Instructional Designers and the field of education.

Education is everything and this article just points out how important we as Instructional Designers are to the field of education.
http://lnkd.in/mkxwyy

Instructional Design Review Checklist

Below I have provided a link to a site that provides an Instructional Design Review Checklist.

"Every eLearning course requires a reliable evaluation tool that will accurately, objectively and systematically assess its validity, efficiency and comprehensiveness, and consequently assist developers and instructors to fine-tune it, and make it more powerful and concise, if necessary. This tool should have the form of a checklist in order to enable reviewers to easily assess the eLearning quality and eLearning suitability of the course’s general scope, methodology, means, material, structure and potential outcome, according to the needs and requirements of the audience, as well as of the instructor."


http://elearningindustry.com/a-compact-instructional-design-review-checklist?
utm_source=elearningindustry.com&utm_medium=widget

Analyzing Scope Creep

Scope Creep by our books definition is “the natural tendency of the client, as well as project team members, to try to improve the projects output as the project progresses.” (Portny, et al., 2008) I’m supposed to use an example of my personal or professional life to show how scope creep can affect the outcome of my objective. Somehow the only thing that I can really think of right now is on a personal level.

Every year we plan a week long family trip where we rent a house and bring all the items we are going to need, clothing and food, for that week. We never really start packing until the night before we need to leave. I do create a list of things to take and plan a schedule for us to follow, and in the morning we begin loading the car, with a set time to leave. We set the time based on how long it is going to take us to get to our destination, keeping in mind how long it is going to take us to load the car and leave. Of course, as we are loading the car one of the kids is always running back into the house because they forgot something or to use the bathroom. The adults are also guilty of this creep. As a result, we always end up leaving between 30-60 minutes later than intended, thus delaying our arrival and sitting in traffic.

Like many projects we all begin, we always have a schedule that needs to be followed. There are deadlines in everything we do in life. The biggest enemy to our deadlines is scope creep. “The best approach is to set up a well-controlled, formal process whereby changes can be introduced and accomplished with as little distress as possible.” (Portny, et al., 2008) “Scope creep can originate from several sources and is a leading cause of project failure when handled poorly.” (Doll, 2001)

In 7 Steps to Avoid Scope Creep, Shelley Doll offers steps to take that will help prevent delays in a project. I’ve listed them below:
Use the following guidelines to set yourself up to successfully control the scope of your project:(Doll, 2001)

1. Be sure you thoroughly understand the project vision. Meet with the project drivers and deliver an overview of the project as a whole for their review and comments.
2. Understand your priorities and the priorities of the project drivers. Make an ordered list for your review throughout the project duration. Items should include budget, deadline, feature delivery, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction. You’ll use this list to justify your scheduling decisions once the project has commenced.
3. Define your deliverables and have them approved by the project drivers. Deliverables should be general descriptions of functionality to be completed during the project.
4. Break the approved deliverables into actual work requirements. The requirements should be as detailed as necessary and can be completed using a simple spreadsheet. The larger your project, the more detail you should include. If your project spans more than a month or two, don’t forget to include time for software upgrades during development and always include time for ample documentation.
5. Break the project down into major and minor milestones and complete a generous project schedule to be approved by the project drivers. Minor milestones should not span more than a month. Whatever your method for determining task duration, leave room for error. When working with an unknown staff, I generally schedule 140 to 160 percent of the duration as expected to be delivered. If your schedule is tight, reevaluate your deliverables. Coming in under budget and ahead of schedule leaves room for additional enhancements.
6. Once a schedule has been created, assign resources and determine your critical path using a PERT Chart or Work Breakdown Structure. Microsoft Project will create this for you. Your critical path will change over the course of your project, so it’s important to evaluate it before development begins. Follow this map to determine which deliverables must be completed on time. In very large projects, I try not to define my phase specifics too early, but even a general plan will give you the backbone you need for successful delivery.
7. Expect that there will be scope creep. Implement Change Order forms early and educate the project drivers on your processes. A Change Order form will allow you to perform a cost-benefit analysis before scheduling (yes, I said scheduling) changes requested by the project drivers.



