This STC 2008 session by Jane Bozarth offered alternatives to the methods taught in academic settings and techniques for persuading stakeholders to reconsider their demands and assumptions. Here are my key take-aways:

• Needs analysis on a napkin: assign performance problems to four quadrants, axis "wants to" versus axis "knows how to", low and high:
• doesn't want to + doesn't know how to = change job position or fire
• doesn't want to + knows how to = motivation issue
• wants to + knows how to = remove obstacles (bad process, bad management, etc.)
• wants to + doesn't know how to = TRAINING will help here, and nowhere else!
• Task analysis on a napkin: to find the critical 20%, draw a set of 4 concentric rings:
• Outer ring: call it "Everything about the domain"
• Next ring: call it "What we have time to teach"
• Next ring: call it "What learners will be able to recall"
• Inner ring: call it "What learners will be able to use"
• Mark the inner ring as 20% of all possible content, and ask the SME what few things should go in that inner ring.
• Training course on a napkin: If the user task needn't be done from memory, small job aids may be the cost-effective training solution.
• Objectives for the real world: ensure your objectives are goal-based (create, evaluate, analyze, complete) and not knowledge-based (list, define, describe, compare).
• Seek newbie SMEs: Since most SMEs are "unconsciously competent" (can effortlessly accomplish tasks without being able to explain how), it can pay off to find users who only recently acquired their skills and so are more likely to be able to recall key steps and trouble spots.
• Have trainers evaluate the course! The ROI of testing is proving the validity of the course, not the smarts of the users. Have your trainers complete evaluations of every course they teach, explaining what caused problems, which learners weren't served, weaknesses in the materials and approach, ideas for how to improve it next time. To not collect this information is a terrible waste.