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Introduction

This guide outlines a complete workflow for setting up your MAXRES Construct environment, creating and managing courseware, and ensuring final outputs align with organizational, administrative, and technical requirements. By following these steps, you will:

  • Pre-configure your workspace according to system specifications and best practices.
  • Manage user roles, permissions, and metadata for streamlined collaboration.
  • Create, import, or finalize a Training Design Document (TDD).
  • Use MAXRES Constructor/Architect to apply Key Learning Point (KLP) seeds.
  • Build out the course structure in MAXRES Construct, including media, interactions, and metadata tagging.
  • Publish final outputs in formats compatible with Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as SCORM or Word/PDF documents.
  • Access logs, track changes, and ensure compliance with privacy policies and service-level agreements.

Below, you will find a step-by-step breakdown covering system administration essentials (minimum specs, logs, version history, metadata/job roles, server configuration, privacy, and SLA) followed by the core course creation and delivery workflow.

Pre-Configuration

Before beginning any courseware production project, ensure your MAXRES Construct workspace and server environment are configured properly. This pre-configuration helps maintain compliance, version control, and quality throughout the entire development cycle.

1. Verify Minimum System Specifications​

Consult your organization’s deployment plan or the Minimum System Specifications to confirm that both the server (hosting MAXRES Construct) and client devices meet baseline requirements:

  • Server
    • Recommended: Ubuntu 18.04+ or Windows Server
    • 4 GB RAM (minimum), 80 GB storage (minimum)
    • Node.js / MongoDB environment configured correctly
  • Client Devices
    • Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7+, macOS 10.12+, or modern Linux
    • Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (2019+ versions)
    • 4 GB RAM recommended for smooth usage

Ensure future expansions, plugins, or customizations have been accounted for in your infrastructure plan. More details on hardware and performance considerations can be found in the Administration/Minimum Specifications documentation.

2. Perform Server Configuration (If Self-Hosting)​

If you are self-hosting, review the Administration/Server configuration guide to:

  • Install and configure MongoDB (port 27017).
  • Set up Node.js with PM2 for process management (port 5000 or a custom port).
  • Enable network access rules through firewalls or security groups.
  • Adjust OS-specific settings (e.g., systemd services, folder permissions).

3. Administration and Logs​

3.1 System Logs​

MAXRES Construct automatically captures CRUD operations in server logs, which only Sys Admin users can access. These logs detail:

  • User and Action
  • Data type (content, metadata, assets)
  • Timestamp
  • Old/New Data (for updates)

Access the log files directly on the server or via a file access tool (e.g., WinSCP).

4. Roles, Permissions, and Metadata Setup​

4.1 Roles and Permissions​

Use Administration > Roles and Permissions to confirm that:

  • Super Admin or Sys Admin roles exist for high-level server and log access.
  • Workspace Admin roles are set for workspace-level user and course oversight.
  • Additional roles (e.g., Course Creator, Reviewer, Super Admin) reflect your organizational structure.

New roles can be created, but define permissions clearly to avoid conflicts. See Administration/System users.md and Administration/Metadata and Job roles.md for guidance.

4.2 Filters​

In Administration > Filters, create metadata filters useful for querying or sorting large projects—for example, Output type (ILT/CBT/Word), Job roles, or Security classification. These filters let you quickly isolate relevant content at publish time.

4.3 Metadata and Job Roles​

Under Administration > Metadata and Job Roles, define how you categorize content (e.g., skill level, domain, classification). For example:

  • Metadata Groups: “Project Stage,” “Product Line,” “Certification Requirement”
  • Job Roles: “Technician,” “Pilot,” “Operator,” etc.

Design metadata carefully, as it powers advanced searching, filtering, and multi-output publishing.

5. User Management​

From User Management (for a specific Workspace) or System Users (for the entire instance):

  1. Add Users who need to work on the project.
  2. Assign them appropriate roles (Admin, Creator, Reviewer, etc.).
  3. Limit system-level permissions to only those who require it.

