So you just got handed Lessonly and told to “set up a workflow for assigning training.” Maybe you’re in HR. Maybe you’re the one person in IT who learns new software fast. Either way, you need a practical, honest guide that skips the fluff. You’re in the right place.
This is for the folks who want to get actual assignments into the hands of learners—not just “play around” with settings or run a pilot for the next six months. I’ll walk you through the real, step-by-step process for building a reliable learner assignment workflow in Lessonly, including common gotchas and what you can skip.
Step 1: Get Your Content Ready (Don’t Overthink It)
Before you set up assignments, you need something to assign. Lessonly calls learning content “Lessons” (single modules) and “Paths” (collections of lessons).
What works: - Start with what you already have: slide decks, PDFs, process docs. - Don’t worry about making everything perfect. Get the basics in, then improve later. - Use Lessonly’s lesson builder. It’s not fancy, but it’s easy.
What doesn’t: - Spending weeks “polishing” content. Learners won’t care about a fancy header image. - Overloading lessons with walls of text. Keep it tight and actionable.
Pro tips: - If you’re new to Lessonly, try building one short lesson first—just to get a feel for the interface. - You can always update content later. Don’t let perfectionism slow you down.
Step 2: Organize Lessons into Paths (If You Need To)
Paths are just groups of lessons that flow in order. If your learners need to complete a series of steps (like onboarding), use a Path. Otherwise, assigning single lessons works fine.
When to use Paths: - Onboarding new hires (where one thing leads to the next) - Certification tracks - Anything that has a clear sequence
When to skip Paths: - One-off announcements or quick updates - Ad hoc knowledge checks
How to create a Path: 1. Go to the “Paths” tab in Lessonly. 2. Click “Create Path.” 3. Give it a clear name (e.g., “Sales Onboarding—Week 1”). 4. Add lessons in the order you want learners to see them. 5. Save.
Paths are optional. Don’t fall into the trap of building a big, complicated structure if you just need to assign one lesson.
Step 3: Set Up Your Learner Groups
You can assign lessons or paths to individuals, but that gets old fast. Use groups to save time. Lessonly lets you create groups based on teams, departments, roles, or anything else that makes sense for your org.
What works: - Set up groups that match your org chart (Sales, Support, Engineering). - Use smart naming conventions (e.g., “Sales—Managers,” “Support—Tier 1”). - Double-check group memberships—mistakes here mean people miss assignments.
What doesn’t: - Creating a million micro-groups. Keep it simple; you can always add more later. - Relying on manual group assignments if you have high turnover. Look into integrations if you need automated group sync.
How to create a group: 1. Go to “People” > “Groups.” 2. Click “Create Group.” 3. Name your group and add members. 4. Save.
If you’re just getting started, don’t stress about making groups perfect. You can tidy things up as you go.
Step 4: Assign Lessons or Paths to Learners
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Assigning content is straightforward, but Lessonly gives you a few options.
To assign a lesson or path: 1. Open the lesson or path you want to assign. 2. Click the “Assign” button. 3. Choose your audience: individuals or groups. 4. Set a due date (optional, but highly recommended). 5. Add a message if you want context (“Complete by Friday or you’ll hear from me!”). 6. Click “Assign.”
What works: - Always use due dates. No one finishes “when you get around to it.” - Assign to groups, not individuals, whenever possible. - Use the message field to make it clear why the assignment matters.
What doesn’t: - Assigning a mountain of content at once. People ignore big dumps. - Using vague instructions. Tell people exactly what you expect.
Pro tip:
If you want recurring assignments (like annual compliance training), Lessonly doesn’t do this natively. You’ll need to set a reminder to reassign each year, or use integrations (if your plan supports them).
Step 5: Track Progress and Nudge as Needed
Once assignments go out, Lessonly gives you basic tracking tools. You can see who’s started, who’s finished, and who’s ignoring your emails.
How to track: 1. Go to the lesson or path. 2. Open the “Assignments” or “Progress” tab. 3. Filter by group, individual, or completion status.
What works: - Check progress a few days before the due date and send reminders to stragglers. - Use Lessonly’s built-in reminder emails, but don’t rely on them alone—sometimes they land in spam. - Export reports if you need proof for compliance or your boss.
What doesn’t: - Obsessing over 100% completion right away. Some folks are always late. - Micromanaging every overdue assignment. Focus on what matters.
Pro tip:
If you need more robust analytics or dashboarding, Lessonly is just OK. If reporting is critical, plan to export data and use your own tools.
Step 6: Gather Feedback and Iterate
No workflow is perfect the first time. After your first round of assignments, ask learners what worked and what didn’t.
How to get feedback: - Add a quick survey at the end of a lesson (Lessonly supports basic questions). - Send a follow-up email or Slack message: “What was confusing? What should we fix?” - Keep an eye on completion rates—if everyone’s stuck on one module, it’s probably not them.
What works: - Iterating quickly. Don’t wait for a “perfect” process. - Fix obvious issues (missing links, unclear instructions) as soon as they’re reported.
What doesn’t: - Ignoring feedback because “it’s just a training module.” - Making changes without telling learners—let them know you actually listened.
Step 7: Automate (But Only If You Need To)
Lessonly has some automation features, but they’re nothing fancy. You can trigger assignments based on group membership or use integrations with HRIS or SSO tools (if your plan supports it).
Consider automation if: - You have a lot of new hires each month. - You need recurring training (compliance, safety, etc.). - You find yourself manually assigning the same lessons every week.
What’s worth your time: - Connecting Lessonly to your HR system for automatic group management. - Using API or Zapier integrations for scheduled assignments (if you’re comfortable).
What’s usually not worth it: - Overengineering automation for a small team. - Expecting “set it and forget it” to work perfectly—manual checks are still needed.
Pro tip:
Test any automation with a small group first. You don’t want to accidentally assign onboarding to your CEO.
What to Ignore (For Now)
- Gamification: Lessonly’s badges and points aren’t going to change behavior. Focus on clear expectations instead.
- Custom branding: Learners care about content, not your logo’s exact shade of blue.
- Advanced branching: Most orgs don’t need complex branching logic unless you’re running a giant training program.
Keep it simple. Get assignments out, see what works, and polish as you go.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need to master every Lessonly feature to build an effective learner assignment workflow. Start small: upload what you’ve got, set up your groups, assign lessons, and track progress. Don’t wait for perfection. The real world is messy, and so are learning workflows.
As you go, make tweaks based on actual feedback—not what the sales rep told you. The best workflow is the one your team actually uses, not the one that looks good in a demo.
Now go assign something. You can fix the rest as you learn.