CDLA · Module 1 — Performance consulting and action mapping

The training-first trap

Why “we need a course on X” is a request, not a diagnosis — and what the research actually says about L&D’s starting point.

About 18 min

Practice in the lesson player

Sorting, matching, quizzes, and the module gate stay behind a free account so scored answers are not public. The teaching notes below are the same cited curriculum.

What this lesson covers

  1. 01

    A course request is a hypothesis

    Most digital-learning projects still start with a topic list: onboarding, compliance, “soft skills,” a new system. That list is a stakeholder’s guess about what would help. Performance consulting treats the guess as a hypothesis to test against a business result and against what people actually do on the job.

  2. 02

    What this academy will not do

    Innovito Academy issues certificates of mastery for its programs. It does not replace ATD’s APTD or CPTD, CIPD credentials, or a university degree. Those have eligibility rules, proctored exams, and recertification. We name them so you can choose the right credential for the job.

  3. 03

    Where practitioners rate themselves weakest

    ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model publishes self-assessment benchmarks (updated 31 December 2023). These are not exam scores. They show where people in the field say they are less confident — including instructional design, technology application, and evaluating impact.

    Source: ATD Capability Model self-assessment benchmarks, 31 Dec 2023 (N=29,473, all roles). Instructional Design overall is 45.6%. People who self-identify as instructional designers rate that capability at 59.0% (N=3,474).

    Data & analytics: 33.5

    Technology application: 36.4

    Evaluating impact: 40

    Instructional design: 45.6

    Training delivery: 63.4

  4. 04

    Why this chart is here

    If delivery and facilitation feel easier than design, measurement, and technology, organizations will keep ordering courses because courses are the familiar artifact. Module 1 exists to change the first question from “what content?” to “what performance?”