Reconciling ADDIE and Agile

An agile project-management style, such as LLAMA (lot like agilemethod approach), offers instructional designers some significant benefits. Inparticular, such an approach means that you’re able to incorporate changes toyour project without upsetting your budget or schedule. The LLAMA approach contrastsin this way with a more linear approach, such as ADDIE (analyze, design,develop, implement, evaluate), with which many instructional designers arefamiliar.

While it may seem that ADDIE and LLAMA would work againstone another, in this article I will show how ADDIE is actually embedded within anagile process like LLAMA.

Is it one or the other?

ADDIE and LLAMA are not an either/or choice. LLAMA takesadvantage of ADDIE’s strengths and converts the linear approach to one thatsupports a creative process such as learning design. Those “a-ha” moments thatelevate a product from pretty good to totally awesome rarely occur atpredetermined moments along a prescribed schedule.

A linear approach leaves the instructional designer with twooptions: forgo the new idea because significantly altering the project is toodifficult, or incorporating the new idea at the risk of jeopardizing thetimeline, the budget, and morale as the team members contemplate many latenights at the office. LLAMA project management doesn’t put the instructionaldesigner in the position of choosing between the planning and the project.Instead, it encourages designers to leverage change for a better productwithout sacrificing anything.

ADDIE and where it works

First, a quick reminder of the ADDIE process (Figure 1) andthe situations in which it works well.

Figure 1: The ADDIE process

The ADDIE process comprises five sequential steps.

1. The process begins with an analysis of the needfor training. This assumes that the designer has collected all informationabout the potential learners at this point and that the organization’s needsand expectations of the training will not evolve after completion of this step.
2. Next is the design of a course or series ofcourses that address the needs. The instructional designer includes allnecessary content, creates spot-on interactions, and designs a course thatmatches the client’s expectations for aesthetics and usability.
3. Following design, the next step is course development:building the course according to the design specifications. At this stage the projectis nearing completion so it is too late to include substantive revisions.
4. After this comes course implementation, or“release.” This is likely the first point in the process where an actuallearner sees the course. Learners begin taking the course and applying whatthey learned to their daily work.
5. Finally, there is evaluation of the training.Perhaps learners provide feedback about the course and the process begins againas the client considers other areas for improvement, which then undergoanalysis for potential training topics.  

The ADDIE process works effectively in situations whereeveryone involved knows exactly what the finished product should be like, whereit is certain that the content will remain static, and where no one will haveany mid-development brainstorms that might require reworking the project. Thesesituations are a bit like the El Dorado of the learning-design world—highlysought after but rarely (if ever?) encountered.

How do agile and LLAMA relate to ADDIE?

In an agile process (including LLAMA), the ADDIE steps outlinedabove are completed with an important twist. Literally—a twist. While ADDIElooks a bit like an arrow, the agile process takes the same five ADDIE stepsbut it looks more like a corkscrew. (Figure 2)

Figure 2: The agile process is ADDIE with a twist

Agile doesn’t wait until the very end to get feedback fromthe client and from potential learners. The goal of an agile team is to produceseveral iterations of the training, each of which is a usable version, meaningthe course is substantive enough for the client to understand where the projectis headed. The client and other stakeholders can offer feedback early, beforethe course is fully or almost fully built, so that changes can be made.

Building a bus: the ADDIE way vs. the agile way

You have to build a bus. With an ADDIE approach, you analyzethe needs for a bus and decide the engine must be absolutely perfect. You startby building the engine, then optimizing it like crazy. Two weeks later, theproject sponsor arrives in your shop.

“Can we take it for a test drive?”

You start listing the engine’s technical specifications. Youdescribe your victory in finding just the right components. You show off thechrome fashion styling and the embossed logo.

“That’s nice. Can we take it for a drive?”

No, but we have these really nice little pink rhinestonesover here. Aren’t they great?

A linear approach doesn’t lend itself to test drives twoweeks into the project. Instead, you build the learning experience onecomponent at a time and the test drive is frequently the drive off the lot andinto traffic.

On the other hand, an agile approach might go like this:

You have to build a bus. You start by building a roughskeleton of the bus, with a basic frame, a basic engine, a steering wheel, andsomething to sit on. Two weeks later, the project sponsor arrives in your shop.

“Can we take it for a test drive?”

Sure! Let’s go.

“This is nice. But I forgot to tell you that we are going tobe driving this bus in Ireland so the steering wheel needs to be on the other side.”

Sure thing!

You’re only two weeks into the project and you’ve still gottime to accommodate changes to the requirements. You’ve only got the basics ofthe bus built, so it’s easy to switch the steering wheel.

Agile gives you the flexibility to handle changes, evenafter the project starts. Even better, agile encourages change. It helps youleverage those brainstorms and big ideas to create the best possible product.

The agile experience, iteration two

Consider this bus scenario:

You have to build a bus. You start by building a roughskeleton of the bus, with a basic frame, a basic engine, a steering wheel, andsomething to sit on. Two weeks later, the project sponsor arrives in your shop.

“Can we take it for a test drive?”

Sure! Let’s go.

“This is nice. But you know what would be really cool? Whatif we could make it amphibious, too?!?! Can you do that?”

Sure thing!

You’re only two weeks into the project and your projectplanning has positioned you to accept radical changes to the original concept.You and the client are both happy!

You’ll go back into your shop, incorporate the changes, andproduce a new iteration for the client. It still won’t be a complete bus, butit’s getting closer. The project sponsor can take another test drive to see howyou’ve modified the project and can suggest additional changes if necessary. Dependingon your timeline, budget, and relationship with the client, you may make a new iterationor you may feel that it’s time to create the final, perfect bus.

Orient the client, communicate, and iterate to win

In agile, the design and development stages occur initiallyas you plan and build the first approximation. The “test drives” serve as theimplementation and evaluation stages. You have not fully implemented theproject in the sense that it’s ready for release, but it is usable which means that stakeholders can evaluate it. As theclient makes suggestions, you tinker with the design and develop a newiteration, which leads to another round of implementation and evaluation. 

As you can see, the agile method requires more communicationthan a linear approach. An agile approach will make the finished product muchstronger, but it can also mean the project can slow down if you’re waiting forthe client to provide feedback or approve tasks. Orienting a client to the agileapproach might be an important step to consider during the project’s initialmeetings.

Instructional designers familiar with ADDIE don’t need toabandon their project-planning strategies or the vital stages of the ADDIEapproach in order to adopt an agile approach. Instead, consider how you cancomplete the various steps more quickly and cycle through them several times,with the goal to build usable (though not necessarily beautiful and perfect)iterations that can generate useful feedback from project stakeholders, therebyleading to a superior final product that you complete on time and on budget.

Understanding the sequence of agile is only one part ofputting agile to work for you. I will provide additional articles on LLAMAproject management that will explain the nitty-gritty of planning projects atthe discrete task, weekly, and project levels.

Note from the Editor

Megan Torrance teaches Agile Project Managementfor eLearning, a course offered by TheGuild Academy. The next offering begins September 16, 2014; details areonline here,and the course is available for private training for your team.