Instructional design models have been criticized for being too inflexible and taking too long to follow to be useful in today's fast-paced environment. As a result, some have rejected instructional design. This article offers an alternative view of instructional design as flexible and able to be accomplished in much shorter time periods than typically assumed. This alternative suggests that instructional design procedures can be followed to something less than a textbook-perfect level when time and budget are constrained by using certain short-cut methods that capture many of the benefits of instructional design in considerably less time. The decision whether and when to vary from the prescribed instructional design procedures should be informed by a consideration of the benefits gained and risks taken when following a short-cut method or skipping a step altogether. The article proposes a way to look at these procedures and associated benefits and risks. (Contains 4 figures.)