Build Your Content Map

You're a senior instructional designer interviewing me to help me identify the ACTIONS my learners need to perform on the job for the business goal to be met. Don't generate the actions for me. Ask questions and help me arrive at them myself.

We'll stay in this same chat for the next few steps, so here's my full project brief to work from:
[Paste your project brief here.]

First, sanity-check my goal. A business goal describes how things change for the organization, not what the learner will know or do. If mine reads like a learner outcome, tell me before we go further.

Then interview me, one or two questions at a time, not all at once:
- What does success look like on the job once the training works? Picture a learner doing it well.
- What specific things is that person doing, step by step or decision by decision?
- When I give a vague answer like "they help customers better," push me to break it into concrete actions.

Keep a running list of the actions in my words. After each, ask how it ties back to the business goal, and if I can't connect it, flag that we may not need it. Keep the list small and realistic for a short sample with only 2 to 4 objectives. When we're done, show me the final list and point out any gap where the goal needs an action I haven't named.

Using the brief and the actions we just built in this conversation, coach me to write 2 to 4 learning objectives. Don't write them for me. Guide me to draft each one, then check it against the rules.

For each objective I draft, check it and tell me what to fix:
- It starts with a verb and uses only one verb.
- It uses no vague verbs (understand, know, learn, appreciate, be aware of).
- It is specific, measurable, achievable, and something a learner would really do on the job.
- It aligns to the business goal.

Across all of them, make sure I end up with 2 to 4 total, and at least one terminal: something the learner will perform after the training, not just know. Help me tell performance from knowledge. Ask: if you watched the learner, could you tell they met this? If an objective is only knowledge, help me rephrase it as performance when it makes sense. Example: "explain the four types of identifying information" becomes "verify customers using one of the four types of identifying information."

If I get stuck, offer an example or a sentence starter, but let me write the final wording. Ask one or two questions at a time. At the end, show my final objectives and confirm they meet every rule.

Using the brief and the objectives we built in this conversation, help me gather the source content my learners need to perform those actions. I need to research this topic.

Use web search and pull from current, real sources. Don't answer from memory alone, actually search.

Do this:
1. List the content topics and key points needed to perform each action and meet each objective. Organize content under the action or objective it supports.
2. Mark each piece "need to know" or "nice to know." I'll cut the nice-to-know.
3. Flag any action or objective with no supporting content yet.
4. Keep the total realistic for about 15 slides or three short lessons. If it's ballooning, tell me where to narrow.

As you go, tell me which claims came from a real source you can point to, and which are your own general knowledge, so I know what still needs checking. Don't invent statistics or cite sources you aren't sure of.

Using the brief and objectives from this conversation, help me decide what stays and what goes. I already have source content and need to map it to my plan and trim it.

Here's my source content:
[Paste your content, or the slide titles and key points from your source deck.]

Do this:
1. Map each piece of my content to the action or objective it supports.
2. Flag any content that doesn't map to anything. That's a candidate to cut.
3. Flag any action or objective with no content. That's a hole to fill.
4. Mark the content that maps as "need to know" or "nice to know."
5. Tell me if there's too much for about 15 slides or three short lessons, and where to narrow.

Don't add new content unless I ask. I want to see what I have lined up against my plan first.

Using the brief and objectives from this conversation, interview me to pull the content out of my head. I know this topic but haven't organized it.

Interview me one or two questions at a time, not a long list at once. For each action and objective, ask what a learner would need to know or do to perform it. Probe for steps, decisions, things to watch out for, and common mistakes.

Keep a running, organized list of what I tell you, grouped under the action or objective it supports. When we've covered everything:
1. Mark each piece "need to know" or "nice to know."
2. Flag any action or objective with no content.
3. Tell me if it's too much for about 15 slides or three short lessons.

Keep me talking. The goal is to get what's in my head onto the page, in my own words.

You're a senior instructional designer reviewing the content outline I drafted. Using the objectives from this conversation, give me honest feedback. Don't rewrite it for me.

Here's my outline and the method I chose:
[Paste your outline and name the sequencing method: simple to complex, sequential, categorical, or whole to parts.]

Check and tell me:
1. Do my chunks make sense, or is something grouped oddly or redundant?
2. Does my sequencing method actually fit this content? If not, tell me directly and point me to the one that fits better.
3. Is the outline at least two levels deep, with each subtopic substantial enough to teach its objective?
4. Is any subtopic too thin?
5. Is it running longer than about 15 slides or three short lessons?

Be specific about what to fix. I'll make the changes myself.

You're a senior instructional designer interviewing me to write ONE performance-based assessment question. Using the terminal objectives and outline from this conversation, walk me through building it one part at a time and check my drafts. Don't write it for me.

First, tell me how many questions I'll need: at least one per terminal objective, max 5, each mapping to exactly one objective. Then help me build the first:
1. Stem: ask which objective this assesses and what decision or action I want the learner to make. Steer me away from knowledge questions like "list the steps" toward a real decision.
2. Scenario: have me write a realistic situation using a named character or "you," never "the employee" in third person. Check it includes only relevant detail and stands on its own.
3. Responses: have me draft at least 3, one clearly correct. Push me to build distractors from mistakes a real learner would make. Check parallel structure and similar length. No "all of the above," no leading or negating words.
4. Feedback: have me state the correct answer and explain why it's right.

When all four parts are done, show the complete question, run a final check against every rule, and confirm it's solid or tell me exactly what to fix. Don't move on until this first one passes, since it's my model for the rest. Confirm it can be answered from my outline. Ask one thing at a time and let me do the writing.

Here are the rest of the assessment questions I drafted, using the same four-part pattern as the first.

[Paste your draft questions.]

Check each against the rules and tell me only what needs fixing:
- It maps to exactly one terminal objective, and across all my questions every objective is assessed (max 5 total).
- It's performance-based with a realistic scenario, named character or "you," and only relevant detail.
- It stands on its own.
- At least 3 responses, one clearly correct, distractors from realistic mistakes, parallel structure, similar length, no "all of the above," no leading or negating words.
- It can be answered from my content outline. If not, tell me what content is missing.
- Feedback states the correct answer and explains why.

Be specific about what to change. Don't rewrite the questions for me.

You are a senior instructional designer checking my sample plan for alignment before I submit. I'll give you my objectives, content outline, and assessment questions.

[Paste your objectives, content outline, and assessment questions.]

Important: my content outline is an OUTLINE. It names the topics and key points I'll teach, but it does not spell out every detail or write out the full answer to every question. Judge coverage at the topic level, not the exact-wording level. Do not flag something as missing just because the literal answer isn't written out in the outline.

Check all three against each other and report:
1. Does every objective have content in the outline that supports it? Flag any objective with no related topic.
2. Does every terminal objective have at least one assessment question? Flag any not assessed.
3. Does every assessment question map to exactly one terminal objective? Flag any that doesn't.
4. For each assessment question, is the TOPIC it's testing present in the outline? Pass it if the relevant topic or subtopic appears and is substantial enough that the question would fit there. Only flag a real gap if the topic is missing entirely, or is so thin that there's no plausible place the answer would live. Do not require the exact answer to be written out.
5. Is there content that doesn't support any objective? Flag it to cut.

Show it as a table: objective, supporting topic in the outline, assessment question, and any problem found. List gaps and extras at the end. Don't rewrite anything. Just show me where things don't line up.