What’s a LLAMA got to do with Projects?
Why flexible thinking matters more than the “perfect” plan
If you’ve ever started a project thinking “this feels straightforward”, only to watch it slowly unravel, this one’s for you.
Most SME projects don’t fail because people don’t care.
They fail because the plan assumed everything would stay the same.
Training projects are especially vulnerable to this.
Priorities shift.
Stakeholders get busy.
You learn new things halfway through that would have been useful at the start.
That’s where LLAMA comes in.
Not as a buzzword.
Not as a rigid framework.
But as a practical way of thinking about projects when certainty is in short supply.
First things first: what is LLAMA?
It was developed by Megan Torrance as a way of bringing structure and flexibility to learning projects, particularly where requirements evolve as understanding improves.
In plain English, LLAMA accepts this truth:
You don’t always know the right solution at the beginning and pretending you do is risky.
For businesses, that’s not a weakness.
It’s reality.
Why traditional plans often struggle in SMEs
Many training projects still follow a very linear mindset:
decide the solution
design everything
build everything
launch everything
That can work — if the problem is clear, stable, and well understood.
But in SMEs, training requests often start as:
“People keep making mistakes”
“Managers aren’t confident”
“Onboarding feels messy”
Those aren’t solution statements.
They’re signals.
LLAMA is useful because it helps you learn your way forward, instead of locking decisions in too early.
The LLAMA stages translated for real businesses
1. Kick-off: clarify before you commit
This stage isn’t about enthusiasm or timelines.
It’s about asking better questions:
What problem are we actually trying to solve?
What would “better” look like in real work?
Who is this for and what do they struggle with today?
This is where many projects either set themselves up for success… or quietly derail.
Sometimes this stage confirms training is needed.
Sometimes it reveals something else entirely.
Both are wins.
2. Sprint planning: break the work into sensible chunks
Rather than planning everything upfront, LLAMA works in short, focused phases.
Each phase has:
a clear goal
a small output
a review point
That means you can adjust direction without throwing everything away.
For time-poor teams, this reduces risk and keeps momentum realistic.
3. Prototype early (and imperfectly)
Instead of waiting for a polished final product, LLAMA encourages early prototypes.
That might be:
a draft outline
a sample activity
a short pilot module
The goal isn’t to impress.
It’s to learn.
Early feedback saves expensive rework later.
4. Build iteratively, not heroically
This is where LLAMA earns its keep.
You build, review, adjust, and improve in cycles.
Benefits:
fewer surprises
better stakeholder confidence
learning that stays relevantFor SMEs, this approach fits how decisions actually get made.
5. Release then reflect
LLAMA doesn’t treat launch as the finish line.
Reflection matters:
Did this change behaviour?
What worked better than expected?
What would we do differently next time?
That insight feeds directly into future decisions, not a dusty project file.
Why LLAMA works so well for SMEs
LLAMA works because it:
reduces upfront risk
avoids over-engineering
supports learning before committing to solutions
respects limited time and resources
It’s not about being “Agile enough”.
It’s about not locking yourself into the wrong answer too early.
Tips for Applying LLAMA
Start with a strong foundation
Embrace feedback
Stay flexible
Celebrate progress
A quick reality check
If you’re reading this thinking:
“This sounds sensible… but we’re already under pressure to do something.”
That’s usually the moment where a pause is most valuable.
Because once you start building, it’s much harder to stop and ask whether you’re solving the right problem.
A helpful next step
Before committing to building training, especially e-learning, many SMEs benefit from stepping back and gaining Performance & Clarity first.
That work helps you:
identify where effort is really being lost
decide whether training is the right lever
avoid expensive false starts
Sometimes the outcome is training.
Sometimes it’s something simpler and far more effective.
If you want to sense-check your thinking before committing time or budget, you’re welcome to book a no-pressure conversation.
Even a llama would agree that moving steadily in the right direction beats sprinting the wrong way 🦙