Analyzing Scope Creep

As a Project Manager I deal with scope creep issues daily. Why? You ask…I work with many Project Team Leaders, contractors, designers, and printers and there is always a scope creeping up on one or more any given project. In 2007 I had to take on all the projects for the institute and the only Production Manager, managing all the publications for the entire institute. In 2007-2008 I produced more than 25 publications -- most of the publications were 4-color process and some were over 400 pages and a budget of over $800,000.

I learned from one project in particular, of the many projects, I had on my plate. The Latino Manual and Picture Cards was an exciting and challenging project. One because it was bi-lingual and two it was someone else’s project and I had to take over the project after the Project Manager left the agency and moved on to another job.

I had a press inspection schedule a day before I had to leave for a two-week trip out of the country. I thought the press inspection went well. I found out after returning to the office and sharing the color proofs with the Project Team Leader that the press inspection had not gone well. The colors were wrong and the Project Team Leader was very upset. Although she had signed off on the color proof the day before the press inspection, she was very unhappy with the proofs from the press inspection. I had to fix the problem ASAP. Project managers are always planning, monitoring, and controlling various project aspects ( Portny, 2008)

What made this project a little frustrating is that the project team leader signed off on the color proof however the press inspection showed a different color from what we all had approved. Project manager should always expect changes and be able to deal with it in a professional manager, that’s part of the PM’s job. (Portny, 2008)

This particular project went through a “Scope Change” there was a modification to the deliverables or work process as outlined in the original project plan. Greer (2007)

There was another project that had more than enough scope creeps and that was the Filipino Projects which consist of a 425 page manual, with handouts that were bi-lingual, 125 Picture cards, that was a 4-color process, and 12 health educational booklets, six in English and six in Tagalog. This project was the last of one of the set of multicultural projects and the team ran out of money. The materials were printed however because so much time and money was spent on some of the other projects before I took over there was not enough money or time left in the contract to convert the publication to meet 508 compliances and therefore we were not able to post the publications to the institutes website.

The Project Team Leader for this project was more than a little upset to say the least, not with me but with the Project Officer for the contract. It was known throughout the other team members that the money for each of the multicultural projects was mismanaged. There were a number of scope creep with each of the projects and they were different for each of the projects and me taking over and being the only PM for the entire institute was another major scope creep for the Project Team Leader and me as the PM because I still had my own project; therefore I had to remember that Project managers should approach changes of scope in a business-like (as opposed to emotional) fashion. Greer (2007)

Although these particular projects went through a “Scope Change” there was a modification to the deliverables or work process as outlined in the original project plan; Greer (2007) all the publications turned out beautifully. If I had to do all over again, it would probably be done exactly the same way because when you inherit someone else projects and you are the only Production Manager for the institute the only thing you can do is step in with confidence and continue to do your best and produce high quality products and stay as close to the timeline as possible.

Reference:

Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., Sutton, M., (2007). Project management: Wiley

Greer, M. (2010) Project Management Minimalist: Laureate Education Ed. © Copyright 2010, http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636

Blog Assignment: Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

Amy's Blog: Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources: This site is to Amy’s Blog Site and it has great great information for Instructional Designers and Project Managers. She included a link to Builder Au and this site gives information on how to create your project budget and where to begin. She has another link for project management and the tools of managing a project. I love this site because all the information on this blog site is everything we are doing in this course and it is extremely helpful. Great job Amy! Thanks for sharing too!

I must say I found another blog site I love and with great information. I think I love these two sites is because it is exactly what we are discussing in this course and I believe it is the same class could or could not be from the same university. http://instructionaldesignvillage.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/estimating-costs-and-allocating-resources-in-instructional-design/ The model this blogger has in his blog to estimate costs and allocating resources is user friendly and I will be using it.

Both the blog sites discusses costs and allocating resources for instructional design how appropriate and the information is very useful for me and I hope you find it useful for you as well.

In this weeks lesson what I like the most and found more interesting was in chapter 7: Estimating and allocating resources and that was the information on: Describing people’s skills and knowledge using the Skill Roster. This roster gives a breakdown of staff primary capabilities, secondary capabilities, and interest. Portny (2008) This is the type of chart most companies and large organizations should use when it comes to job assignments to certain projects.