6. Workspace Configuration​

In Configuration > Workspaces:

  • Validate the Workspace Name and Labels.
  • Add disclaimers, legal notices, copyright statements, or ITAR/classification footers.
  • If you have multi-Workspace needs, verify each workspace’s disclaimers and hero images are in place.

7. Privacy and SLA Requirements​

7.1 Privacy Policy​

Ensure compliance with your Privacy Policy (see Administration/Privacy policy.md):

  • Understand what data is collected, how it’s used, and stored.
  • Confirm third-party analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, MailChimp, Stripe) are integrated properly.
  • Provide clear ways for users to request data erasure or modifications.

7.2 Service Level Agreement​

If you’re using a Model SLA or a custom SLA, confirm the guaranteed response times, issue severity levels, and downtime thresholds. See Administration/Service Level Agreement SLA.md for an example model.

Make sure your environment supports the agreed availability (e.g., 99.95% uptime). Review or configure the trackers for open issues if integrated with a platform like Redmine.

8. Optional Project Management Integration​

If you’re connecting to an external project management tool such as Redmine:

  • Navigate to Configuration > Project Management to add the Redmine instance URL.
  • Link your Workspace to the correct Redmine project and map user roles and trackers.
  • Apply your Redmine API key for direct issue syncing and auditing.

Training Design Document (TDD)

A Training Design Document (TDD) can be pre-existing or built from scratch. It serves as the instructional blueprint, detailing objectives, job roles, topics, and key learning requirements:

  • Must be correctly formatted using your TDD template (download link here).
  • Once ready, import it into MAXRES Constructor or store it in Administration MAXRES Constructor for easy referencing.

MAXRES Constructor/Architect

MAXRES Constructor/Architect helps automate content creation through AI-driven suggestions.

  1. Finalize TDD

    • Ensure the TDD is thorough and accurate.

  2. Process Training Design

    • In the Administration > MAXRES Constructor tab, import and process your TDD.
    • Confirm your Workspace Assistant ID and Element Assistant IDs are set.

  3. Apply Assistant

    • After the TDD is processed, select Apply Assistant to generate KLP Seeds for each Key Learning Point in your syllabus.

  4. Return to Dashboard

    • View the newly generated courses or placeholders, ready for SME review.

MAXRES Construct Course Structure

With seeds generated, refine and confirm your content structure:

tip

Use integrated project management (e.g., Redmine) to manage tasks and track reviews more efficiently.

  1. Review KLP Seeds (SME)

    • Check content quality and alignment with objectives.
    • If unsatisfactory, request the AI to rewrite, then accept the update.

  2. Review Elements

    • Inspect text, lists, or interactive items generated within each KLP.

  3. Add Media and Interactions

    • Insert or replace images, 3D models, or animations.
    • Use the Asset Management interface to track usage and metadata.

  4. Configure Metadata

    • Tag each Element with job roles, classification, or any additional metadata.
    • Make sure to specify the correct output type (ILT, Word, CBT, etc.).

  5. Fast Preview

    • Click the Play icon on KLP headers for quick, in-situ previews of web-based content.

  6. Full Preview

    • Apply filters (metadata/job roles) to see how content renders under different conditions across the entire course.

  7. Versioning

    • Consider creating archives after major changes for easy rollback.
    • You can store up to 3 versions at a time (older versions get replaced).

  8. Publish

    • When satisfied, publish via:
      • The Publish button inside each course, specifying filters and job roles, or
      • A bulk publish tool (for multiple courses or variations).

Delivery of the Course Content

Once the course is finalized:

  1. Output Types

    • SCORM (for ILT or CBT)
    • Word/PDF (for instructor/student manuals)
    • MoodleXML (for question banks or assessment data)

  2. Local Launchers

    • If SCORM must run locally, request a standalone SCORM launcher from MAXRES.
    • Non-SCORM outputs (Word, PDF) can be opened directly in standard apps.

  3. Compliance and Performance

    • Check that your outputs meet necessary compliance or formatting (ITAR, disclaimers, or footers).
    • Confirm performance on your LMS or local environment is aligned with the Service Level Agreement.

  4. Archive

    • Archive final course packages using the Export function.