FOCUS was founded in 1985 by a team of instructional design professionals. The team was deeply experienced in the application of a proven instructional design methodology to create training solutions as a service for a wide variety of client organizations. An early (and still used) term for the methodology is the Instructional Systems Development (ISD) process. A contemporary widely used term for essentially the same methodology today is Systematic Approach to Training (SAT).
The core idea of the ISD/SAT methodology is to approach the development of training through five phases:
Analysis Design Development Implementation Evaluation
The primary focus of this methodology is on job performance.
A |
The Analysis phase results in an organized list of the job tasks, and a detailed set of the skills and knowledge components required to perform each task to a defined standard. |
D |
Design results in training objectives that are required by job holders to correctly perform the tasks. The objectives are organized hierarchically to represent their prerequisite relationships. Using the hierarchy as a reference point, they are then grouped and sequenced into a Program of courses and lessons. |
D |
Development results in the actual course material and exams required to teach and assess each objective. |
I |
Implementation is the conduct of the training program. |
E |
Evaluation is comprised of the collection of feedback and other information aimed at improving the program over time. |
The above partial list of activities illustrates the focus of the SAT methodology on job performance. The process begins with the identification of the required job tasks. Every element of the process thereafter is connected to those tasks. In other words, training is focused on what is needed to perform the job - nothing more, and nothing less.
“Performance based training is a focus not only on how a system works, but on how to work the system”.
The benefits of the performance-based approach are clear: It is cost effective, and it ensures that trainees are able to operate a machine or system safely and reliably. That is why the ISD/SAT methodology is mandated as the approach to training for high consequence industries such as nuclear power, certain Department of Energy operations, commercial airlines, the military and many others.
But we take these benefits even further. We do that by connecting each component in the methodology together as they are developed by VISION users. The result is a database of Methodology Connections that brings about value found in no other way.