References:

Amy’s Blog: Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources (2011) Retrieved June 1, 2011, from: http://amysnews.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/estimating-costs-and-allocating-resources/

Life by Design: Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources in Instructional Design ( 2010) Retrieved June 2, 2011, from: http://instructionaldesignvillage.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/estimating-costs-and-allocating-resources-in-instructional-design/

Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., Sutton, M., (2008). Project management: planning, scheduling, and controlling, projects: New York: Wiley Publisher

Communicating Effectively

Blog Assignment: Communicating Effectively

The tone in all three messages was very business friendly and professional. They also convey the same message; I noticed there wasn’t any extra detail information in any of the messages. I believe all three messages conveyed the true meaning and intent; that was that, Jane wanted Mark to know that he had information she needed in order to meet her deadline; however I think that the message was missing specify information. She should ask that he send the report by a certain date; give him a deadline when her report is due; since this seems to be a team effort. Written communication should begin with clear purpose and state the situation, include as much detail as possible. Stolovitch (2010)

It is important to give dates and do not give the exact date your report is due but the date you want to be done with the report. This will give you enough time and not rush the project. Effective communication is sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner. Stolovitch (2010)

Communication isn’t just words; 93% communication is non-verbal; tonality and body language; effective communication is timely. It is important to document oral communication; after an informal or formal meeting summarize the discussion and send it out to the team. Stolovitch (2010)

Reference:

Stolovitch, H. ( 2010) Communicating with Stakeholders: Laureate: Walden University

Learning From A Project “Post-mortem”

In October 2007, I became the sole Production Manager, for my agency; therefore my workload more than double. In 2007-2008 I produced more than 25 publications -- most of the publications were 4-color process and some were over 400 pages and a budget of over $800,000.

I learned from one project in particular, of the many projects, I had on my plate. The Latino Manual and Picture Cards was an exciting and challenging project. One because it was bi-lingual and two it was someone else project and I had to take over the project after the Project Manager left the agency and moved on to another job.

I had a press inspection schedule this publication, a day before I had to leave for a two-week trip out of the country. I thought the press inspection went well. I found out after returning to the office and sharing the color proofs with the Project Team Leader that the press inspection had not gone well. The colors were wrong and the Project Team Leader was very upset; although she had signed off on the color proof the day before the press inspection, she was very unset with the proofs from the press inspection. I had to fix the problem ASAP. I ran to my office and called the printer and stopped the press! We had an emergency meeting and conference call with all the stakeholders. The job had to be put on hold until I returned to the office.

What made this project a little frustrating is that the project team leader signed off on the color proof however the press inspection showed a different color from what we all had approved. Meeting with all the team players we found out that the contractor had built the colors wrong and the color proof we original signed off on before the press inspection was on a different paper therefore the colors looked different. Something like this rarely happens but to avoid something this in the future it is best to use PMS colors only and NOT built colors because built colors are always hard to match. I also asked the designer to give me the numbers to build the colors and which PMS color they are trying to match and get those numbers as well. The end results were very successful, The Project Team Leader was happy, the designer was happy and I was happy, the publications looked beautiful.

This particular project went through a “Scope Change” there was a modification to the deliverables or work process as outlined in the original project plan. Greer (2007) I had a flight out of the country the next day, less than 24 hours and was just dealt a major crisis and I needed to take care of things before leaving work on that February 2008 afternoon. I had to do something fast to diffused the mistake and assure the Project Team Leader, that everything will be ok. Project managers should approach changes of scope in a business-like (as opposed to

emotional) fashion. Greer (2007)

Once we (the team) narrowed down what the problem was and how it happened, it was easier to fix the problem. I had to document all the changes,this included adjusting the timeline. Since a perfect plan may not result in the desired outcomes due to unexpected changes, it is important to stay calm.

The publications turned out flawlessly and everybody was happy with the finish products, especially the Project Team Leader. What made this project successful, even when it appeared to be a crisis was making sure all the stakeholders and all the team members were involved from beginning and we all came together and brainstormed what had gone wrong and what we need to do to fix the problem. There were no finger pointing and blaming –the goal was to fix the mistake and we did that with no cost to the agency and along a few hundred dollars from the contractor.

Reference:

Greer, M. (2010) Project Management Minimalist: Laureate Education Ed. © Copyright 2010, http://michaelgreer.biz/?page_id=636

Project Management and Distance Learning

Hi Online Classmates and Welcome to Terri's Instructional Design Corner! I am excited about starting the Project Management course; the eight course in the Instructional Design Master Program.

Please leave a note and/or suggestions. I welcome feedback.

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Converting face-to-face training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. To be effective, e-learning designs must balance a stimulating, interactive environment with manageable levels of learner mental effort. In distance learning, it is more difficult to achieve because once course material and tasks have delivered to students, designers have a very limited control over student perceptions and learning process. There is often a gap between what designers expect will happen in a course, how materials are used, effectiveness of materials, and actual student opinions. Lambert, J., Kalyugas, S., & Capan, L. (2009).

It is important to think about all the elements when redesigning learning tools or when deciding to make any changes to any learning format. The ADDIE is a good starting point; including storyboard and mapping will help with ideals and making major changes before implementing the learning tool. Just like other kinds of teaching, teaching at a distance requires planning and organizing; whether synchronous or asynchronous, requires that greater emphasis be placed on the initial planning phase (Simonson, 2009). Schlosser and Burmeister (1999) wrote about the “best of both worlds”, where courses and programs would have varying percentages of face-to-face and distance-delivered learning experiences. Blended or hybrid approaches are probably the most widespread applicants of distance education (Daffron & Webster 2006; Epstein, 2006).

