Why Preparation Really is 90%

The old saying “90% preparation and 10% perspiration” is the best analogy for best practice in creating a new e-learning course and a phrase I always use with my clients.

Having all those conversations, digging into the details, and taking the time to understand what is needed and why can make the difference between a project going according to plan or taking a slightly wiggly route as new information is discovered and the goals are realigned.

We all just want to get in and start creating, whether updating an existing course, transitioning from instructor-led to online, or creating a brand-new bespoke course; the desire to get going is always strong.

For e-learning, a project is usually organised into several stages, which can run consecutively, over-lap or spiral. You may be familiar with ADDIE, a linear waterfall approach to project management, a method still popular for e-learning projects. However, the method I prefer to use with my clients is an Agile influenced one called LLAMA, yup, just like the animal. Designed by Megan Torrence, I am a huge fan as it enables ongoing iteration and multiple releases. However, it still begins with the same first stage as ADDIE- Analysis.

In this article, I’ll explore how to conduct a successful analysis, why it’s essential, key outcomes such as learning needs analysis, personas, and action mapping, and how you can get the most out of this stage.

Why E-Learning Course Analysis is Crucial

The analysis phase of e-learning development is about understanding the course's what, who, and how. Skipping or rushing through analysis can result in a course that misses the mark, leading to poor engagement, lack of relevance, or failure to meet business objectives.

“But it’s only an update” I hear you say. Or “We’re just converting to an online version”. I hear you, it adds to your workload, and time is precious. However, completing an appropriate analysis doesn’t take long and will bring dividends.

Here’s why analysis is so essential:

1. Ensures Alignment with Business Goals

Every e-learning course must serve a specific purpose within the organisation: improve performance, support compliance, or train new employees. The analysis phase ensures that your course objectives align directly with business goals and organisational priorities, making it easier to demonstrate the ROI later.

2. Identifies the Real Learning Needs

Not all training gaps require e-learning. A thorough learning needs analysis (LNA) will help distinguish between knowledge gaps that need training and other performance issues that may require different solutions (e.g., workflow redesign or coaching). Without this, you risk building content that doesn’t solve the real problem. Do you actually need to convert the content into a course? Could it be a job aid? Perhaps it needs to be a blended solution.

3. Helps Tailor Content to Learners

Understanding your learners' roles, responsibilities, motivations, and challenges is critical to developing resonating content. The analysis phase involves defining learner personas to represent your audience and ensuring the course is relevant, engaging, and appropriately challenging. Who is accessing your course, how and why?

4. Defines Clear Learning Objectives

What do you need your learners to be able to do by the end of the course? During analysis, those objectives are defined. Without clear objectives, the course content can become unfocused and ineffective. How will you know if the course is effective?

5. Reduces Time and Budget Overruns

Courses that lack proper analysis often end up in multiple revision cycles because the original design didn’t meet the needs. Thorough analysis minimises this risk by clarifying the scope and direction upfront, leading to more efficient course development. We’ve all experienced it; we’re partway through development, and there is a sudden realisation by the client or subject matter experts that the brief wasn’t quite correct and the content or structure needs re-work to meet the learner's needs better. The larger the course, the greater the risk and likelihood that rework will be required, and we all build in contingency and use methods like LLAMA to manage those changes. However, we can reduce the risk of significant changes by thorough analysis.

Key Outcomes of E-Learning Course Analysis

So, what does Analysis look like?

Analysis can deliver various outcomes depending on the type of project.

However, it will always focus on the Why, the What and the Who.

The Why

Analysis can use standard project management analysis tools for a course conversion or update.  During my client meetings, I’ve used a variety of tools. Tools that you might find helpful include:

• SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

• SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) is similar to SWOT but is a more positive, action-oriented approach.

• RCA (Root Cause Analysis) is used to identify underlying reasons for issues or failures.

• 5 Whys- another great way to identify the root cause for an issue and encourage targeted solutions.

The What

Once you’ve established the business problem and the goal of the learning, re-visit the learning objectives if it’s an existing course to evaluate if they are action-based and, therefore, performance-related, as opposed to the old ‘you need to know’ objective, which is knowledge and memory-related.  Bloom’s Taxonomy is a great tool here and can support designing courses focusing on behavioural change.

The Who

Even for existing course updates or conversions, a check on the who is essential. You will likely have actual learner data when it's an existing course. Valuable information which will guide you. For example, regarding the communication style and language level, how will they access the course- by phone? Sat at their desks? And what is the best structure for access- lots of short micro learnings? Or one longer course? These are just a few questions that will give you information to realign your course to your learners today. The more you know, the better the course can be tailored to your learners, improving their learning experience and enabling the real behavioural change you want.

Starting Fresh

When working on a new bespoke course, I expect to undertake the above and deliver several formal deliverables, including learning needs analysis, learner personas, and action mapping.

1. Learning Needs Analysis (LNA)

A Learning Needs Analysis identifies the specific knowledge and skill gaps the e-learning course will address. It involves examining the current performance state and comparing it to the desired outcomes, then pinpointing the areas where learning interventions are needed.

2. Learner Personas

Learner personas are semi-fictional representations of your course’s target audience. They help humanise your learners, making it easier to design with their needs in mind. Personas include information about learners' backgrounds, motivations, pain points, and learning preferences.

3. Action Mapping

Action mapping is a visual approach to instructional design that links learning objectives directly to job performance. Instead of focusing on “what learners need to know,” action mapping asks, “What actions do learners need to take on the job?” The focus is on building scenarios and practice activities that help learners perform these actions in real life.

My Tips to Make the Most of Analysis

1. Involve Stakeholders Early and Often

Collaborate with key stakeholders throughout the analysis phase to ensure the course aligns with business goals and addresses real performance needs.

2. Put Learners at the Centre

Conduct thorough learner research and create detailed personas to ensure the course meets their needs, engages them, and prepares them for real-world application.

3. Focus on Actions, Not Just Knowledge

Use action mapping to keep the course grounded in job performance and practical outcomes, making it easier for learners to apply what they’ve learned.

4. Define Clear, Measurable Objectives

Set clear learning objectives aligned with the business goal and can be easily measured through learner assessments and post-course evaluations.

Conclusion

Completing an appropriate analysis and underpinning it with documentation will always help you in the long run. Asking those questions, the What, the Who, the Why, the How and the What if, will give your project the best start and foundation for a great, effective solution your learners and stakeholders will love.

It’s time to get your detective head on.

Hopefully, this has given you ideas for getting the results you need by analysis, however, if it all feels a little overwhelming or you want an extra pair of hands or just a sounding block for your plans, please contact me and we can manage it together.