A Content Development Management System (CDMS) is a critical tool for Lincoln Learning Solutions in that all of our educational content, instructional resources, and training documentation will be developed in this application. It is imperative that it doesn’t hamstring users and doesn’t lack crucial functionality, so they are able to focus on writing content within a system that supports their efforts completely.
So how do we build CDMS so that it achieves those imperatives?
Enter Brittany Janectic. She’s the product owner for CDMS. Simply put, she’s the go-between that connects our Information Technology staff to the people that use it, making sure that IT is addressing the real needs of the folks in the trenches.
“I am responsible for generating user stories for all of the different scenarios and functionality that an end user would need in the final product,” Brittany said. “I also have to prioritize the user stories and take them to development.”
In order to understand and prioritize the issues generated by the users, Brittany participates in daily meetings, addressing concerns, listening to their stories and suggestions, and determining whether our team should change or enhance functionality in our new system. After the developers address the issues, their solution is reviewed for quality assurance and sent back to Brittany for review. If there are any kinks, she does whatever it takes to iron them out.
It’s a momentous undertaking, requiring continual collaboration among our team and our clients as we work through issues to bring the new CDMS to fruition – the summit, if you will. It will be a key component in our arsenal of technology products that empower educators to focus on helping their students succeed.
The business stakeholders Brittany works with are pleased with the progress of CDMS. The pilots she has hosted have shown them the system is intuitive and the editing process is fast and easy, among other positive attributes. Clients recognize that it can serve as the tool they need to give curriculum authors, teachers and managers the flexibility they require to address their particular needs.
“The content is authored in a web-based system where authors have the ability to create, edit, copy, and publish educational content. The WYSIWYG editor includes an accessibility checker to discover any barriers for disabled people, an improved spellchecker, a readability checker, and math and science equation editors,” Brittany said. “The content is stored in a way that makes it easier to locate, and there’s a powerful search mechanism.”
“CDMS will empower our curriculum development team with a far superior technology used by our developers to continually enhance our curriculum,” Chief Technology Officer, Daryl Care, said. “It also will have the potential to provide clients with the ability to customize and personalize curriculum. Most important, it will remove barriers to helping children learn and grow, which is what we’re all about.”