The instructional environment should be viewed as a system, a relationship among and between all the components of that system – the instructor, the learners, the materials, and the technology. Especially when planning for distance education, the instructor must make decisions that will affect all aspects of the system. (Simoson, 2009) Therefore, it is important for the designers not only to understand the sources of increased cognitive demands imposed on students in e-learning courses, but also to gauge student perceptions of tasks in e-learning environments to ensure effectiveness from both student and instructor perspectives. Lambert, J., Kalyugas, S., & Capan, L. (2009).

The instructor can keep the face-to-face elements of any training and enhance it by including the online training. This hybrid training may or may not improve the overall outcomes. It isn’t just the instructor’s job to make the distance learning work the learners must do their part as well. For successful learning to take place, it is vital to determine what works and what needs to improve. The evaluation of the ADDIE plays an important role in developing any type of learning module. Evaluation leads to revision of instruction, and revision of instructions helps secure the final outcomes of helping students learn. (Simoson, 2009)

It is essential that the trainer create a learning environment that is motivating and the learners are going to want to learn. The trainer will need to help the learners understand the context of the learning experience. When the learners have an understanding of the reasons why they are participating in a particular type of instructional activity, they are better able to use that experience to expedite their own learning. (Simoson, 2009)

Listed below are some key points to eliminate trial and error preparation, distance-learning faculty should:

• Keep in mind that courses previously taught in traditional classrooms may need to be retooled.
• In revising traditional classroom materials, consider ways to illustrate key concepts, or topics, using tables, figures, and other visual representations
• Plan activities that encourage interactivity at all the sites. Students may require training to participate actively in these types of activities.
• Plan activities that allow for student group work. This helps construct a supportive social environment. For example, the instructor could present case studies related to theories and concepts covered in the course and then groups of students, perhaps in different sites, could discuss case study questions and reach consensus on a solution to the problem.
• Be prepared in the event that technical problems occur. (Simoson, 2009)

It is also very important to know the learners and be familiar with the technology.


Reference:
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, & M., Zvacek, A. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th edition).

Lambert, J., Kalyugas, S., & Capan, L. (2009). Student perception cognitive load: what can they us about e-learning Web 2.0 course design E-learning (Vol. 6 No. 2)

The Impact of Open Source

The Impact of Open Source

Yale Open Course
Course Title: Econ 159 Game Theory
http://oyc.yale.edu/economics/game-theory/contents/syllabus.html


I chose to evaluate the Game Theory course from the list of Open Yale courses. The course was carefully planned and designed for distant learning. One of the most important elements of a distant learning course is easy navigation. The menu bar remained on the upper left side of my window as I navigated the course. Even though the course had various sections, I never got lost in a web of pages and was always able to easily return to the home page. This small but important element made this an ideal layout for a distant learning environment. Each course session includes the lecture transcript, audio files, summary and black board notes.

Many of the enhancement elements were missing from the course that could have improved the overall learner experience. There was no space available for students to interact and have discussions. The assignments were not clearly outlined and it appeared that the professor did content dump for each class sessions. If the class sessions were separated, the professor could’ve added a supplemental section for each class session where students could go to review any additional information related to each section.

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Asynchronous Training



In an effort to improve its poor safety record, a biodiesel manufacturing plant needs a series of safety training modules.  These stand-alone modules must illustrate best practices on how to safely operate the many pieces of heavy machinery on the plant floor.  The modules should involve step-by-step processes and the method of delivery needs to be available to all shifts at the plant.  As well, the shift supervisors want to be sure the employees are engaged and can demonstrate their learning from the modules.

The technologies used for distance education fall into two categories: telecommunications technologies that connect instructors to distant learners and classroom technologies that record, present, and display instructional information.  Increasingly, video—and computer-based systems are being used.  (Simonson, 2009). 

It is important to design a series of safety training modules that will be effective, in order to improve the company’s poor safety record.   There are a number of things to consider.  Who is the audience?  What are the statistics?  What is the budget?  How many shifts are there?  These factors are important to help decided if the training should be in-house online training or off site.   

I would use YouTube and Concept Mapping for this type of training.  I believe with the two Web 2.0 technologies this can be an effective learning tool and as a result improve the poor safety record.  The YouTube can provide step-by-step methods for completion of all the training and help the employees become certified machinery and in turn improve the safety record of the company.  

YouTube, founded in February 2005 as a place where anyone can upload a video file for viewing by the masses has become one of the most frequently visited sites on the Web.  Many faculties are uploading video-based lecture recordings and other course materials for convenient viewing by students.  (Simonson, 2009).   With the YouTube video, PowerPoint slides can be used along with the facilitator, demonstrating how to use the machinery correctly, and I will emphasize the demo will help the learners learn how to use the machine properly. 

