Table of Contents

Hiring Learning Professionals to Build Custom Training: What to Expect From Analysis

custom training needs analysis

Have you ever wondered what exactly goes into creating custom learning? If you were to hire a learning & development company, what should you expect from the process?  While every learning company is different, in partnering with Endurance Learning you can expect a collaborative experience to ensure that each learning experience is positive and leads to change.  Rarely are two projects exactly the same, so this won’t be a completely comprehensive series, nor will it hold all the details. However, it should give you a general idea of what it looks like to go from concept to bringing a training project to life. We will also share some of the nuances of what makes a partnership with Endurance Learning unique and what we may be working on “behind the scenes” during each part of our design and development process. 

This is part one of a three-part blog post series about what to expect when working with a learning & development company.

We follow the ADDIE model for Instructional Design. Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. This first post will be focused on A, Analysis.

Kickoff Call

After the initial discovery call (or calls) and a contract is in motion, we will schedule a Kickoff Call. This call is usually with a few people from the Endurance Learning team and any key stakeholders from your team. During the call, we will ask you to tell us about the need for training, the audience, and also technical and stylistic needs for your project.

Technical Questions

There will be technical questions such as: 

  • What are the current training needs and requirements?
  • What devices will your learners be using to complete the training? 
  • What restrictions do your learners have on their time and resources?

Content Questions

There will also be content questions such as: 

  • What do you want learners to do differently as a result of this training? 
  • What have you tried already or what are you currently doing? 
  • What exposure have your learners already had to this content?

Branding and Style Questions

And finally, there may even be branding guideline questions, like: 

  • Where in the world will this training be deployed?
  • What cultural considerations should we keep in mind regarding your learners?
  • What can you tell us about your learners that may help us choose images or voiceover talent that will resonate? 

We also capture your company style guide, source materials, and  project requirements. We will use the information and content you share during this kickoff call to inform the direction of the project and consider what learning methods may be best to achieve the desired results.

Review Source Materials

Next, our team does a thorough review of any source materials you provide (and we may ask for additional materials too). When our team asks for these materials we are clear that we don’t want only polished content. We want to see and read anything that helps us understand the content and the needs. Sometimes we conduct informational interviews to gather experiential feedback.

Project Schedule and Meetings

After reviewing the source material, and assessing the scope of the project, we will create a project schedule to be mutually agreed upon by both parties. This schedule may change and flex as the project progresses and we will be in close communication throughout the project about needed adjustments. You can expect weekly or bi-weekly check in communication updates from us during the Analysis phase. We will likely be reaching out several times with follow-up questions and/or asks for materials.

High-Level Course Outline

The final step of the Analysis phase is to write the course outline. The course outline will provide an overview of the project, specifics of the course, learning objectives, a general flow of course content, and any early ideas for potential engagement strategies.

Once we have an outline drafted, we will conduct an internal review with multiple people at Endurance Learning to review the ideas and consider if the outline is aligned with the learning objectives, is engaging, and will lead to change. One of the advantages of hiring Endurance Learning is that you get a team of experts on your side to ensure the best outcome. We will complete a copy edit to make sure it matches your style guide requirements before we send it to you for your initial review. Your reviews are a critical component of the process, as know your content best. Therefore, our entire design process is collaborative. While we strive to create the best learning experience–you help by providing in-depth knowledge about the content and the needs of your learners.  We say that “No ideas are bad ideas”, and we believe that through collaboration we will achieve the best results. 

steps in analysis for learning & development

So there you have it! During the Analysis Phase, you can expect:

  • A kickoff call
  • A thorough review of source materials
  • A project schedule and a schedule for check-in meetings
  • A high-level course outline to review

Our next blog post will walk through what to expect during the Design Phase of ADDIE.

Articles Similar to Hiring Learning Professionals to Build Custom Training: What to Expect From Analysis

Maria Leggett on learning & development resumes
Learning & Development
Brian Washburn

A Learning & Development Resume that Gets Noticed

When you’re applying for an L&D job, how do you best position yourself to get a call from a recruiter or hiring manager? Experienced HR professional, Maria Leggett, offers her insights in today’s podcast.

pivoting into the world of learning and development
Learning & Development
Brian Washburn

Career Pivot into L&D?

If you’re looking to pivot into a role in the corporate training or learning and development space, today’s podcast will give you some insights and questions to think about.

Tim Barnosky on building an L&D team
Learning & Development
Brian Washburn

Building an Internal L&D Team in an Organization (Part 1)

How do you build an L&D team from scratch? Tim Barnosky of Innovative Solutions is currently in the process of answering that question. Today’s podcast revolves around his vision and the challenges he anticipates.

constructal law of design
Learning & Development
Brian Washburn

Connecting Theoretical Physics with Learning & Development

The constructal law of design and evolution in nature can actually be applied in very concrete ways to the world of learning and professional development to help individuals, teams and organizations flow more efficiently.

Subscribe to Get Updates from Endurance Learning

Brian Washburn, Author

Brian Washburn
CEO & Chief Ideas Guy

Enter your information below and we’ll send you the latest updates from our blog. Thanks for following!

Find Your L&D Career Path

Explore the range of careers to understand what role might be a good fit for your L&D career.

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the What’s Possible in L&D Worksheet.

What's possible in L&D

Let's Talk Training!

Brian Washburn

Brian Washburn
CEO & Chief Ideas Guy

Enter your information below and we’ll get back to you soon.

Download the Feedback Lesson Plan

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the lesson plan as a PDF.

feedback lesson plan
MS Word Job Aid Template

Download the Microsoft Word Job Aid Template

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the Word version of this template.

Download the Free Lesson Plan Template!

Enter your email below and we’ll send you a Word document that you can start using today!

free lesson plan template
training materials checklist

Download the Training Materials Checklist

Enter your email below and we’ll send you the PDF of the Training Materials Checklist.

Subscribe to Endurance Learning for updates

Get regular updates from the Endurance Learning team.