Break down a task
Many times a task requires a lot of prerequisite knowledge and skill to do well. We create our task statements to clarify what the user is doing and trying to accomplish. However, in order to train it, we have to ensure our learners can do the things that come before.
Consider a task statement of, “Modify a widget”. This means you must also
List the characteristics of the widget.
Describe the purpose of the widget.
Explain characteristics of the widget.
Analyze the widget.
Compare the widget to a standard.
Identify ways the widget could be improved.
Determine in what ways the widget is substandard.
Explain the limitations of potential modifications.
Create a plan for how to modify the widget.
Then, and only then, can you finally modify the widget. To help in doing this, I highly recommend the book by Benjamin Bloom called, “The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain”. It’s a true classic written back in 1956 and if you haven’t read it, I suggest you do so, immediately. I don’t get any royalties or payments if you do.
In that book, he identifies six levels of cognitive difficulty in performing tasks. For example, listing the ingredients in a recipe is easier to do than creating a new recipe given X ingredients. I use his taxonomy often to break down tasks from higher levels into lower levels but more on him later.
Above, the action of “modify” could be around a level three “apply” level or a level six “create” level depending on how you think of it. It’s application if the person is following an established set of procedures and guidelines following a plan to perform a modification. But it could be a level six if the person is doing it from scratch and figuring out how to modify it as he or she modifies it.
Once you determine where on the list the action falls, look at the layers below to determine what kinds of prerequisite knowledge or skills may be required. They establish a foundation on which higher level actions stand on.