Using the instructional development tasks involved in the Dental Auxiliary Education Project of the state of Washington to illustrate its points, this paper discusses how different levels of decision-making affect the design of instructional products. Four specific levels are considered in relation to the major design problems encountered in stating objectives, selecting media, sequencing content, evaluating performance, and organizing the development process: (1) the student level, (2) the teacher level, (3) the curriculum level, and (4) the institution level. (JD)