Designing Backwards, Moving Forwards
- Mike Thomas
- Oct 2
- 6 min read
When we talk about training staff, whether in outdoor education, schools, healthcare, or any professional context, the ultimate purpose is to change something about how they work. Training is not just about filling time or running through a familiar set of activities — it’s about creating deliberate change in the people we are training.
But how do we make sure that what we deliver truly achieves this change?
This article explores one approach to staff training that begins with the end in mind. In other words, confirm the outcome you want to achieve and then plan backwards, ensuring every step of the process contributes directly to that outcome. Instead of beginning with activities, exercises, or presentations, we begin at the finish line.
What should staff know, value, or be able to do as a result of this training? Only when this is clear can we design the path that gets them there.
Step 1 - Identifying Needs: The Foundation of Relevance
Before designing any program, it's helpful for organizations to conduct a Training Needs Analysis (TNA). This structured process identifies the gap between the current state (what exists now) and the desired state (what should exist).
The TNA ensures that training is not generic or redundant but targeted and relevant. It prevents “training for training’s sake” where there is a risk of teaching unnecessary skills, missing critical areas, or delivering content that staff struggle to connect to their real work. Instead it channels resources toward interventions that matter.
Step 2 - Define Success: What Are They Leaving With
Once we know what the gaps are (ie.what is needed), we need to ask- what is our desired outcome?
There should be a clear definition to all involved of what success looks like.
What should staff gain from the training?
What do we want them to take away and apply?
Which knowledge, attitudes, and skills (KAS) are essential?
Once this goal is defined, the rest of the design process becomes an exercise in reverse-engineering. This is where intentional design matters. All aspects of the training programme — the activities, discussions, every piece of content and even downtimes — have the potential to contribute to achieving the targeted goals so should be carefully considered and designed as such.
Step 3 - What Are We Teaching: Three Domains of Learning
When we design training, we are attempting to help participants change something in one of three areas:
Cognitive (Knowledge)
Affective (Attitude)
Psychomotor (Skills)
This approach is Bloom’s classic work on learning (1956). Together, these provide a framework for thinking about outcomes and making sure training is more than just a “nice to have.”
Let's look at these areas in more detail.
1. Cognitive Domain (Knowledge)
Focus: Mental skills, knowledge, and intellectual abilities.
Includes: Recall of facts, understanding concepts, applying knowledge, analysing information, evaluating ideas, and creating new solutions.
Example: A staff member remembers safety procedures, applies them during a session, and adapts them to new situations.
2. Affective Domain (Attitudes & Values)
Focus: Growth in feelings, values, motivation, and attitudes.
Includes: Awareness, participation, valuing, organizing values, and acting consistently with them.
Example: A staff member demonstrates inclusivity, empathy, and respect, consistently modelling positive attitudes.
3. Psychomotor Domain (Skills)
Focus: Physical movement, coordination, and the use of motor-skill areas.
Includes: Precision, speed, strength, coordination, and technique developed through practice.
Example: A staff member confidently demonstrates canoe paddling, belaying, or first aid procedures.
In simple terms:
Cognitive = What staff know.
Affective = How staff feel and interact.
Psychomotor = What staff can physically do.
Effective training intentionally balances all three, ensuring staff not only know what to do, but also why it matters, and how to apply it in practice.
Step 4 - Anchor The Training: Using A SMART Filter
A useful model for structuring outcomes and ensuring clarity is SMART goal setting. This ensures that each objective is aligned with the bigger picture, while still being practical and measurable.
Specific
Training goals should be clear and unambiguous. “Improve facilitation skills” is too vague. A more useful goal would be: “Staff will use open-ended questions to encourage reflection at least twice in each group debrief.”
Measurable
Goals must have observable indicators. “Be a better facilitator” is not measurable. “Use open-ended questions twice per debrief” is. Measurable goals allow progress to be tracked and evaluated.
Achievable / Attainable
The right balance is vital. Too easy, and training is disengaging. Too difficult, and it feels impossible. One way to test this is to ask staff to visualise themselves achieving the goal — if they can see it and feel motivated, it’s probably pitched correctly.
Staff need to be able to reach the goal within the timeframe and resources available. For example, it would be unrealistic to expect a new instructor to lead advanced technical sessions without adequate time and support.
Realistic
Goals should align with existing knowledge and skills. If a gap exists, the first step should be to provide that foundation. For instance, before leading a climbing session, a staff member may first practise delivering helmet fitting and safety briefings.
Time-Oriented
Every goal should have a timeline. Deadlines create positive urgency and keep learning focused. The timeframe should be challenging but realistic, ensuring progress without unnecessary pressure.
Image: Taskspur
Step 5 - Structure Gives Meaning: Using a Theory of Change
One of the most powerful tools in training design is the Theory of Change (ToC). At its core, ToC is a roadmap that connects the needs of a given context to the intended impact of a program. It clarifies not just what change is intended, but why and how it will happen.
A ToC can be developed in two ways:
Backwards: starting with the long-term impact and working back to identify the necessary steps.
Forwards: starting with current needs and building up a framework for achieving outcomes.
Ideally, this is a collaborative process that brings together different stakeholders to co-create a shared vision.
The ToC then provides:
A rationale for the training.
A clear link between activities and desired outcomes.
A framework for evaluation.
A focus on quality and consistency across delivery.
In practice, the ToC begins with the context and identified needs. It considers not just the activities themselves, but the conditions and mechanisms that make learning possible. From here, outcomes (short-term changes) and impacts (long-term effects) are mapped, ensuring everything aligns back to the original need.
Step 6 - The Importance of Intentionality: Avoiding the “We’ve Always Done It This Way” Trap
Perhaps the most important principle is this is to be intentional. One of the most common pitfalls in staff development is repeating outdated methods simply because “that’s how it’s always been done". While tradition has its place, unexamined training practices risk wasting time, teaching irrelevant content, and disengaging staff.
Instead, every element should be questioned:
Does this activity help staff achieve the intended outcome?
Does it build the right knowledge, attitude, or skill?
Does it connect directly to the needs identified?
When training is designed backwards — from outcome to plan — it becomes more focused, meaningful, and impactful. Staff feel the relevance, see the purpose, and are more likely to transfer learning into practice.
Summary - Practical Takeaways for Leaders and Trainers
Conduct a Training Needs Analysis. Design training around actual gaps, not assumptions.
Start with outcomes, not activities. Decide what staff should know, value, and do after training.
Balance the Three Domains of Learning. Ensure knowledge, skills, and attitudes are all addressed.
Use SMART goals. Make progress visible, actionable, and measurable.
Apply a Theory of Change. Connect daily training activities to long-term impact.
Stay intentional. Challenge the status quo and continually refine training design.
Final Thoughts
Designing effective training is both a science and an art. It requires clarity of vision, structured planning, and a willingness to innovate. By beginning with the desired outcomes and working backwards, it helps organizations ensure that every training initiative is purposeful, engaging, and impactful.
The goal isn’t just to teach—it’s to transform. And transformation happens when knowledge, skills, and values align to create confident, capable, and motivated staff who are equipped to meet both present and future challenges.
Clarity Of Destination Leads To Quality Of Journey.
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