The Analysis Phase of the ADDIE Model is the beginning phase in which instructional designers examine what is going on, the problem at hand, who is involved, what needs to be done, and what is the best way to go about it. It is also important for the instructional designer to know what their own timeline is for creating the content as well as how much time learners have to complete the training. It is up to the individual instructional designer how exactly they go about acquiring this information, how specific they are, and exactly what questions they want to ask. The instructional designer must make this decision. Also, each individual designer’s situation is different. Some designers may work internally within their own company and design courses and training for the organization they are already apart of. Other designers may be coming in from the outside of an organization and will need to do a lot more investigating to acquire the information needed to begin developing the instruction.
Designers will need to have a clear understanding of the problem, which is the reason that the instruction needs to be created. This directly relates to the goals of the learner, which, in most situations will be determined by the needs of the organization. However, if possible, the designer should also incorporate learners’ individual needs as well. This information can be obtained by surveys, one-on-one meetings, group meetings, or simply by everyday communication if the designer regularly interacts with their learners. As far as information that must be obtained and that is typically obtained from management, the designer will need to gather information about the desired behavior of the learner, the specific tasks learners are expected to be able to perform, as well as processes, concepts, and ideas the learners should understand.
Instructional designers will need to gather information about their learners. They will need to have an idea of their learners’ current skill sets so they know how to frame their instruction and where to begin. Any other additional information they can manage to obtain about learners will also be beneficial. For example, knowing learners’ previous professional experiences, educational experiences, and even something about personal experiences will be important information. This is because when teaching adults, it is important to take their unique experiences into account to improve motivation and accelerate learning. With these aspects in mind, designers can better incorporate activities, assignments, or methods of presenting information that is most likely to be successfully received by the learners involved.
Another important detail to know is the environment of the organization that the learners are working in. The instructional designer will need to identify the structure and culture of the organization to know how the organization is affecting the learners and their ability to achieve their goal. Often, organizations want their employees to achieve goals that are not realistic. It will be important for the instructional designer to identify the demands of the job and the resources the job provides the learner. Though the instructional designer may not be able to improve the working conditions of the learners by advising change within the organization, instructional designers can inform the organization of some potential problems as it relates to the design of the instruction itself. At the very least, instructional designers can attempt to minimize the damage of poor organization development by tailoring their instruction around these limitations to better meet the learners’ needs.
After these aspects have been thoroughly investigated, the instructional designer can then begin to think about how the training material should be delivered based on all the information gathered. This will allow them to begin working on a general plan of instruction which will lead them into the next phase of the ADDIE process. However, it is important to note that the analysis aspect of designing is not only limited to this introductory period. Seismic, a successful sales enablement platform, explains this concept well when they state, “Because the ADDIE model was designed to be flexible and useful in all types of training materials development, it is important that instructional designers are able to modify their plans and their progress at any stage” (2022). Analysis, as with all the ADDIE Process phases, will occur again and again throughout the process as adjustments are made and new information, concerns, opinions, and insights come to the surface.
Below, please find a visual representation of the necessary aspects that should be identified during the Analysis phase:
Reference
Seismic. 2022. Training and coaching: The ADDIE model. https://seismic.com/enablement-explainers/the-addie-model/
