CASE STUDY

How a 400+ regional restaurant chain optimized a learning management system to 30,000 associates

The Challenge

A regional restaurant chain required a system to design, manage, deploy, and track highly individualized learning plans to 30,000 associates in over 400 locations. The nuanced differences in how the organization managed learning and development made a tremendous impact on its culture and elevated it to best-in-class.Off-the-shelf learning management solutions were evaluated, but no system captured the specific requirements that aligned the system with how the organization provided training. The total cost of customization and licensing was prohibitively expensive for the volume of users and locations engaged in the use of the system.

fivestar* leveraged human-centered design and iterative development to shift complexity away from end-users, enabling them to manage highly specialized, targeted workflows for thousands of employees
Computer screen displaying a custom training software solution
The Solution

fivestar* worked extensively with our client to understand and prioritize the unique requirements of their training and development methodology. fivestar* spent time on-site talking with associates, managers, training facilitators, and the leadership team. From that experience came comprehensive requirements to be included in the solution as well as a map of the individual user workflows, data models, and technical opportunities/constraints.The design required solving for several distribution issues such as low-bandwidth connections to stores, frequent exceptions to system rules, and the need to be hosted fully in-house on highly restricted infrastructure to which little access was given during development.Applying client feedback from mockups, prototypes, and design sessions with stakeholders, fivestar* developed a highly dynamic and configurable system that used business logic, robotic process automation, and a rule-based assignment engine to evaluate numerous criteria in real-time to deliver specific content to each associate. The system integrated within our client’s existing environment and allowed for future expansion.