, the Division developed a training manual to outline specific application procedures. The manual is posted online for applicants to reference at their convenience. The Division also hosts various live sessions in an instructor-led environment. Together, these training tools serve to inform and guide applicants on the submission provisions, which are in place to meet federal reporting requirements. The system is thorough and comprehensive; however, it did present certain challenges.

Instructor-led sessions are costly. Division employees travel statewide to host potential applicants, reducing the time allocated for reviewing grant applications. So, while the Division saw value in the face-to-face interactions, they also recognized the need for a supplementary training method that is cost-effective and available on-demand. This would allow applicants who are unable to attend a specific instructor-led session to access the training—and alleviate Division employees’ time constraints.  The Division determined that a web-based training module could answer those needs.

Additionally, the Division wanted to find a way to optimize their existing training manual. Though it was thorough and well composed, users found the 140-page document cumbersome. As a result, applicants disregarded the manual, turning instead to the Division’s call center for questions. One Division employee fielded the majority of the inquiries, spending as much as 90 minutes with one caller and leaving little time to engage in actual grant review. The Division collectively agreed: something needed to change.

In late 2010, the Division issued a request for services to create a Web-based training tutorial component to supplement existing training opportunities. The tutorial would need to be compatible with the existing learning management system (LMS). Briljent met with the Division to discuss the project objectives. After a comprehensive discovery and analysis process, our team developed a proposal. Our approach illustrated a thorough understanding of the challenge and offered an effective and innovative solution. Following a thorough proposal review by the Division, Briljent was awarded the project contract.

The Briljent Solution

As one of Briljent’s core competencies, training is an area of expertise for our team, and we have a particular aptitude for working successfully within our client’s current LMS. For this project, Briljent assembled a team of specialists that included a seasoned Project Manager, an Instructional Designer, and an Application Developer. This team met with the client to assure their training product objectives were both understood and deliverable.  

Using the Agency’s current training manual as the foundation of the project, the Briljent team constructed an online, web-based training module using industry standard software compatible with the computers used by most Agency subject matter experts.

As a tool to help potential applicants, the module serves to answer questions efficiently by offering subject-based chapter selections that can be accessed with a single mouse click. The user is directed to specific information, which can be further defined by using a keyword-powered search tool. These features allow a smoother experience for the applicant while simultaneously eliminating a majority of calls into the customer service center; in turn, our client’s time is re-allocated to focus on other job duties.

As a training tool, the module allows participants who are unable to attend the live training a thorough, interactive experience that helps ease the learning process through various technological features, such as:

  • Interactive flash training accessible to all Internet programs
  • Graphics that support current content, which was tested for 508 compliance (with particular attention to visual impairments)
  • Full audio incorporated to enhance learning and provide additional opportunity for those with visual impairments 
  • Animated graphics and videos which viewers have full control to start, stop, reposition, and rewind
  • Keyword-powered search engine

During this process, our team provided the client regular status updates and live demos to ensure the end product met expectations.  Amidst this highly collaborative approach, the Briljent team engaged in an editing process that offered additional refinement to the Agency’s current training manual. This, in turn, led to Briljent’s decision to create a style guide for the client’s use, empowering the Agency to maintain the professional and updated standards they strive for.

Brilliant Results

Our team thrives on communication, and engaging in active listening is a big part of that process. We heard our client as they described their pain point: working with an inefficient training process that was costing them time, money and energy. We put a solution in place that helped them achieve efficiency and professionalism, and we did it within the time-frame and budget they requested.  We looked for places where we could over-deliver and create a “Wow!” moment. When our client told us we made their manual “come to life,” we knew we had achieved it. It was our pleasure, and we look forward to working with them again.