Simulated case. This template is generic; the completed example it belongs to (Brightline Health Services) is fictional — constructed for portfolio purposes.
A reusable intake form for any “can you build us some training?” request. The purpose is not to capture the training request — it is to capture the business problem behind the request, in the requester’s own words, before any solution is discussed.
How to use it: send it before the first meeting if you can, but walk through it live if the requester prefers. The most valuable fields are 2, 5, and 9 — most requests cannot answer them, and that gap is the first finding.
1. Request and requester
Field
Notes
Date received
Requester (name, role)
Who else is involved (sponsors, approvers)
Request in the requester’s exact words
Quote them verbatim — do not paraphrase. The wording reveals assumptions.
Format and scope they asked for
e.g., “a 2-hour e-learning course for all managers”
Deadline they asked for
2. The business problem in their words
Field
Notes
What is going wrong? (their words)
How do they know? (report, survey, complaint, metric)
Ask for the artifact, not a summary.
Who is affected, and how many?
When did it start / change?
3. What success looks like
Field
Notes
If this works, what business result changes?
A metric, not “awareness”.
Current value of that metric
If they don’t know it, that’s a finding.
Target value and date
“Improve” is not a target.
How the result is currently measured, and by whom
4. Who is affected and what they do now
Field
Notes
Who has to do something differently for the result to move?
Roles, not audiences.
What do they do now? What should they do instead?
Observable behavior, both sides.
What stops them from doing it now?
Ask open-ended; you’ll verify in discovery.
5. What has been tried
Field
Notes
Previous training or initiatives on this problem
When? What happened?
Why didn’t it stick? (their theory)
6. Constraints and context
Field
Notes
Budget
Timeline and what is driving it
e.g., audit, reorg, launch
Systems available (LMS, intranet, calendar, survey tools)
Accessibility requirements
Platform and content requirements.
Anything off-limits
Topics, stakeholders, approaches
7. What happens if we do nothing?
Field
Notes
What happens in 3 months? 12 months?
Forces the requester to restate stakes in business terms.
Has anyone costed the problem?
8. Access for discovery
Field
Notes
Who can we interview? (doers, their managers, SMEs, data owners)
What documents/data can we see? (forms, policies, metrics, surveys)
Can we observe the work directly?
9. Agreement to reframe
Field
Notes
Confirm with the requester:
“I’ll analyze the problem first. The solution might be training, or it might be something else, or a mix. Is that OK?”