Task Analysis—Instructional Systems Development

What Is Task Analysis?

Once, long ago, working for an organization was a marvelously predictable thing. People entered the workforce after they completed whatever level of schooling their aptitudes, inclinations, and finances dictated. They began at the bottom rung of the mythical career ladder, whether that was as a floor sweeper in a manufacturing plant or as a mailroom clerk in the service sector.

Jobs in those days were well defined and documented in formal job descriptions delineating those knowledge, skills, and abilities—or KSAs—required for success in the position. Well-defined career ladders meant you always knew your current place, future opportunities, and even where you would go if job performance or political mayhem required a backward ...