Most instructional design contractor failures at the 90-day mark trace back to three preventable issues: fuzzy expectations, communication breakdowns, and rushed onboarding processes. Organizations that avoid this pitfall invest time upfront in defining success, creating clear communication channels, and establishing checkpoints that catch problems early.
Picture this: You’ve just hired a talented instructional design contractor with impressive credentials and glowing references. The first few weeks go smoothly, then somewhere around month three, things start falling apart. I’ve watched this scenario play out countless times throughout my L&D career. Organizations find themselves dealing with missed deadlines, rework requests, and frustrated stakeholders, while instructional design contractors feel blindsided by changing requirements and unclear feedback.
Successful training initiatives require well-defined objectives and focused course design from day one. Without this foundation, even the most skilled contractors struggle to deliver results. But this pattern doesn’t have to be inevitable.
Download Your Copy of Creating Performance and Learning Objectives That Drive Results: A Guide for Instructional Designers
Why do some instructional design contractors fail before the 90-day mark?
Instructional design contractors typically fail at the 90-day mark due to unclear success definitions, communication breakdowns, and misaligned expectations. These issues don’t appear suddenly. They build gradually from day one until they reach a breaking point that becomes impossible to ignore.
Organizations often rush the contractor selection and onboarding process without establishing clear communication protocols or defining success criteria. This creates a foundation for failure that becomes apparent around the three-month mark.
Why do instructional design contractors fail when success isn’t defined?
Instructional design contractors fail when success remains undefined because they must guess at stakeholder expectations, leading to misaligned deliverables within a few weeks. Organizations kick off projects with vague instructions like “make our training more engaging” or “develop better learning materials.” These vague directives set contractors up to fail from the very first deliverable.
As noted in TrainingPros’ guide to instructional design roles, instructional designers focus on creating learning and performance outcomes. They design measurements for effectiveness before development even begins. Without clear success metrics from the organization, contractors lack the GPS they need to navigate toward meaningful results.
When does communication break down with instructional design contractors?
Communication with instructional design contractors typically breaks down between weeks 6-12 when initial enthusiasm fades and organizations fail to maintain consistent feedback channels. Weekly status meetings become bi-weekly, then monthly. Contractors wait days or weeks for answers to critical questions. Feedback arrives too late to be useful, requiring major rework.
Most organizations don’t establish clear channels for instructional design contractors to reach subject matter experts directly. By month three, this communication bottleneck creates massive delays and costly revisions that threaten the entire project.
What happens when expectations aren’t aligned with instructional design contractors?
When expectations aren’t aligned, clients and instructional design contractors often move forward with different assumptions until the first major deliverables surface gaps in scope, quality standards, or what “done” actually means. By that point, misalignment is harder and more expensive to fix. Strong instructional design contractors are capable partners who can identify gaps and recommend improvements, but they can only do so effectively when organizations clearly define project scope, decision-making authority, and revision expectations upfront.
What should be done before hiring an instructional design contractor?
Before hiring an instructional design contractor, complete four essential steps:
- Define success metrics and KPIs
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
- Ensure cultural and team fit
- Set realistic timelines and scope.
Organizations that have successful relationships with their instructional design consultants do the hard work upfront.
1. Define success metrics and KPIs
Define specific success metrics before signing your instructional design contractor agreement, including measurable learning outcomes, quality standards, technical requirements, and evaluation criteria. As explained in TrainingPros’ ADDIE framework guide, the Analysis phase helps avoid creating training just because someone said you need it. A solid analysis helps identify actual performance gaps and learning needs.
Document exactly what success looks like: specific learning outcomes the training must achieve, quality standards for all deliverables, technical requirements and compatibility needs, and user experience expectations. Most organizations miss this: decide how you’ll measure these outcomes. Will you track learner assessments, completion rates, or actual performance improvements?
2. Clarify roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines
Document exactly who will provide content, review deliverables, make decisions, and serve as the primary contact before your instructional design contractor begins work. When responsibilities overlap or fall through cracks, both sides get frustrated, and projects stall. According to day-in-the-life insights from instructional design consultants, successful contractors need clear access to subject matter experts and decision-makers to keep projects moving forward efficiently.
3. Ensure cultural and team fit
Instructional design contractors often work closely with internal teams, SMEs, and stakeholders. Alignment around communication style, pace, and collaboration norms helps prevent friction and builds trust, especially in fast-moving or high-visibility projects.
4. Set realistic timelines and scope
Finally, set realistic timelines and scope. Contractors can move quickly, but they still rely on timely feedback, SME availability, and clear boundaries around revisions. Defining scope and constraints early reduces rework, protects budgets, and keeps projects moving forward.
How should you support instructional design contractors in the first 30 days?
The first 30 days set the tone for the entire engagement. Strong onboarding combines fast access, clear expectations, and early alignment. Organizations that do this well create momentum quickly; those that don’t often spend months undoing early missteps.
