This chapter considers the social and cultural implications of instructional development, and suggests that the success or failure of a project can best be predicted from improvements in relevant social analysis combined with a competent technical analysis, rather than formal analytic and evaluative analyses alone. Recent developments in the following areas of instructional management are considered: the developer as consultant, identification of the client and the problem, the learner and task analysis, and instructional strategies and evaluation. In summary, it is argued that improvements in the social analysis of instructional development that result in more accurate predictions of success and failure will bring about important changes in the character of professional practice in this field. One table is provided. (54 references) (Author/EW)