Action Mapping for Instructional Designers

Action Mapping is a streamlined approach to business training developed by Cathy Moore. It's my go-to approach for instructional design projects, and this is mainly because it brings the focus to performance (what people need to do) instead of information (what people "need" to know).
Action mapping is a perfect fit for anyone looking to produce business results with their instructional design efforts, and it is good to familiarize yourself with the process even if you're just breaking into the field of instructional design.
Watch the full guide to becoming an instructional designer: • How to Become an Instr...
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Using the affiliate links below will help support me and the content on this channel.
Action Mapping Software: www.mindmeister.com/?r=981448
**Book Recommendations**
Map It by Cathy Moore: amzn.to/3f137mR
The Success Case Method: amzn.to/3hDuDcd
Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Training Evaluation: amzn.to/3hmFZkq
The Non-Designer's Design Book: amzn.to/3kP0reO
eLearning and the Science of Instruction: amzn.to/3kNuBiF
Design For How People Learn: amzn.to/3CLtrNM
Michael Allen's Guide to eLearning: amzn.to/31ZUbJB
**My Gear Setup**
Camera: amzn.to/3gulMr0
Lens: amzn.to/2EgrkZb
Mic: amzn.to/34DcBCp
Full writeup: www.devlinpeck.com/posts/vide...
0:00 Intro
2:55 Kickoff Meeting
4:12 Business Goal
5:17 The Action Map
7:05 Action Map Example
10:01 Prioritize Actions
11:17 Ask "Why?"
14:14 Create a Prototype
18:05 Next Steps
19:50 Conclusion

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Grab the FREE interactive "Become an ID" checklist: www.devlinpeck.com/become-an-id-checklist

[@prernadevgan]

This video helped me in landing my first job as an ID and I still revisit it while working on some independent projects. Your content is precious! 🙌

[@DevlinPeckYT]

I’m so glad to hear that! Congratulations, Prerna 😃

[@priyakumar4305]

I liked the way you explained the "consequences" part! Most often, I've a tough time convincing the stakeholders that scenarios must have these "consequences" rather than just correct / incorrect

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks Priya! That part is very important. It adds a lot to the experience and helps connect the action to the effects it would have in the real world :D

[@reinaellis875]

This is awesome, Devlin. Thank you so much! Loved the mindmeister tool as well. You are always full of practical, relevant, expert guidance for IDs.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome! Thanks for checking it out, Reina :)

[@lamiyamehdiyeva2412]

Thank you so much Devlin! I took some courses on Udemy and Edx on ID, but nothing compares with your videos. It's just a pleasure to listen to you, learn all basics within a short time.

[@rrprice2526]

Thanks, Devlin! I have Cathy's book...now I need to get to it! I am a huge fan of the concept, particularly when coming from academia where it is mostly a knowledge dump, not necessarily (or rather, not often) skill- or competency-based learning. I appreciate the quick overviews! And thanks for having Joe online today! Good stuff!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome, and thanks for this comment. Action mapping is such a breath of fresh air for the industry...now for us all to apply it :D

[@darilietas]

Thank you for this amazing video, Devlin! I'm watching your "Become an Instructional Designer" to learn more about instructional design and complement my set of customer support and customer support content designing skills. I haven't applied action mapping up to this date, but I do see how valuable it is not only in the ID field but CS in general. I'll grab the book to learn more about it. :) Thanks again for sharing this crucial and helpful knowledge!

[@chocoboasylum]

I love this series. I'm already an ID but I love to learn new things myself as well. Just ordered Cathy's book

[@ZipA838]

SUPER helpful, thanks Devlin!! 🙌

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for checking out the video :)

[@zoekenny3619]

Really like the clear and simple way you described this process. Thanks!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching 😃

[@SpeakingEnglishToday]

This content is GOLD! I am just blown away by all the great information you share. Thank you so much Devlin!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're so welcome! Thanks for the support as always :D

[@sneharecites]

Such a clear explanation of "Action mapping" with examples, and not "Lorem ipsum"!!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks for checking out the video, Sneha :)

[@sneharecites]