I want to close by posting a list I found over the internet that suggest 4 simple steps that will help in avoiding and deterring scope creep. 4 Ways to Kill Scope Creep by Thursday Bram (Bram, 2010)

1. Glad to help-here’s a new estimate
2. I can’t meet the deadline
a. “One of the biggest problems with scope creep is that it can wreak havoc on a schedule, sometimes to the point that you simply can’t finish the project by the deadline. And if you’ve got projects stacked up, even a small change in the deadline can cause you problems with your own schedule. In such cases, you have to offer the client some alternatives. Those can include changing the time table significantly, as well as bringing in a sub-contractor. Some clients simply are on a tight deadline. It may be up to you to be the bad guy and tell them that extending the project’s parameters just isn’t an option due to the timing. While this is a problem that can be solved with more money, it’s typically very expensive — getting a sub-contractor up to speed or agreeing to work more hours for a rush fee can inflate a price tag quickly — and it may not be something you’re willing to do. There are only so many hours in a day, after all, and you may have other commitments that must come first.” (Bram, 2010)
3. Yes, but
a. “Sometimes, making both the price and time work is a matter of changing out other factors.” (Bram, 2010)
4. No
a. “It’s important to try to keep all communications about scope creep as calm as possible. While it’s easy to get frustrated at a client for piling request after request on top of an existing project, not all clients really realize that’s what they’re doing. But sometimes clients want more than what the project originally called for, without having to pay more. If that point comes around, the only option you may have is to put your foot down and say no. It may not be the best option for maintaining a long-term relationship with the client in question — but losing a client who doesn’t consider your time worth paying for is probably not the worst thing that’s ever happened to you.” (Bram, 2010)

References
Bram, T. (2010, February 9). 4 Ways to Kill Scope Creep. Retrieved from Freelance Switch: http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/4-ways-to-kill-scope-creep/
Doll, S. (2001, March 13). Seven steps for avoiding scope creep. Retrieved from TechRepublic CIO50: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/seven-steps-for-avoiding-scope-creep/1045555
Portny, S., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. (2008). Project management planning, scheduling and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: JOhn Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

Budgeting and estimating a job is not the easiest task for anyone, much less someone who is new at it. The internet offers many resources to help a new estimators prepare the required spreadsheet and costs for a job. As an instructional designer there are many resources available to us. In my research I found three sites that really caught my interest.
The first site I reviewed was “How to Manage a Project Budget”- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-manage-a-project-budget.html . What caught my interest on this site was the explanation of what managing a project means and it provided tips for doing so.

1. Proper resource allocation
a. Coordinate employee responsibilities
b. What supplies will be needed
2. Using budget management software
a. Record every expense
b. “enables budget planning to be merged into other functions of the project”
3. Proof of expenses incurred
a. Keep hard copies of all expenses
4. Reviewing budget periodically
a. Track the work being done and resources being used
5. Good communication of budget risks
a. Keep everyone informed of any budget changes (Rampur, 2011)

The second site I looked at was “Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design”- http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html . I like this site because like my first choice it provides an explanation for understanding the importance of a budget. It also provides a guideline for training cost, and development hours. As a new designer I found this to be very helpful. We don’t often know how much to charge and this resource provided a good reference for this information. This site also provided a ratio for development time when creating a variety of eLearning projects and instructor lead training, explanation of cost for creating multimedia instruction (200-500 man hours for each hour of IMI) (Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design, 1995), interactive courseware development costs for multimedia and computer based training (CBT). I also like the case study the site provides to help you understand how estimating affects a real world situation.

The final site I visited was “Estimating Instructional Development (ID) Time” -http://michaelgreer.biz/?p=279. This reference is a site maintain by Michael Greer. Prior to this course I did not know who Michael Greer was. I have found the information he provides to be very helpful. He shares his insight and what he has learned in the industry. In this particular article he points out 5 topics he feels are important to keep in mind when preparing estimates:

1. Rule of thumb such as 10:1 or 30:1 (development time vs. training time) vary tremendously, depending on who is espousing them.
2. What matters most when estimating the development time is the instructional development project management model you will be using.
3. Non-writing time typically consumes most of the project time!
4. The rules of thumb seldom account for the fact that the deliverables we are developing for a one-hour training session may differ enormously from one course to another.
5. If you carefully examine your organization’s unique ID project management model and then collect your organization’s historical data related to time spend executing various steps of this model, you will be able to create some fairly accurate custom project estimation worksheets. (Greer, 2009)

The bottom line in any estimating project is to do your homework and be vigil in going back and rechecking the numbers as the project progresses. There are many factors that can change and effect a budget so it is important to make a habit of revisiting your budget throughout the life of your project.


