Successive Approximation Model

The Successive Approximation Model, or SAM, is a process model for design and development. There are two- and three-phase versions of the model.

Phase One: The preparation phase is the time for gathering background information about a project, clarifying conflicting information, and noting initial goals. During this phase, the project team determines key aspects that help to set the target, identify special issues, and rule out options.

1. The information gathering process includes identifying key players and their commitment to participate and identifying the organization's primary opportunity and its dependency on specific behavioral changes.

2. The Savvy Start is a brainstorming event in which the design team and key stakeholders (e.g., the budget maker, the individual who owns the performance problem, the individual who supervises performers, the subject-matter expert, and potential and recent learners) review the collected background information and generate initial design ideas. The Savvy Start meeting is an iterative process of review, design, prototype, and review. The cycle is repeated as many times as possible during the meeting.

Phase Two: The iterative design phase picks up after the Savvy Start has concluded. The Savvy Start should produce enough information for project planning. Additional design takes place through more iteration, but by a smaller team focused on covering additional content, resolving inconsistencies among designs, and solving problems that have arisen along the way.

1. Project planning involves a quantitative assessment of remaining project development details affecting timeline and budget.

2. Additional design activities are identical to the design-prototype-review events of the Savvy Start and often occur concurrently with project planning to maintain the momentum of the Savvy Start.

Phase Three: The iterative development phase allows stakeholders to have a continuing means of evaluating decisions and making corrections within project constraints. Because a functional product becomes available quickly, stakeholders can get an invaluable glimpse of the design becoming reality before the team engages in time-consuming refinements.

1. The first product of phase three is a design proof to assure that all the components will work together as expected. The design proof is a visual, functional demonstration of the proposed solution.

2. The alpha release is a complete version of the instructional application to be validated against the approved design. By this point, the team should have implemented all content and media into the alpha.

3. Validation is part of the process that leads to a second final product candidate, the beta release. The beta is a modified version of the alpha that incorporates the needed changes that reviewers have identified during alpha evaluation.

4. Construction of the gold release is the final stage in the iterative development phase. At this point, while no project ever reaches perfection, the courseware becomes fully useable within the parameters of previously approved project guidelines.

Source: Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (Eds.). (2018). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology. Pearson.