Instructional Design - Client Consultation & Needs Analysis Tool

Section A. Project and Contact Information

Organization / Department:

Project / Initiative:

Date:

Primary Contact Name:

Primary Contact Role:

Primary Contact Email:

Facilitator (Instructional Designer):

Communication Preference:

Section B. Client Insights – Understanding the Problem

(Completed by the client or stakeholder representative)

1. What best describes the challenge you're facing?

Employees are not meeting performance expectations

Work quality or accuracy has declined

There's a process or compliance issue

A new tool, system, or procedure was introduced

Onboarding or upskilling is inconsistent

Employee motivation or engagement is low

Customer or compliance complaints have increased

Other:

2. How do you believe this issue affects the organization?

Reduced productivity

Financial or compliance risk

Customer dissatisfaction

Increased errors or rework

Employee frustration or turnover

Missed deadlines or project delays

3. Who is impacted by this issue?

Individual employees

Team or department

Entire organization

External clients or partners

4. Urgency level:

Immediate (critical impact)

Within next 3 months

Long-term / continuous improvement

5. What actions have already been taken?

Conducted prior training

Implemented new process or SOP

Added coaching or supervision

None yet

Other:

6. What do you hope training or support will achieve?

Improve performance consistency

Reduce errors

Increase speed or efficiency

Improve morale or engagement

Align employees with new tools or processes

Ensure compliance or standardization

7. Any known constraints or limitations?

Time

Budget

Staff availability

Technology

Policy

Other:

Section C. Target Learner Profile

1. Primary learner audience:

New hires

Experienced staff

Supervisors

Managers

Technical staff

Customer-facing

2. Estimated number of learners:

3. Common learner characteristics:

On-site

Remote

Hybrid

Varied experience levels

Access to computers or mobile devices

Prior exposure to online training

4. Observed barriers to learning:

Lack of time

Low motivation

Limited access to materials

Technical limitations

Other:

Section D. Instructional Designer Insights – Observations and Analysis

(Completed by the instructional designer during or after the meeting)

1. Key takeaways from the client discussion:

Client's stated problem in their own words:

Underlying issue as interpreted by designer:

2. Performance Gap Indicators:

Dimension	Current State	Desired State	Root Cause
Knowledge
Skill
Motivation
Environment

3. Evidence that training may address the gap:

The issue involves inconsistent performance among similar roles

The skill can be taught or practiced

Learners lack prior structured training

Supervisors support training interventions

Other:

4. Evidence that training alone may not resolve the issue:

Workflow or system issue

Leadership or culture problem

Resource limitations

Policy or accountability gaps

5. Additional qualitative insights:

Section E. Project Scope and Next Steps

1. Recommended follow-up actions:

Conduct task analysis

Collect performance metrics

Review existing training materials

Draft SMART objectives

Develop prototype module

Prepare Needs Analysis Report

2. Notes for mapping:

Additional notes for report generation:

Assigned to:

Due date:

Instructional Design Methodology

Select Methodology:

Auto Mode: The system will automatically select the most appropriate methodology based on your inputs:

Dick & Carey: For compliance or safety-critical initiatives
SAM: For urgent projects with tight timelines
Rapid Prototyping: For urgent projects with budget constraints
Action Mapping: For tool/process confusion with clear behavior focus
ADDIE: For broad organizational change with stable scope
Merrill's First Principles: For task-centered learning needs