5 Ways the ADDIE Framework Is Like Vacation Planning

Poor ADDIE. Some say she's getting long in the tooth, being cast aside for younger, prettier frameworks. Yet despite the newer frameworks designers are gravitating toward (Think: AGILE and SAM), I'm here to tell you that all roads lead back to ADDIE, where she waits patiently for your return.

We use ADDIE for planning content every day. I use the following example in the ATD Designing Learning Certificate Program: When thinking about ADDIE, think about how you plan your vacation. It's the same framework, only used in a different way, and it’s still very effective.

As you may know, ADDIE has five phases: Analysis (A), Design (D), Development (D), Implementation (I), and Evaluation (E). Once upon a time, ADDIE was considered a “waterfall” model, but in today's world it is certainly more iterative. Let's work through the five phases to plan our vacation.

As you can see, the ADDIE framework, when used in a flexible, adaptable, and iterative manner, will lead you to success. ADDIE will help you design learner-centric content that will make a difference within your organization, more so than if you just jumped into the middle of the design process and started creating PowerPoint decks without understanding the reason behind the madness. This would be like driving to the airport and simply jumping on the first flight, fingers crossed it will take you where you want to go. It's unlikely that you will get to where you want to go.

Don't waste your time and your organization’s money by creating learning that doesn't stick and content that doesn't have a purpose beyond the classroom. Be a true business partner: Learn how to make your learning designs applicable and actionable and, in the end, help people do their jobs better. The business will thank you.

Sign up for the ATD Designing Learning Certificate Program to ensure that everyone is headed someplace nice. Additionally, sign up for my ATD International Conference & Exposition preconference session in Denver, May 19-21. I look forward to seeing you all—and bring your vacation plan!