@@DevlinPeckYT As you say, "breathe of fresh air"...right now watching the video on Action mapping Q&A with Ms Cathy Moore...! Thank you for your efforts, Devlin! Your videos are complete courses😀

[@DevlinPeckYT]

@@sneharecites Thanks Sneha :) Enjoy all of the content :D

[@manjubhaskar100]

Really appreciate the succinct summary of purposeful action mapping. Also a big thank you for the book recommendations and the MindMeister tool suggestion.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome! Enjoy :)

[@milododds1]

Thank you, I looked at something like this years ago but glad to see it’s evolving.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Indeed! And you're welcome :D

[@shelia8072]

Thank you! Amazing information and resources.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome :) Thanks for watching!

[@senorusuario]

Great summary Devlin. MindMeister looks like the perfect tool for the action map step, I hadn't seen that tool before, thanks for sharing.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome! Thanks for the positive feedback :)

[@MarcFonteijn]

Great video. Thanks Devlin!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks for checking it out, Marc!

[@andreafranyuttiboyles7517]

Howdy, howdy, Devlin! This is a really good video (one of my faves from you)! Your explanation of Action Mapping is super clear, and you went beyond description by giving examples of how you phrase questions and complete the map; this really solidified my understanding by making it more concrete! I feel like I walked away with solid knowledge of the overall process. Loved this!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Nice!! I’m glad to hear that, Andrea. Thanks for the support 😃

[@maverickminds6182]

Great stuff Devlin, your videos are very helpful and engaging

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying them :D

[@jay0cho]

Applying action mapping makes me feel more like a learning co nsultant first , then designer second. only when we start talking about now we achieve our objectives through activities, do I start feeling like I'm actually designing a course again. This is so helpfuI if you want to be building projects that will actually make an impact, because your stakeholders will start to appreciate why a particular course is designed the way it is and appreciate the value of your learning solutions even more!

[@Bouchergator09]

As a former teacher and current tutor, I have so many ideas on how I have already been applying and could apply this to industries I have never worked in to fulfill their needs. thanks again!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lisalvarez536]

Great information! thanks for sharing!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching :)

[@carrielearningdesign2726]

Thank you Devlin! This is so useful! I'm reading about this now on the Eduflow course and find action mapping very intuitive! I've put off getting Cathy's book but I feel that now is the right time! I'll check out your video about eLearning books too. Thank you!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You’re welcome! Thanks for the support, Carrie, and I hope that the Eduflow experience is going well 😃

[@ultimodias]

Thanks a bunch 💐 Super helpful. 👊🏾

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome! Happy to help :D

[@Purpleprincess555]

Thanks a lot! this was super detailed and easy to understand ! :)

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You’re welcome! Glad that you enjoyed it 😃

[@jackielaroga5408]

Action Mapping on my checklist..... Checked!!! Thank you

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Nice!! You're welcome :)

[@Exegesis66]

Great work. Basically, Action Mapping is a specific application of Backward Design? BD starts with the end goals/outcomes and works backwards from there to activities then to instructional content needed. It typically focuses on Knowledge, at times, it includes Attitude, but in terms of KSA it is not often focused on Skills in an educational setting. Action Mapping also starts with the end in mind, but what matters is the business goal (not the learning goal), and then it focuses on skills/behaviors that will achieve that business goal. By making this goal a SMART goal it becomes measurable and can demonstrate to business better ROI.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

What a cool connection to backward design :D Thanks for watching!

[@ttzargaryan]

The Map It book is the best, thank you, Devlin, your videos are very helpful.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You’re welcome! I agree...the book is wonderful. We’re actually doing another live session with Cathy Moore this week! We’ll build an action map with her together live. You can register at www.devlinpeck.com/talks

[@ttzargaryan]

I did thank you. That is a lovely idea Devlin. 😊😊 thank you for doing this.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

@@ttzargaryan you’re welcome 😃

[@thelearninglabLMS]

Thank you for sharing these information! Great video.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks for checking it out 😃

[@thelearninglabLMS]

@@DevlinPeckYT Would you consider an interview for our channel on LinkedIn?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

@@thelearninglabLMS Thanks for asking! My content schedule is pretty booked up so I cannot commit to anything new at the time, but we can touch base next year :D

