What is Instructional Design?
Instructional design is deliberately planned instruction
Businesses and organizations look to consultants for training solutions when they encounter problems they can’t resolve on their own. A carefully designed training solution can:
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- save time and money
- improve customer relations
- improve on-the-job performance
- maintain a safe working environment
- promote positive employee relations
Instructional design identifies the root cause of the problem and proposes solutions.
- Analyze the Problem
- Seek Solutions
- Choose a Course of Action
- Approve Deliverables
- Determine Milestones
- Monitor Progress
- Review Deliverables
- Revise if Needed
Analyzing the Problem
Albert Einstein said when he faced a challenge, he would spend 95% of the time defining the problem and 5% of the time on the solution. If we don’t clearly identify the current conditions surrounding the issue, we can’t find the right solution. This is the driver behind asking the 5 Why’s.
Solving the wrong problem is expensive. Solve the right problem, and desired state is more readily achieved.
Seeking Solutions
When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail. If your consultant specialized in one type of solution, their proposed solution will probably neatly fall into their specialty.
A $10,000 solution to a $20 problem
Imagine your food processing company has employees who fail to remove their foot coverings when they use the restroom. You need to prevent potential contamination on the production floor. One consultant suggests creating a video on the importance of removing foot coverings. Another suggests a short training seminar. Unfortunately, the problem will continue until you put that $20 chair outside the restroom.
Looking at budget, time constraints, resources at hand, and other factors like who the stakeholders are will be key to finding workable solutions. While the first idea might be the best in the long-run, iDesignFox knows it’s better to have a choice. That way you ‘ll know when it’s the best solution for your situation.
Choosing a Course of Action
Once you’ve reviewed your options, it’s time to choose a course of action. That course should lay out the milestones that indicate the progress as it is made. The list of deliverables should be clear and concise.
Approving Deliverables and Determining Milestones
Whether its in the form of regular check-ins or milestone reports, there should be a means to monitor progress so there are no surprises along the way. There should be no room for an unauthorized shift in focus or scope creep (the sidetracks and never-ending details that slow things down and drain the budget).
Completing the Project
The completed deliverables are presented and subject to review. If the ongoing check-ins and milestones were met, there shouldn’t be any surprises. At this stage, minor revisions are sometimes needed. In some cases, a periodic review by the consultant is in order to ensure things are working as expected.
Questions:
Email: info@idesignfox.com.