If you work in the world of training, design courses for your company, are involved in the delivery of learning on your project, maybe you’ve been asked this question.  Depending upon your relationship and reporting structure to the one asking, you may answer anywhere from, “what are you, crazy?” to “hmm, well sure, I guess.”

Some Potential Risks

Before we start discussing the steps, here are some of the risks that you would face if you skip, reduce or omit the steps in the training needs analysis phase.  Feel free to use these the next time you’re asked the question.

These aren’t the only risks, but they are risks that companies commonly encounter. Intulogy’s training specialists can advise you about the risks relevant to your specific project.

ADDIE Analysis: Discovery

Begin with the Discovery Process

When Intulogy’s training specialists conduct a training needs analysis, they begin with the discovery process. We ask our clients to share with us any materials or documents that would be relevant to the training project. In terms of the ADDIE methodology, the training specialist uses these documents to understand the client’s current situation and the training project’s context. So, the discovery process serves as the foundation for the entire ADDIE model.

Collect the Information

We believe that the discovery process should happen at the beginning of the ADDIE analysis phase. When our training specialists start on a project, they ask the client to assemble the relevant documents for the project. Each training project leads to a unique discovery process. Usually, the training specialist asks the client a series of open-ended questions about existing resources and documents, so that the discovery process becomes a discussion between the training specialist and the client.

Intulogy’s training specialists collect as much information as possible at the beginning of the project. We believe that it’s better to have plenty of data than not enough.

Analyze the Resources

Our training specialists carefully analyze the documents that they collect. They take notes and prepare their questions for subject matter experts. This self-study process helps our training specialists quickly learn about the project and its needs without placing a large time demand on the client’s subject matter experts (SMEs). Our training specialists will take these questions to subject matter experts later in the ADDIE analysis process. We know that SMEs are busy people, and we acknowledge that by making efficient use of their time.

Confirm the Research

At the end of the discovery phase, the training specialists contact the client and present a list of the documents they have received and reviewed. We ask our clients to confirm that we have collected and reviewed the proper resources for the project.

The Benefits of the Discovery Process

The discovery process collects key information at the start of the project.

• Ensures the training specialists have access to key documents and resources at the start of the project
• Places learning and knowledge gathering at the front of the project
• Brings the training specialist up-to-speed on the project
• Reduces the time commitment required from the client’s subject matter experts (SMEs)
• Limits the risk that training specialists might move forward without critical information
• Saves time and backtracking later in the project
• Serves as the project’s first major quality checkpoint

A Sample Discovery Process

Let’s consider an example where a client has asked Intulogy to create an e-learning module for its sales team. The e-learning course will describe the product’s features, discuss the target audience, and present sales strategies. The client has already delivered some of this information through an instructor-led course, but the client feels that the material may need to be updated. During the discovery process, Intulogy’s training specialists might ask the client for the following resources:

• Technical specifications and user guides for the product
• The existing classroom training materials
• Survey results and learner feedback from the instructor-led course
• Memos and paperwork about the training project
• Images (the client’s corporate logo, photos of the product, etc.)
• Brand manual and/or e-learning style guide
• Technical specifications for the client’s e-learning platform

Next week, we’ll move into aligning the training with business goals.