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HPE Instructional Designer
HPE Instructional Designer
Instructional design, as I see it, is at the heart of performance improvement. It’s about more than just building training, it is about creating a workplace learning experience that truly meets educational needs while removing barriers to success.
Because every learner is unique, I believe the plans we create to support them should be just as individualized. To do this well, I have to step into the learner’s shoes (including an organization) and view my own design through their perspective. This is my filter.
In this report, I share the process I followed as an Instructional Designer on a team project with a local food bank organization. I’ve documented each step of the journey, from early planning through final implementation. I have captured not just what important models, frameworks, and other tools we used but what guided us to made the choices we did.
This is the process for How to Complete a Self-Inspection Report and Close the Audit Loop.
**Please keep in mind that the documents linked to this portfolio may have some of the components changed or inadvertently redesigned in the process of transfer to a PDF style document. Thank you!
Project Background and Challenge
Project Background and Challenge
The Idaho Foodbank (IFB) is an independent, donor-supported, nonprofit organization, and the largest distributor of free food assistance in Idaho. Since 1984, the Foodbank has distributed millions of pounds of food through its 3 facilities in Idaho. In the last fiscal year, IFB provided food for nearly 24 million meals to Idahoans in need. It distributes food through a network of more than 440 community-based partners, while recognizing the crucial connection between hunger and health.
Their organizational values of belonging though empathy and respect of their members and constituents, a strong commitment to community integrity, and collaboration with others are reflected in their actions. They partner with many generous donors throughout the community as well as Feeding America to ensure they are held to high standards.
They conduct monthly on-site food storage and safety audits and undergo a nationally recognized AIB (American Institute of Baking) inspection every two years. Because the standards for food distribution center inspections are extremely thorough, it was important that management walked the ID team members in Meridian, myself and Boise State Professor Dr. Lisa Giacumo, through the facility to demonstrate each of the domains of the health and safety inspection process. We were supplied with existing job aids and reference materials to support these standards and improve upon the process.
It was just as important to apply the principles and methods of adult learning and performance improvement as it was to approach the process with high ethical considerations. These learned foundational elements equipped me with the necessary background and foundation in evidence-based data and ethical awareness to effectively apply them in a real-world instructional design scenario. The following systemic model served as a guide for the phases of this project to ensure systematic completion of each step as proper considerations and iterations were utilized.
You will understand the important role of each step as I have elaborated on each below.
*Graphic provided by the cited source in the footer
For this instructional design project, we were tasked with improving the process for completing a Self-Inspection Report and refining the audit loop. The goal was to ensure that learners not only understood how to properly fill out the self-inspection form but could also recognize and act on any violations identified during the monthly audit. To streamline this, we introduced a color-coded scale to measure violations based on the level of corrective action required. This approach was designed to make the process clearer and more efficient, ensuring that employees could easily communicate violations to the Corrective Action Committee and effectively close the audit loop.
Empathize and Analyze Phase
Empathize and Analyze Phase
After submitting the Statement of Work (SOW) to the client that included the scope and projected deliverables, we drafted our Team Charter. This gave us a solid understanding of our roles and expectations to complete the project with coordination, accountability, and communication factors taken into consideration. We had a tight time frame, so organizing roles and tasks was critical to maintain efficiency.
Our first contact with the client was to assess the criteria of the type of learner, environment of the intervention, and projected tasks. An extensive 3-part survey was conducted in order to analyze all of these important criteria. They are the Learner/Environment Analysis (LEA), Task Analysis (TA), and Learning Requirements Analysis (LRA). The client's answers to the probing questions were recorded and transcribed to allow us to pour over them and analyze each effectively. The team decided on a plan and approached the client with it. We were given the green light.
Click on the link to the left to see the results.
Design and Development Phase
Design and Development Phase
The bulk of the time spent on the project took place in this stage of the LeaPS Model.
We found out very quickly that flexibility is key as an ID! We used the Task Analysis to guide our the Lesson Plan construction and then used that to create the Facilitator Guide. We also produced a separate document with the Performance Requirements, to make sure we always kept these important pieces as our "North Star" guide to the project. We were so thankful to have been able to work with such a patient and candid client sponsor. The guidance and feedback from our OPWL professor was also priceless. Having access to ID templates as models on how the finished product will look was also extremely helpful.
An important detail in the design phase was to consider the client's branding. This aligned with the goals of the organization.
We made sure that any changes and expectations were a shared vision with the national standards from AIB International that the client's organization was expected to uphold.
Click any of the links to the right to see the results.
Implement and Evaluate Phase
The final step of the Instructional Design process was to deliver a performance assessment (SIAG Assessment Checklist) based on a mentor or supervisor following up with the auditing work of the learner. It documented the improvements of the learner over a three month period, with the audit process occurring once a month. A conference with the learner after each audit was conducted to make sure they understand their successes and struggles for increased improvement. If the supervisor did not feel the learner could become independent after 3 trials, another modeled version would have to be conducted.
Once the finished deliverables were in the hands of our client, we allowed enough time for her to evaluate the results. The finished products were gratefully accepted and implemented in the following month at the 3 Idaho Food Bank state facility warehouses.
Click the link to the left to see the summative performance assessment.
Summary
Ultimately, we delivered a revised lesson plan, facilitator guide, violation scale, and performance requirements that upheld professional ethics, organizational standards, and public safety considerations.
After implementation across all three state facilities, the organization reported that employees could independently complete inspections after three cycles and that the new system improved violation identification and corrective-action follow-through, making this a highly successful first major consulting project.
References
References
Giacumo, L. A., Villachica, S. W., & Stepich, D. A. (2024). Instructional Design for Organizational Justice: A Guide to Equitable Learning, Training, and Performance in Professional Education and Workforce Settings. Routledge.
The Idaho Foodbank. (2023). About Us: Our Mission, Vision, and Values. Accessed September 9, 2025, from https://idahofoodbank.org.
Master's Degree/OPWL-Boise State University
Master's Degree/OPWL-Boise State University
You will find that the subpages in this Competency Samples section are all related to my journey to acquire my Master Certificate in Workplace Instructional Design and BSU. These valuable examples of my work were all developed and submitted as completed course work toward this advanced certificate. I will continue to acquire my master's degree in Organizational Performance & Workplace Learning (College of Engineering-BSU) in December.
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