On the surface, training development seems simple—training specialists create the course materials, yet what separates a great course that fulfils its objectives from a weak course that misses its mark and puts people to sleep?

Here's what our training specialists have learned through experience. A successful development phase draws upon the information collected in the needs analysis phase and the decisions made in the instructional design phase.

If the team has done solid work during the first two phases of the ADDIE methodology, then the training development phase should proceed smoothly and quickly. The training specialists and client have agreed on the course's purpose, structure, and content. Now it's easy to focus on writing the materials.

In contrast, if there are unresolved issues from the first two ADDIE phases, then problems usually start to appear in the training development phase. You might see missed deadlines, weak and off-target materials, and even substantial cost overruns.

In this section, we'll look at the ADDIE model's training development phase. We'll focus our discussion on the high-level steps that are common to most training projects. If you're looking for specific advice on how to format a leader's guide or how to create an e-learning template, this section probably won't help you. Instead, we look at the strategic processes that ILLAFTrain's training specialists use to create training materials for our clients:

• Create a prototype
• Develop the course materials
• Conduct a tabletop review
• Run a pilot session

Since there are many types of training projects, the development phase often adapts to fit the project and the client's needs. One project might devote a lot of time to prototyping, while another session may devote more time to tabletop review and pilot testing. In many situations, it's a matter of matching the right quality assurance steps to the project. Our training development in the workplace page explores these choices in greater detail.

However, our step-by-step review of the ADDIE methodology continues with a discussion of prototyping.