By Ryan McCrea, MAIOP
I have seen this happen more times than I can count. Smart, capable Learning and Development (L&D) teams pour real time and care into building a program or course they know people need, only to watch it quietly stall out. Ten people showed up to a session they were sure two hundred would be fighting to register for.
The frustrating part is that nothing is obviously wrong. The content is strong. The facilitator knows their stuff. Leadership asked for it. The business need is real. And yet, outside a small, familiar group, the organization barely notices it exists. The program launches, the invites go out, and then the silence sets in.
Somewhere along the way, L&D bought into the Field of Dreams mindset. You know that famous quote: “If you build it, they will come.” I hate to be the one to say it, but that is not how learning works inside real organizations. People are busy. Priorities compete. Attention is limited. You can build something thoughtful and well designed, but if no one sees it, uses it, or applies it to grow, does it matter at all? Where is the ROI?
My Epiphany and How I Rewired My Thinking
I know this mindset well because I lived in it. Earlier in my career, I believed that if a solution was good enough, people would naturally show up. The shift for me came almost a decade ago after a two-day Agile bootcamp that completely changed how I think about building learning.
What is Agile? At its core, Agile is a project and product management approach built around iteration, small releases, and constant feedback. More importantly, it is a different way of thinking about value. You stop chasing perfect and start learning faster. You put something real in front of people early, watch how they engage with it, listen to feedback, and adjust based on reality, not assumptions.
Once I started applying this product mindset to L&D, everything changed. Instead of launching fully polished programs and hoping for adoption, I began testing smaller ideas, learning from real behavior, and improving over time. Learning stopped being something we pushed at people and started becoming something they chose to use.
Key Concepts That Drive a Product Mindset in L&D
Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
In HR and L&D, we often keep polishing and refining a program until it feels perfect. We do it with the best intentions, but perfection can become the enemy of impact. The result is learning solutions that look flawless on paper but never actually reach or engage the people who need them. A minimal viable product is the smallest version of a learning solution that still delivers real value. It is not a half-baked program. It is a focused offering designed to solve a specific problem for a specific audience. An MVP lets teams test assumptions, see what resonates, and improve based on real feedback instead of waiting to get everything “just right.”
Speed to Market
Timing is critical in learning. Too often, L&D teams identify a clear need, spend months or even close to a year developing the perfect program, and by the time it launches, the need has shifted or interest has faded. Moving quickly from idea to launch keeps learning aligned with real business priorities and ensures it meets the moment. Faster delivery also reduces risk because teams can test, gather feedback, and adjust early instead of discovering months later that their program is outdated or underused. Speed to market is not just about doing things faster, it is about delivering value when it matters most.
Customer and Steering Committee Reviews
Traditional reviews in L&D often happen at the very end of a project, when making changes is costly and difficult. Agile flips this approach by bringing customers and steering committees into the process early and often, while learning is still being built. This creates shared ownership, uncovers potential issues sooner, and keeps solutions aligned with real needs instead of assumptions. It also makes it easier to adapt and improve before a program goes live, increasing the likelihood it will be used and valued.
Adding Key Stakeholders to Agile Teams
When key stakeholders are fully embedded in Agile teams, rather than consulted only occasionally, learning becomes more relevant and easier to adopt. Business leaders, managers, and subject matter experts can shape priorities in real time, reducing rework and keeping programs aligned with actual needs. Their active involvement also builds credibility and advocacy, making it more likely that learning will gain traction and be valued once it is launched.
Using Data to Target Marketing and Know the Audience
A product mindset pushes L&D to use data to better understand who the audience actually is and how they engage with learning. Instead of broad, one-size-fits-all marketing, teams can tailor messaging based on role, need, timing, and behavior. When you know your audience, marketing becomes more targeted, adoption increases, and learning feels purposeful rather than noise.
The Takeaway
Treat learning like a product, not a project. Stop chasing perfection, involve the right people early, test and learn from real behavior, and use data to reach the right audience. When you do this, L&D stops being something you push and starts becoming something people choose. That is how learning delivers real value, every time.
About the Author
You can connect with me on LinkedIn here to follow my thoughts on learning, leadership, and building programs that stick or to connect on how I can help your organization. Keep an eye out for my first book, Quick Bites of InsightsTM, in early 2026.