What to have ready before commissioning an eLearning course

The preparation you do before briefing an eLearning developer has more impact on the final cost and timeline than almost anything that happens during the project itself.

eLearning projects that run smoothly have almost always been prepared well before development started. Here is what to gather and confirm before your first conversation with a developer.

Clear learning objectives

Not a list of topics to cover but a clear answer to: what should learners be able to do differently after completing this course? Objectives expressed as behaviours (learners will be able to identify and report an allergen incident) are significantly more useful than objectives expressed as content (learners will understand allergen legislation).

If you are not sure how to write learning objectives, a good instructional designer will help you develop them. But having a starting sense of the desired outcome makes that conversation more productive.

Your subject matter content

This is the most common source of delays in eLearning projects. The developer cannot write the course content from scratch without significant subject matter input. At minimum, you should be able to supply existing training materials, policy documents, process guides, or a subject matter expert who can answer questions and review drafts.

The more complete and settled your source content is before the project starts, the smoother the development will be.

A named subject matter expert and a named decision-maker

On most eLearning projects, the person who knows the content (the SME) and the person who approves the final product (the decision-maker) are different people. Both need to be identified before work starts, and the review process needs to be agreed in advance.

Multiple stakeholders providing different feedback without a clear hierarchy is one of the most common causes of eLearning projects going over budget. Establish who has the final say before development begins.

Your LMS requirements

Before commissioning development, confirm: which LMS the course will be hosted on, which version of SCORM it supports (usually 1.2 or 2004), and whether there are any specific technical requirements from your LMS provider.

Discovering LMS compatibility issues at the delivery stage can cause significant rework. A brief conversation with your LMS administrator at the start of the project prevents most of these problems.

Any existing brand guidelines

A course that looks consistent with your organisation's visual identity requires having that identity documented before development starts. Logo files, colour palette, typefaces, and any brand usage guidelines should all be shared at the briefing stage.

You do not need to have everything perfectly ready before starting a conversation with a developer. But the further along you are with these things before briefing, the more accurate the timeline and quote you receive will be.

About the Author

Dan Deveney is a digital designer, educational specialist, and developer based near Dartmoor in Devon. Through Granite & Glitch, he works with small businesses, charities, and community groups to create accessible, high-performance digital projects, drawing on more than 15 years of experience across design, education, and development.