SMART In-Person Simulation Workshops
Summer 2026 | Powerpoint, printing, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Documentum, Simulation, In-Person Training Facilitation, Data Setup
Please note: Due to the Orlando Utility Commission's strong commitment to security related to SMART, emergency management, event processes, and data, I am unable to provide extensive detail about my work, media examples, or training showcases. However, I may generally describe my process, accomplishments, and lessons learned. Thank you for understanding.
The Operational Challenge: During high-stress crisis events, such as major hurricanes threatening Orlando Utilities Commission territory, hundreds of personnel across distinct business units must rapidly coordinate emergency response workflows, event management, and post-event reconciliation using OUC SMART software.
The Goal: Design and facilitate a rigorous, hands-on blended learning simulation and workshop series that prepares personnel to operate SMART effectively under pressure.
Audience | Tools Used | My Role |
|---|---|---|
Hundreds of cross-functional utility personnel spanning seven distinct operational divisions: Food, Energy Delivery (DCM), Safety, Costing, Lodging, Onboarding, and Mutual Aid.
Cornerstone LMS
Cornerstone University
Documentum
SharePoint
Adobe Creative Suite (particularly InDesign)
Microsoft Office
(particulary PowerPoint)
Jira
Microsoft Forms
Snagit
Jeopardy
Corporate Print Shop
Sole Instructional Designer
Facilitator
Project Manager
Graphic Designer
Instructor-Led Training Sessions and Frequency (ILTs)
In-person workshops I designed and led between June and September 2026
Pre-Event Readiness
5
Event Management
6
DCM + Safety Briefing Unit
1
Lodging Unit
1
Costing Unit
1
Food Unit
1
Mutual Aid Unit
1
Onboarding Unit
1
One-on-One Supplemental
+
Please Note: Due to OUC security policies regarding emergency management data, I cannot share media or training showcases, but I am happy to discuss my instructional design process and results.
Project Deliverables
Analysis Phase (Learning)
Task Analyses
SME Interview Scripts/ Documentation
Needs Analysis Report
Print Shop Process and Collaboration Documentation
Design Phase (Planning)
Visual Storyboards
(all 8 custom workshops)
Curriculum Storyboards
(all 8 custom workshops)
Design Documents
(all 8 custom workshops)
Learning Objectives
(all 8 custom workshops)
Project Management Documents
Development Phase (Building)
Workshop Facilitator Guides
(all 8 custom workshops)
Workshop Presentation Decks
(all 8 custom workshops)
Tailored Workshop Workbooks
(all 8 custom workshops)
Jeopardy Assessment Games
(all 8 custom workshops)
Simulation Direction Guides
(all 8 custom workshops)
Supplemental Materials
(custom job aids, guides, etc.)
Participation Prizes
Workshop Communication Plan & Cornerstone Publication/ Assignments
Learner & Leader Communications
Implementation & Evaluation Phases (Let's Go Live!)
Learner Course Assignment Documentation
Learner Completion Tracking Documentation
Summative Assessment and Results
Revision Plan
Problem & Solution Alignment (The Strategy)
The Business Problem
Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) averages $10 to $15 million in expenditures per emergency activation, yet historically secured only a 66% FEMA reimbursement rate due to data-entry inaccuracies within the SMART (Staff and Mutual Aid Resource Tracking) E1 environment, causing fiscal leakage and impacting regional utility rates.
Because employees only use SMART inconsistently (specifically only when an Event, defined as a dangerous situation impacting OUC service territory like a hurricane, is activated, when cleaning and prepping data proactively before hurricane season, and when reconciling past hurricane data for FEMA), perishable software skills suffered severe decay.
Furthermore, prior to this initiative, no formal documentation existed outlining the distinct processes, procedures, and responsibilities for each response and business unit.
The Instructional Solution
Grounded in situated learning theory and authentic physical contexts, I designed, produced, and facilitated a comprehensive series of hands-on simulation workshops addressing Pre-Event Readiness, Event Management, Post-Event Reconciliation, and eight customized business unit sessions for specialized operational divisions (Food, Energy Delivery/DCM, Safety, Costing, Lodging, Onboarding, and Mutual Aid).
Utilizing a constructivist design framework, I engineered collaborative, scenario-driven activities that leveraged social learning and peer interaction, allowing cross-functional teams to construct mental models collectively and test problem-solving strategies under simulated crisis pressure.
To reinforce this, I produced 8 content-tailored physical workbooks using InDesign and OUC's print shop (over 300 were printed and distributed), integrating gamified challenge activities, custom-branded completion certificates, and challenge prizes to maximize cognitive engagement and behavioral retention. These workbooks were also designed to serve as actionable job aids, acting as the first role-specific guides for these specialized tasks.
During the workshop, audiences were encouraged to annotate their workbooks, allowing them to further customize their resources! They were also encouraged to use the workbooks in the event of ICC activation, pre-storm readiness, and reconciliation.
Supplemental Descriptive Project Review
Supplemental Descriptive Project Review
What is this project?
This project comprised the design, structural development, and facilitation of 12 role-specific, in-person experiential workshops, serving as the critical second phase of the flipped-classroom compliance curriculum. The macro instructional goal was to transition the foundational software literacy established in the prerequisite SMART eLearning modules into higher-order, team-based critical thinking and live crisis execution. The training targeted seven distinct operational response units—Pre-Event Readiness, Mutual Aid, Onboarding/Offboarding, Lodging, Costing, Energy Delivery/Safety Briefing, and Food—moving learners into active roleplaying scenarios within a safe, guided environment where they could build mutual trust and practical competence.
How did I prepare?
To prepare for these workshops, I analyzed historical emergency response data and operational workflows extracted from Documentum, mapping out the complex cross-functional dependencies and platform constraints of each department. I authored a comprehensive SMART In-Person Training design document to formalize the terminal learning objectives, behavioral checklists, required resources, and operational metrics for all seven units. Working alongside emergency management leadership, I built a high-fidelity crisis matrix modeled after a realistic Category 3 hurricane scenario (Hurricane Apollo), detailing specific tracking timelines and data-entry demands to ensure the live environment perfectly mirrored the high-stress conditions of an active Incident Command Center (ICC) activation.
How did I put my plan into action?
Putting the plan into action, I facilitated the 12 live workshops using a highly structured, scaffolded instructional arc that moved from a gamified conceptual knowledge retrieval session directly into high-fidelity roleplay execution. I engineered seven role-specific, 80-page interactive paper training manuals that functioned as active on-the-job performance support tools, housing printed job aids, live software navigation paths, and localized data checklists. Participants were grouped into specialized cohorts based on their designated storm duties to chronologically execute actual SMART processes, such as importing vendor rosters, assigning room logistics, or processing daily costing activity, forcing them to collaborate, run live reports, and leverage their digital toolkits rather than rely on memorized recall.
What were my results and lessons?
Because these 12 simulation workshops are currently live and mid-facilitation, final summative metrics are still being aggregated. To capture the long-term operational impact, I am currently deploying a mixed-methods user experience survey designed to evaluate role-specific navigation ease, confidence intervals, and resource accessibility, with comprehensive data analysis scheduled for the post-activation review phase. However, early observations of the live simulations already validate the flipped-classroom architecture, as learners enter the workshops with an equalized baseline mental model that drastically mitigates cognitive friction during high-stress tracking loops. The immediate senior instructional design takeaway from this active deployment is clear: procedural compliance in high-stakes environments cannot be mastered through passive delivery; it requires immersive, experiential testing grounds where navigating documentation and leveraging structured job aids is normalized as standard operating behavior.