It could be argued that all phases of a training program’s development are equally as important—and this is true. It is during the design phase, however, that the building blocks for the entire program are chosen and its ultimate success depends upon these foundations. During the design phase, you will consider the needs and expectations of the client (or training participant), the purpose and ultimate outcome expected of the training program and any work health and safety needs. Depending on the purpose and outcome of the program, you may also need to interpret and use formal training packages or accredited course information. The design phase of a training program should therefore begin with a series of questions. For example: 

• Why is the training program necessary? 
• Who is the program for? 
• What is the expected outcome of the program: will it result in a formal qualification or will it be a simple training session with no formal outcome? 
• In what environment will the training take place? 
• What is the best method of delivering the program? 
• How will the participants’ competence be assessed? 
• What resources and facilities will be available? 
• What is the timeframe in which the program will be delivered/completed? 
• What is the language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) level of the target audience: will the training program need to take LLN needs into consideration? 

Answers to these questions, among others, will give you the foundations on which to build the most appropriate training program; how successful the program is, or whether it has achieved its outcome or not, will depend on your work designing and developing its structure.