Instructional Design Process Playbook

A clear, ten-step method for building training that changes what people do, with the reason behind every step, a template for each one and a real project followed from first request to final review.

Who it is for

• New instructional designers who want a dependable process instead of learning by trial and error.

• New or growing L&D teams that need one shared way of working, with clear sign-off points.

• HR people and coordinators who build training alongside their main job.

• Small-business owners, managers and supervisors who have to turn what their best people know into training others can follow.

• Subject matter experts asked to "make a training" for the first time.

The problem it solves

Most training is built by putting everything an expert knows onto slides and presenting it. People sit through it and go back to work unchanged. Requests are accepted at face value, so training gets built for problems training cannot fix. Reviewers see the work for the first time when it is finished. Nothing is tested with real learners, and nobody keeps it up to date.

This playbook teaches the KA Build Path, an original ten-step process in four stages (Understand, Design, Build and test, Launch and care). Each step explains what it is, why it matters, how to do it, what good looks like and the common mistakes, then shows the step on one real project: a front desk training request at a group of three veterinary clinics. It also shows how to shrink the process for a one-hour job and expand it for a large course.

What is inside

Part 1: The process (15 sections)

• How to use this playbook and the running example (2 pages)

• 1. The KA Build Path at a glance (the ten steps, what each produces, four sign-off points, who is involved) (2 pages)

• 2. Step 1: Intake (2 pages)

• 3. Step 2: Needs analysis (sorting training and non-training causes, interview questions) (3 pages)

• 4. Step 3: Learning objectives (the Do, With, To pattern, verbs that work) (2 pages)

• 5. Step 4: Design document (2 pages)

• 6. Step 5: Outline or storyboard (2 pages)

• 7. Step 6: Build (including what a facilitator guide needs) (2 pages)

• 8. Step 7: Review rounds (2 pages)

• 9. Step 8: Pilot (2 pages)

• 10. Step 9: Launch (2 pages)

• 11. Step 10: Maintenance (2 pages)

• 12. Adapting the process: a one-hour job versus a large course (every step at three sizes, two worked examples) (3 pages)

• 13. Common mistakes across the process (1 page)

• 14. Putting the process to work in your team (30-day rollout plan) (2 pages)

• 15. Frequently asked questions (12 questions) (2 pages)

Part 2: Templates (one for each step, each with a how-to, prompts, tips and a filled-in example)

• T1 Intake form (2 pages)

• T2 Needs analysis worksheet (3 pages)

• T3 Objectives worksheet (2 pages)

• T4 Design document (2 pages)

• T5 Outline and storyboard (2 pages)

• T6 Build checklist (2 pages)

• T7 Review request and comment log (2 pages)

• T8 Pilot plan and feedback summary (2 pages)

• T9 Launch checklist (2 pages)

• T10 Maintenance plan and review log (2 pages)

How to use it

1. Read Section 1 for the whole process on two pages.

2. Pick a real project that is starting now and follow it through Sections 2 to 11, filling in the matching template at each step.

3. For small jobs, use the shortened version in Section 12.

4. To bring the process into a team, follow the 30-day rollout plan in Section 14.

5. Track projects, review comments, pilots and maintenance dates in the Excel workbook.

Formats and file types

• PDF playbook (58 pages, US Letter, print-ready)

• Word file (.docx) with all ten templates, ready to type into, each with guidance and a filled-in example

• Excel workbook (.xlsx) with a project sizer, a project plan by step with sign-offs, a review comment log, pilot notes and a maintenance register (overdue reviews turn red)

• Licensed for use within your organization. Adapt the templates freely for internal use.

Pairs well with

• R60 ID Front-End Toolkit: more tools for intake, needs analysis and objectives.

• G03 Facilitator Guide Standards Kit: standards and templates for facilitator guides.

• G01 Building a Training Team: Startup Playbook: set up the training function around this process.

Frequently asked questions