01⌁
UnderstandDiagnose the system
Surface the business need, learner reality, and conditions shaping performance.
Design learning as a system,
not a single event.
A practical framework for connecting business priorities, human performance, learning experience, and measurable impact.
Professional context
Original framework by Melody Maples
Learning becomes more valuable when it is designed around the whole performance system.
This framework reflects a systems-oriented approach to learning strategy: begin with the performance shift, understand the conditions surrounding it, and design an experience that can transfer into meaningful action.
It is intended for discovery, stakeholder facilitation, portfolio and program planning, workforce enablement, and the early shaping of learning initiatives across industries.
The blueprintFour connected moves.
Four connected moves.
One adaptive system.
Each move answers a different question. Together, they keep learning anchored in performance, supported in context, and responsive to evidence.
02◇
ShapeDesign the experience
Translate the opportunity into a coherent pathway, not a collection of content.
03↗
EnableActivate the environment
Build the support, ownership, and operating conditions that turn learning into action.
04◎
LearnEvaluate and evolve
Use meaningful signals to understand reach, application, impact, and needed adaptation.
Keep four lenses in view
PeopleReadiness, agency, equity
WorkTasks, context, tools
ExperiencePathway, practice, support
SystemOwnership, signals, scale
Explore the frameworkMove from questions
Move from questions
to evidence and action.
Select a phase to reveal the questions, inputs, and design moves that matter most.
01Understand
Diagnose the system
Surface the business need, learner reality, and conditions shaping performance.
Intended outcomeA shared, evidence-based definition of the opportunity.
Questions to ask
01
What business outcome must learning help move?
02
Where does performance break down today?
03
What conditions enable or constrain transfer?
Evidence to gather
Design moves
Working principlesWhat makes the
What makes the
framework work.
Use these principles as decision rules when priorities compete or the work becomes complex.
Define the business and human performance shift first. Content is one possible response—not the automatic answer.
Using the frameworkA structure for better
A structure for better
stakeholder conversations.
The blueprint creates a shared line of sight from an initial request to the broader conditions required for performance.
01 · Frame
Begin with the shift
Clarify what people need to do differently and why it matters now—before defining a solution.
02 · Explore
Surface the system
Use the four phases to uncover assumptions, evidence, audience needs, support conditions, and ownership.
03 · Prioritize
Choose the next moves
Select the design moves that matter most and make gaps or dependencies visible to the group.
04 · Align
Leave with direction
Capture readiness, priorities, and open questions as the foundation for a strategy brief or project plan.
How I would facilitate it
I would use the framework as a guided discovery tool—not a rigid sequence. Stakeholder input, performance evidence, and organizational context determine where we spend time. The goal is shared clarity about the need, the surrounding system, and the most valuable next step.
See it in practiceFrom a training request
From a training request
to a performance strategy.
A cross-industry example: supporting adoption of a new AI-enabled workflow.
The initial request
“We need training on the new AI tool.”
→
The performance opportunity
“Employees need to recognize when the AI-enabled workflow adds value, use it effectively, verify its output, and apply sound judgment to the final decision.”
Understand the work
Identify priority use cases, current barriers, role differences, risk points, and the conditions influencing trust and adoption.
- Workflow observations
- Audience readiness
- Leader expectations
Build applied capability
Create role-relevant pathways with realistic scenarios, guided practice, output evaluation, and increasing complexity.
- Authentic use cases
- Practice and feedback
- Decision-based assessment
Support adoption
Equip leaders, embed workflow guidance, clarify responsible-use expectations, and make help available at the moment of need.
- Manager enablement
- Job aids and guardrails
- Communities of practice
Learn and adapt
Track adoption, quality, confidence, and business impact to refine the experience and determine where to scale.
- Usage and quality signals
- Application evidence
- Iteration checkpoints
The result
The learning solution becomes one part of a connected adoption strategy—aligned to real work, supported by leaders and tools, and improved through evidence.
Planning workspaceTurn the blueprint
Turn the blueprint
into your next move.
Capture an opportunity, assess where the system stands, and leave with a focused set of priorities.
Step 01
Frame the opportunity
Step 02
Gauge system readiness
How developed are the conditions around this learning need?
EmergingEstablishedAdaptive
Building clarityFocus first on alignment, ownership, and baseline evidence.
Step 03
Your priority moves
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No priorities selected yet.
Explore the framework