Written by Christoffer Andreasson
Head of Content at Promote
Every learning program gets the same early question from stakeholders: how long will it take? A learning journey has a good answer, and it starts with the goal.
A learning journey should be just long enough to bring participants to the level of performance the business needs, and no longer.
The High Performance Learning Journey (HPLJ) methodology calls this the Lincoln Rule, after a well-known joke about Abraham Lincoln's long legs: they were exactly the right length to reach the ground.
This article shows how to apply the rule: what sets the length, how to build the timeline, and how to give stakeholders a clear date.
The right length is the one that reaches the goal
A traditional program is often sized by its content. The journey lasts until the last module has been delivered. The methodology sizes a journey by its result. The question is how much time participants need to go from their current performance to the level the business has defined. Once that level is clear, the length follows from it.
This also explains why there is no standard duration. Journeys can run for weeks, for months or for more than a year. What they share is a defined start and a defined end. The start is the first activity that engages participants, such as an invitation to watch a short video or to introduce yourself to your cohort. The end is the planned date by which the target level of performance should be reached, and the sooner it can be reached, the better.
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Define the goal
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Estimate the time
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Plan the calendar
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Adjust as you learn
Five factors set the length
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Example: A program that builds one simple habit, with a small gap and daily chances to use it, can run for a shorter time. A program that develops several complex skills across varied situations, such as customer negotiations that come up a few times a quarter, will need longer. Both are right-sized, because each fits its goal.
Run your own program through these five questions before you talk about weeks. The result is a reasoned starting point for the conversation.
Build the timeline in three layers
The dimension of time has three parts, and each needs a decision.
The first is the duration of the whole journey. This is the answer to the stakeholder's question. It is usually set once the design is drafted, when you can look at the calendar and count the weeks.
The second is the duration of each segment or module. Aim for segments of about the same length and about the same amount of work. Equal segments give participants a steady rhythm, and an experience with segments of very different sizes tends to feel unpredictable.
The third is the pace of the activities inside each segment. Add up not only the time an assignment takes, but also the time for feedback and for acting on it. A coach, a peer or a manager has a calendar of their own, and participants need a moment to read feedback and try again.
A schedule that looks comfortable on paper can turn into a rush when these steps are left out.
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Whole journey
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Segments
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Pacing
Early practice puts results ahead of the end date
A longer journey does not mean a long wait for results. The methodology is built the other way around. Because the journey is stretched over time, participants apply new skills on the job along the way, and results start to show early.
The project manager used as an example in the methodology is a good illustration. Her journey ran for 30 weeks, and she was already practicing on the job within the first three weeks.
This is useful when you present the plan. You can tell stakeholders that the journey has a final date, and that early application points are planned in the first weeks. Early success can be captured and shared. If something is getting in the way, it can be found and cleared while the journey is still running.
Assignments help here too. Most of them in the project manager's journey took 15 to 45 minutes, and many fit into the workday. Time on the calendar and time out of work are different things.
Your support capacity belongs in the plan
The people who guide a journey set a practical limit. Facilitators, coaches and administrators need enough capacity for the number of participants, because feedback is a big part of the design.
When the audience is larger than the team can support, the methodology suggests splitting it into cohorts. Each cohort gets a rich experience, and the total calendar time becomes longer because the cohorts run one after another.
A learning journey platform can reduce the staff effort needed to guide participants, and it still does not remove the need for people. Plan for it from the start. Naming who gives feedback, and how much time they have each week, makes the timeline more reliable.
Measurement keeps the end date honest
The planned end date is a best estimate. The real date depends on how the journey goes in practice, and it may go better or take longer than expected.
That is why the methodology includes measurement and evaluation from the beginning. Ongoing feedback shows whether participants are on track. It can lead to an extended date, extra support for some participants or a shorter journey when people move faster than planned.
Some participants will want to go further than the target level, and a good journey offers optional activities beyond the official end date. The end date marks the point where the target is reached. People who want more can keep going.
If the planned length cannot fit the budget or the business calendar, the methodology suggests negotiating a new and more realistic end date together with stakeholders. Compromises are easier when you can show which factors drive the length and what each option means for the result.
One question to take to your next program
Take one program you run today and rate it on the five factors: number of skills, complexity, proficiency gap, frequency of chances to apply, and variety of situations. Then ask: if this program had to reach its goal in the right amount of time, how long would that be, and where in the first three weeks could participants already use what they learned?
If you can answer both parts, you have the beginning of a timeline you can share with stakeholders.
