ADDIE Up: Comparing the Leading Instructional Design and Project Management Frameworks

This article highlights the differences and similarities between instructional design frameworks ADDIE and SAM and the project management frameworks Agile, Lean and Waterfall, for use in learning and development projects.

The ADDIE model is well-known and widely used in instructional design. The framework outlines a process for creating effective learning programs, by organizing the process into clear phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.

While ADDIE is a powerful model for instructional design and learning professionals to understand and use, this article provides a comparison between ADDIE and several other instructional design and project management models, which may be useful adaptations for specific projects.

ADDIE vs. SAM

The Successive Approximation Model (SAM) is an iterative, agile approach which is focused on rapid development and continuous feedback. It comprises three phases:

1. Preparation: identifying project requirements and creating rapid prototypes.
2. Iterative Design: developing and refining prototypes with close engagement and feedback from stakeholders.
3. Iterative Development: creating and improving instructional materials and experiences through successive iterations.

The SAM model differs from ADDIE in several ways.

• Flow and Sequence: While ADDIE follows a sequential process, where each step is completed before the following step begins, SAM allows for overlapping, concurrent phases. The SAM approach may be able to respond to changes more quickly than ADDIE, which tends to reward thorough planning and design, but SAM may require more iterative cycles to achieve the desired outcome. ADDIE, by comparison, tends to be more rigid and can be slower to adapt to changes.
• Feedback and Evaluation: The ADDIE sequence incorporates feedback as its own phase of the project, as the final of the five main phases of work. This summative evaluation is a major focus, though it is often supported in practice by some evaluative processes during development. SAM, by contrast, embraces continuous evaluation and feedback throughout the design and development phases, which supports SAM’s goal of making rapid, iterative improvement.
• Design and Development: The SAM model can begin with a basic prototype and objective, because the SAM process involves building and improving the learning product iteratively. This tends to make the project adaptive and may produce faster initial results. ADDIE, on the other hands, focuses on a more complete, up-front analysis which identifies objectives, strengths, opportunities, stakeholders, resources, and other factors which will affect the project, allowing for the development of a more comprehensive project plan and the creation of a cohesive, well-planned learning program.

As discussed here, flexibility is a key difference between SAM and ADDIE. The approach you choose may be influenced by how much you expect the project requirements to shift during the development cycle, and how quickly an initial prototype is needed.

The need for flexibility and adaptability has been well explored by project management methodologies which can also be useful for learning projects.

ADDIE vs. Waterfall

The Waterfall project management discipline is structurally similar to ADDIE, in that both are a well-defined sequence of steps which are completed in order. A key difference is that Waterfall generally captures all testing and feedback during the final phase, where ADDIE does anticipate some ongoing evaluation during each phase of work. The Waterfall methodology encompasses:

1. Analysis: the Waterfall process begins by gathering requirements, which is similar to ADDIE’s gathering the needs and objectives for the learning project.
2. Design: Waterfall, like ADDIE, incorporates a Design phase, which in L&D can be applied to planning the instructional strategies and program.
3. Development: the development phase in Waterfall encompasses the work to create the learning content and materials.
4. Implementation: in Waterfall, this phase is known as Deployment, and in L&D would be when the learning program is delivered to the learner audience(s).
5. Evaluation: the final step involves assessing the effectiveness of the training and making any necessary adjustments, which is very similar to the Testing phase of the Waterfall methodology.

ADDIE vs. Agile

Agile project management is known for its flexibility and its incorporation of iterative, rapid improvements, which is unlike ADDIE’s more sequential structure. In this way, Agile and SAM are more similar.

For organizations which rely on Agile for other facets of product development and project management, the instructional design professional can adapt ADDIE to an Agile-like framework:

1. Incremental Development: The Agile methodology benefits from speed and flexibility by breaking projects down into small, manageable pieces. This approach can be applied to an adapted version of ADDIT by breaking down the design and development phases into smaller pieces and shorter cycles.
2. Continuous Feedback: Agile, similar to SAM, prioritizes ongoing feedback and iteration. Similar feedback cycles can be built into an adapted ADDIE process, allowing for iterative improvements within each sequential stage.
3. Collaborative Approach: Collaboration between teams, including cross-functional collaboration, is a foundational element of Agile. ADDIE can incorporate this perspective by involving stakeholders, including learners and subject-matter experts, into the project throughout each phase of work.

This approach can lead to an adapted, more flexible ADDIE process which can help your team and your project be more responsive to changing business needs, market conditions, or other factors.

ADDIE vs. Lean

The Lean approach to project management is focused on minimizing waste and maximizing value. Lean principles can be applied to the ADDIE framework in several ways:

1. Value-Driven Analysis: During the Analysis phase of ADDIE, emphasize identifying and delivering the most valuable outcomes, such as specific behavior changes, for the learners and the organization. This prioritization exercise may lead you to shift your focus, such as by prioritizing higher-impact portions of the project while deferring others to a later phase of work.
2. Efficient Design and Development: A heightened focus on which facets of the project are highest-impact may allow you to streamline the Design and Development phases, where less-critical steps are deferred or eliminated.
3. Rapid Implementation: The focus on the Lean lens may help your team develop higher-impact learning experiences faster, showing immediate value to the organization.
4. Continuous Improvement: Very similar to the Lean practice of Kaizen (also referred to as Continuous Improvement), the Evaluation phase in ADDIE can be approached not only as its own discrete stage, but also as an ongoing or frequent event during the design and development work.

Which is the Right Model?

ADDIE and SAM are focused on instructional design, but share many similarities with widely-used and industry-standard project management methodologies. By understanding the strengths and philosophies each model uses, you can better adapt your project structure to the specifics of your organization and circumstances. The goal of each of these, in L&D, is to help develop a more effective, flexible, efficient and cost-effective learning experience that delivers measurable behavior change.