Marc My Words: Ask 10 Questions Before Starting Instructional Design

It’s a new year, and you’re about to start a new trainingproject. Doesn’t matter if it’s classroom or online; you’re ready to go. Or areyou? Here are 10 questions you should answer before starting instructionaldesign.

1. Who is the real client?

Sometimes, we think of the client (or customer) as thelearners themselves, but we shouldn’t. The learners are the consumers of thetraining. The client, on the other hand, is the person who pays. It’s the personor organization with the money and the sponsorship to make it all happen. Bewareof false clients—agents or representatives who say they speak for the clientbut may not actually have that authority. Before you begin any trainingproject, make sure you know exactly who the real client is. That’s the only wayyou’re going to have the backing you’ll need to get the project done.

2. What is the budget and time frame?

Yes, I know that you need a design and development plan todetermine a final budget and time frame (including how quickly the training isneeded and how long it will take to train everyone who needs it); but,realistically, you need to have some reasonable idea of what you have to workwith before you go down the wrong rabbit hole. This is why identifying the realclient is so important.

3. What is the business need or problem?

There’s lots of training out there that addresses problemsthat either don’t exist or are not a high priority. Focusing on a clientconversation about the business problem to be addressed by the training willhelp you determine whether the request is anchored in a real need and a toppriority, or just someone’s whim about what’s needed. You don’t need to bespending time, money, and effort on a project that should not have begun in thefirst place.

4. How will you know the training is successful?

You will know if the training is successful if it solves thebusiness need or problem, and measuring this is not as simple as an end-of-course test. But even before you develop a proper evaluation strategy, you need tohear from your client about what they believe will constitute success. Whatdoes the client want to accomplish? Once you know this, your evaluationstrategy can take shape, and it will be a strategy that the client will want to own. Again, this is why identifyingthe real client, at the start, is so vital.

5. Who are the learners, where are they, and what do they do?

Of course, you are going to do a needs assessment, but youwill be surprised how much the client organization already knows about thetarget population for the training and what the actual demand is. Understandingwhat the learners do—as workers—will give you important guidance as to whatthey need, not just in the classroom but on the job as well. Talking about thisearly in the game will help you get a good picture about the best way to moveforward with the project.

6. What delivery strategy is most likely?

Again, I realize that delivery strategy follows a designplan, but, in reality, there are going to be some upfront discussions arounddelivery (classroom, online, etc.). You should be able to get a picture, rightoff the bat, of where you are headed, based on preliminary information aboutthe learners and their locations, the budget and time frame, and theexpectations and predispositions of your client.

7. Is the content stable?

If the content for the training is not stable—i.e., therewill be lots of content churn, not just during development but perhaps throughmuch of the life of the training—your decisions as to how to proceed maychange. It’s one thing to develop training around known content, such asleadership and accounting, and quite another to develop training around cutting-edgetechnology and new products.

8. What is the expected shelf life of the training?

Whether the content is stable or not, the longevity of thetraining may impact the path you take in developing it. Some training may beuseful for just a few months while other training may be viable for years. Youdon’t want to invest tons of money and resources into training that will nolonger be useful in a short time. This is primarily a question of balance.

9. Is training needed in the first place?

If you are open-minded about the options you can offer tothe client, you will want to frame the initial conversations around an ecosystem of learning and performance solutions. Yes, training may be part (sometimesa big part) of the solution; but, more times than not, it won’t be the totalsolution. Thinking this way will likely make the ultimate solution morepractical and efficient.

10. What’s in it for me?

Don’t leave yourself out of the conversation. You want tomake an impact, and to engage in a project that is exciting to work on and agrowth opportunity for your own development. Answering these questions before startinginstructional design can only help to give you more control over a project thathas a higher likelihood of success and personal satisfaction.