[@jeneneschwartz500]

YES .. my favorite too !!! Great job as usual Devlin.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks Jenene! :)

[@MarieSlim]

You inspired me to get a mapping tool - I checked out MindNode and MindMeister and ended up with MindNode - I think it was the pricing model. Subscriptions make me nervous :-) Thank you for your leadership and helpful videos, Devlin!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Nice! You're welcome, Marie :)

[@shanshangao234]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, you passion and your experience here! It’s very very difficult to find the passion and focus it in life. And it’s very lucky to find it, keep learning it, and it! I noticed you have so much fantastic topics on ID models, multimedia learning principles, Kirkpatrick’s model, blooms taxonomy, etc. I am interested in those area, too! Hope we have opportunities to corporate one day, on topics, such as learning theories, learning styles, elearning project management etc.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks Shanshan! I’m glad that you found the content and that we have similar interests 😊

[@popspattu6522]

A lot of us also use MS One Note for cursory action mapping. Good tool to use

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Good suggestion! Thank you for that :D

[@thefitnessjumpstart]

Thank you, Devlin. As usual, your content offers such great value. I have a question regarding the Feedback phase. Could you elaborate on or offer an example of a Project Plan? Oh, and thanks for the "Become and ID" checklist. It's exactly what I needed. ☺

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Hi! I don’t have any examples of that at the moment, but feel free to ask in our community space and someone may have one 😃 www.devlinpeck.com/id

[@sistersojourner]

I really love this approach to problem solving -- it's so tangible and collaborative. One question though: When creating that initial business goal about increasing a measure x% by a specific date -- that feels so unfounded as a starting point. I mean, maybe the behavioral alterations are spot on and the learning tool is flawless, but do you refer back to that desired percentage of change and date by which the change should be realized to determine the success of the project? Seems like those numbers are based in nothing but hopes and dreams.

[@lukissmith5408]

Hi Devlin. When you mention develop a prototype, what would that exactly look like? If you created something on Articulate storyline, would it be the activities but without the aesthetics? Something whipped up, shown to the audience and when it's approved then add in the aesthetics?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Good question! It really depends. Cathy Moore says that prototypes can be just the barebones to test the proof of concept. When I was doing client work, my prototypes were in Storyline with close-to-finished graphics and layout (since I was seeking approval on look-and-feel and functionality at that point). So it can be basic wireframes or a short, high-fidelity section of a learning product. It depends on what works best for you / your stakeholders :)

[@kristaylor7119]

Hi Devlin, I’m think about this from a not-for-profit perspective there percentage change business goals are usually not as prevalent, how would you change the action map for working in this sector. Also if people are not coming to you with problems, but you are developing a needs analysis from scratch to ascertain the problem, would action mapping still be a effective or would you need a lore traditional approach?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Good questions, Kris. Not-for-profits likely still have metrics that we can measure, even if it's not a typical "business goal" metric. I don't know the specifics of your space, but think about whether some of these things are tracked: funding, constituent sentiment, volunteer / employee turnover, projects that don't get done by deadline, etc. Regarding question #2, yes, you can use action mapping if your client is coming to you with a problem. Action mapping will help you identify which aspects of the performance problem are caused by a lack of knowledge and skill, as well as which are caused by the environment. It is a lean approach to conducting a needs assessment (relentlessly focusing on the business goal and the actions that employees must take to help achieve that goal).

[@theresaledesma789]

Its me Theresa from Singapore thanks for sharing

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome :) Thanks for watching!

[@schelletick8105]

Hi Devlin, I have been watching a heap of videos by yourself and Cathy Moore, and each time the "goals" and scenarios seem to be customer service, or service based. I am learning ID and want to drive my business along the Action Mapping path, but majority of my clients are heavy resource industry and have key metrics for reduction in incidents both safety and environment, and the goals seem very high level. Is there a video on how to break down a main goal into smaller goals. For example an operation or plant might have a reduction in LTIFR by 20%, but this is impacted by thousands of actions every day. Is it best to break down the actions?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Good question! I think what would help here is focusing on the specific job role and how they will contribute to the goal(s) at hand (which specific actions they need to perform). I'd also suggest grabbing Map It (Cathy Moore's book), as that will help you work through this process much better than the videos here :D.