References
Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design. (1995, 7 13). Retrieved from Big Dog & Little Dog Performance Juxtaposition: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html
Greer, M. (2009, 9 7). Estimating Instructional Development (ID) Time. Retrieved from Michael Greer's PM Resources: http://michaelgreer.biz/?p=279
Rampur, S. (2011, 6 3). How to manage a project budget. Retrieved from Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-manage-a-project-budget.html

Communicating Effectively

I have always been a strong advocate for face-2-face communication as being the most effective form of sharing information and getting your idea across. After reviewing the three formats (email, voicemail and face-2-face) of communication for the same information it only reinforced my views on communication.

With a face-2-face transfer you not only hear what is being requested but you get a visual of what is being asked. The individual that is asking has the opportunity to add body language and voice inflection to emphasize the importance of the request. Face-2-face communication allows for:

1. The intended audience to ask questions to clarify the content, meaning, and implication of the request
2. Enable project managers to verify that their audiences received and interpreted their message in the way intended
3. Enable project managers to pick up nonverbal signals that suggest an audience’s reaction to the message
4. Support interactive discussion and brainstorming about the message (Potny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2007, p. 358)

To reinforce what was asked face-2-face, I do believe a written follow up or even a short meeting, is important. It stresses the importance of your request and expectations.

With an email correspondence the tendency is to read the subject line and if it not a topic that needs to be addressed at that moment we tend to not read it and put it off for later. This particular email was pretty straight forward but it had not strength behind the message. It seemed as though the Jane was not emphasizing how important timing really was to her.

The same goes for voicemails. Jane failed to give Mark a specific deadline. In doing so she devalues the importance of Mark completing the report in a timely fashion. If you see who the voicemail is coming from and we are preoccupied we also tend to put the voicemail off for a later time. All too often forgetting to go back to the email or voicemail.

“Project managers are responsible for a variety of communication activities during the life of a project. Whatever form communications take, however, project managers should plan and prepare so their messages are received and correctly interpreted by project audiences.” (Potny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2007, p. 367)


Reference
Potny, S. E., Mantel, S. j., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2007). Project Management planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Learning from a Project "Post-mortem"

The project that I am thinking about for this assignment was, not an instructional design related project but rather, a project that I worked on with a previous employer of mine in the interior design field. The challenge with this particular project was scheduling. When we took on this job we knew meeting the deadline was going to be difficult. As the project progressed, the reality of hitting the deadline date was becoming a far reach. The issue that arose was not that we were going to be late but that my boss never let me communicate this with our client. As the date approached the lie of making the deadline date just continued. We did miss the date and the delivery did not take place until two weeks passed the original promised date.

This project was a failure. Not only was the client unhappy but the brunt of the clients frustration laid on my shoulders, because I was the client liaison. It was my job to try and keep the client updated and happy. I couldn’t do this. My boss never allowed me to stay in constant communication with the client. Had I been able to provide regular updates I do believe we would have had a much happier client. “When project information is determined accurately and completely and shared effectively, project manager’s dramatically increase their chances of project success. When pieces of this information are vague, missing, or not shared effectively, the chances of success are reduced.” (Portny, et al., 2008) And that is what happened with this project.

If an open door of communication would have been maintained then the client would have been able to make adjusted on their schedule to accommodate for the delays on our side. My part of the project management process in this job was to control and address problems as the occurred. Upper management made controlling the outcome of this project very difficult and as a result we lost the client.
This project failed to meet the expected performance and goals .

References:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project Management Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Danvers, MA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

EDUC-6145

Hello and welcome class EDUC-6145 to my blog site. Please feel free to review past post that I have exchanged with prior classes. I look forward to the next few weeks.