Phases of Information Needs for Cross-Functional Training Projects

If you are an instructional designer working on cross-functional projects, it can be difficult to get what information you need and when. How often do you find yourself sitting through unnecessary meetings, or conversely, getting pulled into a project too late and having to scramble to meet the deadline? On the one hand, an ID can do very little before project processes and details are finalized, but on the other, they need to be involved from the beginning to efficiently manage their time. Additionally, stakeholders are often unclear of the role of an ID, and training needs might change as a project evolves.

To combat this, I have created a framework to help IDs and stakeholders communicate what type of information is needed and when. This framework can be adapted for different projects, industries, and company structures while keeping the basic concept of moving from broad to specific information.

Phase 1- Project Overview

• What are the overall goals of this project?

• What is the timeline of the project?

• What are the perceived training needs (it is okay if they are still being established)

This information should be given to an ID as soon as possible. An ID needs to incorporate this project into their annual plan and ensure they have the time and resources to devote to it. It can be frustrating when stakeholders spring last-minute deadlines onto an ID and lead to rushed work or less design flexibility.

Example: A company decides to purchase a new tool for project management and needs to roll it out and train all teams. The project manager should invite the ID to the kickoff meeting where they discuss why this tool was purchased, when it will roll out, and any initial thoughts on training requirements.

Phase 2- Project Impact

• How are employees’ day-to-day actions being impacted by this project?

• What teams are affected by this project?

• How will this project develop over time?

As the project team progresses, they will eventually see exactly how a project will impact employees, which teams will adopt it, and if any future growth is planned. Naturally, some of these details were not yet established when the project began, and it is crucial to update the ID who will be responsible for training These decisions will impact the scope, audience, focus, and key evaluation metrics for the training. In many situations, it is not necessary for the ID to sit through every project meeting where the decisions are being made as long as one member of the project team quickly and reliably communicates when they are.

Example: For the new project management tool, the team might decide they will initially roll out the tool with the product development team and later expand the tool to be used by the whole company. In the first phase, product development employees will use the tool for all projects and they are expected to update tasks on a daily basis and report progress on a weekly basis.

Phase 3- Training Needs

• What are the specific expectations for L&D for this project?

• What training materials are required and do any already exist?

• Who are the key SMEs L&D should be working with to develop content?

By this phase in the project, the project team should have ironed out operational details and have made enough decisions to determine a plan for training. The key is to give L&D enough time to follow their process between making project decisions and the target project launch date.

Example: For the project management tool, it can now be determined that L&D will create a live training session on how to use the new tool. The project manager can now designate an SME that will work with the ID to create content for the session. The ID also can work with the project team to write evaluation criteria and learning objectives. The company that makes the tool has an online database of how to articles that can be used as additional resources for employees. Using this information, the ID can more specifically plan his or her time and get started on their work.

Using this framework can improve cross-functional communication, increase company efficiency, and overall create a better relationship between work teams. L&D gets the information they need with enough time to plan, while the project team has room for project iterations and developments over time. If you use this framework in your workplace, let me know your feedback. I would love to hear what works, what doesn’t, and what might be missing!