[@aumshanti6095]

Thank you Devlin for this great video. Just wanted to know if we have to use Action Mapping to create just the activities or the whole e-Learning course?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks for watching :) Since action mapping helps you determine what people need to do, you could use it for multiple aspects of your learning solution. I would suggest watching this video with Cathy Moore, where we go into the process a little more in depth to get more insights: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2qoc5p4aL93obssi=vavRP-YaJRtxMirs

[@aumshanti6095]

@@DevlinPeckYT Thank you so much :)

[@srinivas5828]

Thank you , Devlin. Could you please clarify how Action mapping is different from need anlysis? Can we skip need analysis if action mapping is followed?

[@rebell570]

It would be interesting to see how effective this overall method is at redirecting the usual company stakeholders and SME scattered information dumps.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Absolutely. Depending on the company, results may vary haha! I have a few other videos where I interview Cathy Moore that might be helpful if you want to dive deeper into the topic. Feel free to check them out :)

[@learnenglishwithailin3425]

Thanks so much! How many projects/courses can an instructional designer realistically accomplish in a month?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

You're welcome! And it really depends on the person / org / team...when I was a freelancer, I would spend 3 months bringing one project to life, but I've spoken to IDs who are building multiple courses per week (not really an action mapping approach there, though).

[@emmelinasmit85]

Hi just discovered your amazing videos - do we still call them that - I also find referring to challenges in stead of ‘problems’ seem to subconsciously already sow seeds that a solution is possible and probable?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Hi! I’m glad that you found your way here 😃. And that is a great observation!

[@mecabody1]

you are amazing

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Haha thanks!

[@MisterMessinger]

Great video. How do you use this in freelancing when you are first meeting with a client? At what point, do you lock down the contract in this process?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

I discuss this approach from the first discovery call. I had to modify it a bit when working with clients (see my approach in the how to design effective eLearning video), but Cathy Moore would suggest that you schedule a kickoff meeting where you identify the business goal and start mapping out the necessary actions.

[@MisterMessinger]

@@DevlinPeckYT that’s helpful. I’ll check out that video.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

@@MisterMessinger Sounds good. Let me know what you think :)

[@schreinermd]

This approach is very similar to Mager and Pipe's work found in their book "Analyzing Performance Problems". Training is not always the solution to a performance problem.

[@dollaya8893]

Is it just me but I did not quiete get the benefits of this action map.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

The main benefit is to focus on the actions that people need to perform on the job instead of the information that people may or may not “need” to know

[@Havnaz]

Do you like Mindmeister more than Miro or Mural?

[@catboy721]

Two questions - 1) so, you end up with a series of activities but no delivery or design solution? Or is this what the project is for… to stitch these together into an ILT or eLearning? 2)The mapping process seems to assume that everyone performing incorrectly is doing so for the same reason(s).. one size fits all solutions. Thx.

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Hey there! Action mapping helps you identify a variety of observable actions. From there, you can build your storyboard to include multiple questions/scenarios with real consequences for both correct and incorrect actions. (Definitely want to keep it in context, so not one size fits all) If you're looking for more info on how action mapping fits into the design process, you can check out this article: www.devlinpeck.com/content/how-to-design-elearning

[@astridmayorga78]

How does this relate to edtech?

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Hey there! Action mapping is a tool you can use to identify what a learner needs to do (rather than just what they need to know). If you want to dive in deeper, I have a few more videos with Cathy Moore that might give you more context. Feel free to check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2qoc5p4aL93obs

[@djb6313]

Your channel is a fantastic resource and you are now one of my favorite ID resources. Love it!!!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

Thanks so much!!

[@djb6313]

@@DevlinPeckYT only discovered you 3 days ago and I’ve spent all my mornings watching video after video. I thought I knew my stuff but you’ve added so much more to my toolkit that I can’t believe how much I was missing. It’s like going back to school. 😁. So Thank YOU!

[@DevlinPeckYT]

@@djb6313 So happy to be able to help :)