Start by getting your instructional design contractor fully plugged in on day one. That means system access within 24 hours to learning platforms, authoring tools, content repositories, brand standards, templates, and communication channels. Delays in access stall progress and create unnecessary frustration, while immediate access signals trust and readiness.
Next, hold a formal expectations-setting conversation during the first day or two. TrainingPros’ expectation-setting framework recommends aligning on what success looks like, the business problem being solved, budgeted hours, project schedules, first deliverables, and how quality will be evaluated. This also includes sharing examples of excellent and unacceptable deliverables, clarifying how your team prefers to work with SMEs, and establishing norms around communication and status reporting. This conversation removes guesswork and helps contractors tailor their approach to your organization from the start.
Just as important, assign a single point of contact who can make decisions or escalate them quickly. This person should understand both instructional design and the business context, not simply act as a go-between. In the first two weeks, daily check-ins help surface questions, confirm alignment, and keep small issues from turning into bigger problems.
Finally, ask for an early, low-risk deliverable such as a design outline, storyboard, or content structure and provide specific feedback within 48 hours. Early feedback helps catch misalignment around scope, tone, or instructional approach while changes are still easy to make. It also gives contractors confidence that they are heading in the right direction and encourages better questions throughout the project.
When organizations combine fast access, clear expectations, decisive leadership, and early feedback, instructional design contractors are positioned to deliver high-quality results quickly and the entire project benefits from a stronger foundation.
How do you maintain instructional design contractor success after 90 days?
Maintain instructional design contractor success beyond 90 days through three intentional actions: documenting lessons learned in real-time, recognizing specific contributions, and planning transitions or renewals 30 days before contract end. Organizations that treat the 90-day mark as a checkpoint rather than a finish line consistently enjoy longer, more productive contractor relationships.
Document wins and failures while details remain fresh. Create a shared space where both teams can capture workflow efficiencies, communication methods, and technical solutions throughout the project. Recognize instructional design contractor achievements by highlighting specific contributions in team meetings. Begin planning contractor renewal or transition approximately 30 days before the current contract ends.
Summary
Preventing early failure with an instructional design contractor isn’t just about hiring the right individual; it’s about the system supporting them once they start. Clear expectations, strong onboarding, and consistent communication don’t happen automatically, especially in busy learning organizations juggling multiple priorities.
This is where a strong instructional design staffing partner plays a critical role. The best partners don’t disappear after placement. They check in regularly with both the contractor and the client, surface concerns before they escalate, and help recalibrate expectations when scope, timelines, or priorities shift. That ongoing oversight creates an additional layer of accountability and supportive tone that protects both the organization’s investment and the contractor’s ability to deliver.
When staffing partners like TrainingPros stay engaged beyond the kickoff call, instructional design contractors are more likely to succeed past the 90-day mark, projects stay aligned, and organizations avoid the costly cycle of rework, frustration, and replacement. That’s why we are proud of our 96% success rate with consultants. In the end, successful instructional design work is rarely accidental; it’s the result of clear expectations, steady communication, and a partner who is paying attention all along the way.
Download Your Copy of 2026 Learning Trends Shaping the Future: What Leaders See Coming Next
Ready to Work with Us?
Does your L&D team have more projects than people? TrainingPros has been named a Top 20 Staffing Company internationally by Training Industry and recognized as a Smartchoice® Preferred Provider by Brandon Hall Group for 2025. We’re also proud to be named a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD)—an international honor that reflects our dedication to excellence in corporate learning. These accolades underscore TrainingPros’ unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored training solutions.
If your sales enablement projects need instructional designers, virtual classroom producers, facilitators, or other L&D consultants for your leadership development design projects, reach out to one of our industry-expert relationship managers today.
When you have more projects than people™, let TrainingPros find the right consultant to start your project with confidence. Schedule a consultation today.
FAQs
What steps should be taken when starting work with an instructional design contract?
Before beginning an instructional design contract, define success metrics and KPIs, clarify roles and responsibilities, ensure cultural fit, and set realistic timelines and scope. These preparations create a solid foundation for the project and help prevent misunderstandings later on.
What are early warning signs that an instructional design contractor may struggle?
Common early warning signs include repeated clarification requests on basic expectations, missed feedback cycles, deliverables that technically meet requirements but miss the intent, and growing frustration on either side. These signals usually point to misalignment rather than lack of capability.
How much direction should an instructional design contractor need?
Instructional design contractors are expected to work independently, but they still require clarity around scope, success metrics, and decision authority. Lack of direction forces contractors to make assumptions, which often leads to rework and misaligned deliverables.
What should be documented before an instructional design contractor starts?
At minimum, organizations should document success criteria, roles and responsibilities, timelines, revision expectations, communication norms, and examples of acceptable quality. Even a simple written alignment document can prevent months of confusion later.
What role should a staffing partner play after the contractor starts?
A strong staffing partner should stay engaged beyond placement by checking in with both the contractor and the organization, identifying early risks, and helping resolve misalignment before it impacts delivery. Ongoing involvement helps protect project outcomes and maintain healthy working relationships.
