Choosing an e-Learning Production Process: Agile vs ADDIE

ADDIE and Agile frameworks are two improvement techniques that influence the guidance of learning and development teams during a project. The idea of ADDIE, as well as Agile, involves analysis, evaluation, development, implementation and design as part of their processes. But some features are different in agile methodology as compared to that of ADDIE. Flexible scheduling, incremental organization, transparency, and collaboration are characteristics of a project using Agile methods. But how do the two differ? Let us discuss Agile vs ADDIE.

Organization
First, the methodologies differ in the characteristic way the training is organized. The Agile method incorporates the ADDIE practices that involve analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation into two-week sprints. The term sprint means a short period in which an e-learning team implements and delivers a product feature for evaluation.

The ADDIE methodology categorizes the practices into five successive stages. Every phase undergoes a process design to accomplish a definition strong enough to boost elearning teams into the following aspect of a learning design process. For illustration, the analysis stage of ADDIE defines the business requirements, such as cost estimates, end-user requirements, and schedules. Business demands are described and documented before moving onto the next phase. This linear connection among the five practices in ADDIE is indifferent to the agile methodology where the five methods work collectively incrementally in short, persistent sprints.

Flexibility
Elearning teams are increasingly implementing the Agile approach to gather the dynamic requirements of the business. It allows learners to adopt flexibility given uneven content, regular updates to practices, and changing directions from stakeholders. The linear waterfall processes that distinguish the traditional ADDIE methodology need to confront the changing face of business needs. The ADDIE method firmly emphasizes a linear process dependent upon predefined business requests. On the other hand, the Agile methodology permits elearning teams to quickly react to shifting business needs throughout the lifecycle of the project.

Collaboration
Collaboration is considered a fundamental element of a process in agile methodology as compared to that of ADDIE. The elearning team that uses the ADDIE method regularly collaborates during each target in the project. However, the organization and project stakeholders have permission to set up a collaborative relationship on their conditions without the control of the ADDIE framework to decide meeting dates and times. The Agile methodology has embedded daily meetings among stakeholders and elearning teams -- referred to as daily stand-ups -- into its model.
 
Transparency
The Agile methodology needs a degree of openness than the usual waterfall method. Elearning teams working Agile accept an iteration of work product for evaluation at the last part of every sprint as conflicting with the ADDIE methodology. Here a product is delivered all at one time and close to the end. Transparency among elearning teams and partners is typical when working Agile. This is because a general assessment of work product deliverables is listed at the closing stages of each sprint.

Agile vs ADDIE both have their place in learning and development. There is a need to understand the project requirements – and the dynamics of an organization -- to determine what kind of framework is best suitable.