Process: Creating and Maintaining Training Materials

Owner: Training Specialist / HR (Tara) Type: Manual Frequency: On-demand (new role, knowledge gap) + quarterly review cycle

Purpose

Defines how training materials are created, maintained, and retired. Ensures factory workers have access to up-to-date, relevant training content that helps them operate effectively. Prevents knowledge rot by enforcing a regular review cycle.

Material types

Type	Purpose	Example
Role guide	Explains what a role does, how to operate it, common scenarios	"Operating as QA Engineer — Quick Start"
Process walkthrough	Step-by-step guide for executing a specific process	"How to run the delivery lifecycle"
Tool reference	How to use a specific tool or framework	"Using slash commands in Claude Code"
Cross-role playbook	How two or more roles collaborate on a workflow	"Production-to-QA handoff playbook"
FAQ	Answers to common questions about a role or process	"QA Engineer FAQ"

Creating new training materials

Trigger

Any of the following:

• New role is deployed (onboarding identifies training needs)
• Skill gap analysis reveals missing knowledge
• Feedback from Fiona indicates role confusion or errors
• CTO (Clara) directs training on a new topic
• A cross-role workflow is introduced or changed

Steps

1. Identify the knowledge gap

Actions:

• Review the trigger source (onboarding report, feedback, directive)
• Define the specific knowledge or skill that is missing or insufficient
• Identify the target audience (which roles need this material)
• Determine the material type that best fits the gap

Output: Training material request: gap description, audience, material type.

2. Gather source content

Actions:

• Collect relevant source materials:
  • Role definitions (role.md) for the target roles
  • Process documents for relevant processes
  • Knowledge base content from Kai (Knowledge Manager)
  • Eval cases for practical examples
  • Feedback reports from Fiona for real-world issues
• Interview the role owner or subject matter expert if needed
• Identify any dependencies (other materials that should exist first)

Output: Source content package.

3. Draft the material

Actions:

• Write the training material following the appropriate template (see below)
• Use clear, concise language — assume the reader is a new factory worker
• Include practical examples from eval cases or real scenarios
• Include a "common mistakes" section where applicable
• Include a "when to escalate" section for edge cases
• Cross-reference related materials and processes

Output: Draft training material in Markdown.

4. Review and validate

Actions:

• Self-review: Does the material answer the identified knowledge gap?
• Technical review: Have the relevant role owner or SME verify accuracy
• Practical review: Walk through the material as if executing it — does it work?
• If the material involves cross-role collaboration, have both roles review

Output: Reviewed training material with sign-off.

Gate: Material must be reviewed by at least one relevant role owner before publication.

5. Publish and notify

Actions:

• Store the material in departments/knowledge/training-specialist-tara/materials/
• Use naming convention: {material-type}-{topic}.md (e.g., role-guide-qa-engineer.md)
• Notify the target audience that new training material is available
• Update the training materials index (see below)
• Record the creation date and next review date (90 days from creation)

Output: Published material, updated index, notifications sent.

Quarterly review cycle

Trigger

Every 90 days from the material's last review date.

Steps

1. Review currency

Actions:

• Check if the underlying role, process, or tool has changed since last review
• Check if feedback from Fiona has identified issues related to this material
• Check if the material references any deprecated roles or processes

Output: Currency assessment: Current / Needs Update / Obsolete.

2. Update or retire

Actions:

• If Current: Update the "last reviewed" date, no content changes needed
• If Needs Update:
  • Identify specific changes required
  • Update the material content
  • Re-run the review and validate step (Step 4 from creation)
  • Update the "last reviewed" date
• If Obsolete:
  • Mark the material as deprecated
  • Move to an archive or delete (per Nomenclature Specialist standards)
  • Remove from the training materials index
  • Notify any roles that relied on this material

Output: Updated or retired material, updated index.

Update triggers (outside quarterly cycle)

The following events trigger an immediate review of affected materials, regardless of the quarterly schedule:

Event	Action
Role definition changes	Review all materials for that role
Process is modified	Review the process walkthrough material
New tool or framework adopted	Create new tool reference; update affected materials
Role is deprecated	Retire all materials specific to that role
Cross-role workflow changes	Review the cross-role playbook
Feedback indicates material is wrong	Immediate correction and re-review

Training materials index template

# Training Materials Index

> Last updated: [Date]
> Maintained by: Tara (Training Specialist)

| # | Title | Type | Audience | Created | Last reviewed | Next review | Status |
|---|-------|------|----------|---------|---------------|-------------|--------|
| 1 | [Title] | [Type] | [Roles] | [Date] | [Date] | [Date] | Active |

Quality gate

A training material is ready for publication when:

• Knowledge gap is clearly identified and documented
• Source content has been gathered from authoritative sources
• Material follows the appropriate template
• At least one relevant role owner has reviewed and approved
• Material is stored with correct naming convention
• Training materials index is updated
• Next review date is set (90 days from publication)