Analysis | ADDIE on Steroids

The Analysis Phase is the diagnostic engine room of the ADDIE model, a space where assumptions are unpacked, facts are surfaced, and clarity is engineered before any design takes shape. It is the most critical thinking-intensive stage, where strategic alignment meets instructional intent.

This phase is not just about identifying what learners don’t know; it’s about establishing why a solution is needed at all, what form that solution should take, and how feasible it will be to deliver. It maps the terrain ahead by systematically examining business needs, performance gaps, organisational constraints, learner attributes, available resources, and technological capabilities.

In ADDIE on Steroids, Analysis goes deeper than surface-level needs assessments.

It begins with Project Initiation, clarifying scope, stakeholders, and purpose. Then moves into Initial Planning, Task and Resource Audits, and Stakeholder Alignment.

Here, instructional designers operate as strategic consultants, not just content developers. The goal is to anchor learning to real-world performance, not theoretical ideals.

A robust Learner and Needs Analysis ensures the learning design speaks to the right audience, in the right tone, with the right level of difficulty, and through the most accessible means.

This is followed by Feasibility and Cost Analysis, where data-driven scrutiny is applied to budgets, timelines, and platform limitations to test what’s possible before moving to the Design phase.

The Analysis phase also leverages AI-enhanced insights for both resource auditing and learning needs diagnostics, allowing teams to spot trends, prioritise interventions, and future-proof their learning ecosystems.

By the end of this phase, the following should be crystal clear:

The what, why, and who of the learning initiative.
The constraints that must be managed.
The learner persona and environmental context.
The business value of proceeding, or not proceeding, with a learning solution.

Done well, this phase ensures that instructional design is not only creative but relevant, accountable, and feasible.

It lays the intellectual and operational scaffolding that every downstream phase that Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation will depend on.

In short, this is where clarity begins and wasted effort ends.

Analysis Steps