How do you create a digital content quality assurance plan?

1 Define your standards and criteria

The first step in creating quality digital content is to define what quality means and how you will measure it. You can either use existing frameworks, such as the Quality Matters rubric, or create your own based on your learning objectives, audience, and context. When considering criteria for your content, be sure to take into account accuracy, relevance, currency, alignment with learning outcomes and assessments, clarity, coherence, consistency, accessibility and usability for diverse learners, engagement and interactivity, as well as design and presentation.

2 Establish your roles and responsibilities

The next step is to identify who will be involved in the QA process and what their roles and responsibilities are. Depending on the size and scope of your project, you may need a team of experts, such as instructional designers, subject matter experts, editors, reviewers, testers, and developers. You should also define the communication channels, workflows, and timelines for each stage of the QA process.

4 Implement your QA plan

The fourth step in the process is to implement your QA plan. This should be done according to your standards, criteria, roles, responsibilities, tools, and methods. This involves a systematic and iterative process that includes planning the scope, objectives, and expectations for the QA process; creating the digital content according to the learning design and content standards; checking the digital content for accuracy, alignment, clarity, accessibility, engagement, and design; verifying the functionality, usability, and performance of the digital content; correcting, revising, and enhancing the digital content based on review and testing feedback; and finally approving and publishing the digital content.

5 Evaluate and improve your QA plan

The final step is to evaluate and improve your QA plan based on the results and outcomes of the QA process. You should collect and analyze data and feedback from various sources, such as learners, instructors, reviewers, testers, and stakeholders. You should also reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of your QA plan and identify areas for improvement. You should then update and refine your QA plan accordingly and apply it to your future digital content projects.