Key Takeaways
- The L&D bottleneck exists because organizations try to funnel infinite training needs through a small, centralized team
- The solution isn't just hiring more instructional designers—it's changing the model entirely
- Three approaches can break the logjam: scale L&D capacity, distribute production to the business, or automate routine training with AI
- Freeing L&D from production work allows them to focus on high-value strategy like leadership development and organizational capability building
Sales needs training on the new product. Customer success needs training on the updated process. HR needs training on the new benefits platform. Everyone needs training. And everyone is waiting for L&D.
The queue grows. Requests pile up. Priorities shift. Meanwhile, people are expected to do jobs they haven't been trained for, using tools they don't understand.
This is the L&D bottleneck. A team of five is expected to serve an organization of thousands, across every function, on every topic. The math doesn't work.
The Bottleneck Exists Because L&D Owns Production
In most organizations, L&D is responsible for creating training. Sales identifies a need, but L&D builds the course. This made sense when creating training required specialized skills and tools. Instructional design. Authoring software. Graphic design.
But it created a dependency. No matter how urgent the need, it goes into L&D's queue. L&D prioritizes, and everything that's not a top priority waits.
The Queue Creates Real Costs
When training waits, people don't wait for it. They have jobs to do. So they do those jobs without training—learning by trial and error, asking colleagues who might or might not know, and making mistakes that could have been prevented.
A sales team launches a product without understanding its features. Deals stall. A support team handles a new process without training. They get it wrong. Tickets escalate. A new hire starts a role with outdated onboarding. They spend weeks figuring out what should have been explained on day one.
These costs are real but invisible. Nobody tracks "revenue lost because training wasn't ready."
Three Approaches Can Break the Logjam
1. Scale L&D Capacity
The most obvious solution: a bigger team can produce more training. More instructional designers, more content developers. This helps, but it has limits. L&D is a cost center. Headcount is hard to get. And even a larger team will eventually hit the same constraint—demand grows faster than capacity.
2. Distribute Production to the Business
What if the people who know the content could create the training themselves? Product managers create product training. HR creates policy training. Each function owns its own content. With the right tools and guidance, managers can create effective training without waiting for L&D.
L&D's role shifts from production to enablement. They provide tools, templates, standards, and support. They help others create well rather than creating everything themselves.
This requires tools that non-L&D people can use. Modern AI-powered authoring tools are more accessible. And departments frustrated by waiting are often happy to take control if given the means.
3. Automate What Can Be Automated
Some training doesn't need to be "created" at all. If a policy document already exists, AI can make it searchable and answerable. If a process is already documented, AI can turn it into a learning experience.
This covers a lot of ground that's currently in L&D's queue. The quick explanations. The reference material. When the routine stuff is handled automatically, L&D can focus on the work that actually requires their expertise—complex skill development, behavior change, strategic initiatives. For a detailed framework on using AI to eliminate your training backlog, see our practical guide.
The Right Mix Depends on Your Organization
There's no single answer. Where is the bottleneck worst? What capabilities exist in the business? Do you have subject matter experts who could create content if given tools and support? What's the right role for L&D?
Ask yourself: Is your L&D team buried in production requests with no time for strategy? What would happen if you freed them from some of that production load?
Breaking the bottleneck is a strategic decision. An L&D team buried in production requests doesn't have time for strategy. Free them from some of that production load, and they can focus on higher-value work. Leadership development. Organizational capability building. The bottleneck is a choice. It doesn't have to be this way.
JoySuite helps break the bottleneck. Turn existing documents into learning content without specialized production skills. Let SMEs create using intuitive AI workflows without needing L&D for production. Use AI to make knowledge accessible without building courses. Free your L&D team for the work that actually needs them.