I will incorporate Concept maps to connect the dots, the step-b-steps of the learning tool.  Concept maps shows the relationships among concepts through a visual representation.  The asynchronous training, is to improve poor safety records, the biodiesel manufacturing company need a series of safety training modules.  Knowledge visualization is a part of concept maps and it lies at the intersection of information graphics, graphic design, and cognitive science.  

Joseph Novak (2004), the inventor of concept maps, explains, better ways to educate people and help them "learn how to learn". Concept maps can profitably be used to represent knowledge in every field of study: they help students to construct new learning and are also useful for teachers to discover possible misconceptions in the students' own construction.  

Concept maps will bring together the connections.  This will help the learner understand what it is they are missing and hopefully improve the safety record of the company.   

Distance learning or online training will save money and time.  More learners can be trained at once and not taking time off from work, this would be a savings for the company because the training is in-house, saving on travel, meals and time away from the job.     

YouTube training can be very in debt.  It is important that the training is motivating, to keep the learner’s interest.  

Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge. They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and relationships between concepts indicated by a connecting line linking two concepts. Words on the line, referred to as linking words or linking phrases, specify the relationship between the two concepts.  We define concept as a perceived regularity in events or objects, or records of events or objects, designated by a label. The label for most concepts is a word, although sometime we use symbols such as + or %, and sometimes more than one word is used.  (Novak, 2006)

Example of a CONCEPT MAP OF DIGITAL LOGIC AND COMPUTER ORGANIZATION CONCEPTS.

 

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009).  Teaching and learning at a distance. (4th Edition). Boston. Pearson

Ashraf Saad, Georgia Institute of Technology, Savannah.   A Concept Maps-based Approach for Knowledge Visualization and Autonomous Self-Assessment in Distance Learning Environments

Novak, J. (2004).  Conceiving of Concept Maps To Foster Meaningful Learning: An Interview with Joseph D. Novak (J. Chem. Educ., 2004, 81 (9), p 1303, Retrieved on March 16, 2011 from http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed081p1303

 

 

Distance Learning

Distance Learning Has Evolved in How We Learn In Today's Society!

I think distance learning is always changing -- because of brilliance, technology, and Web 2.0/3.0. It's amazing, it only takes one person to have a brilliant ideal, and it is evolved --we have Steve Job and Apple, is out of this world there is something new with Apple every six months. We have Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, both are in a league of their own and both are number one in their field of technology which plays into distance learning. I am wowed everyday and I have so much to learn. I can't keep up with all the Web 2.0 and 3.0 and distant learning.

The benefits of distance learning are endless. For so many the evolution of distance learning has changed the way we all learn in today’s society. A person can earn a degree in ID; research a medical diagnoses; explore other parts of the world without leaving the comfort of their home.

With distant learning I can use my time wisely and schedule my classroom assignments and projects around others things that are going on such as work, family and personal life. Distance learning gives me the opportunity to attend class and complete coursework wherever I am. If I have access to a computer, I can post my login and submit assignments on time. If I am in the traditional classroom and have to be out of town for whatever reason, I could possibly miss a lot and fall behind in my assignments.

Distance learning has evolved from written correspondence to online classrooms. Dr. Simonson describes distance learning as a formal education with the learning groups, including (teachers, students, and resources) are separated by demography and sometimes by time.

Distance learning is great for individuals who find class participation intimidating, myself included. In the online classroom everyone must participate by posting a discussion and responding to some of the other classmates discussions. In the last few years, distance education has become a major topic in education (Simonson, 2009).

I personally think the benefits out weigh the challenges. Because I am a hands-on and visual learner; I sometimes find being in the traditional face-to-face classroom more effective. In the beginning it was hard for me to discipline myself to log into the classroom daily. And it seems like there is more work involved with online classes. In a traditional classroom you do not have to cite and reference everything when you are having classroom discussions. For online discussions some professors want you to cite what you have read and create a reference page. In traditional classrooms, this isn’t necessary because discussions are verbal.

Because, I am a visual and hands-on learner I find myself reading some of the assignments several times before I get a clear understanding. Distance education courses should be carefully designed and developed before instructions begins (p.9)

As an Instructional Designer it is important to know what your job as an ID and you should begin by meeting with all the stakeholders. It is important to know the learning styles and design learning tools that are motivating and individuals will be excited about learning. Dr. Simonson believes distance-learning works. I listed the six steps on how distance learning works and I add my own commentary to the list. Dr. Simonson also went on to tell why it works and how it works. Important concepts to understand:

1. Training in effective instructional strategies is critical for teachers of distant learners.

2. Distance education courses should be carefully designed and developed before instructions begin. (Start with a storyboard)

3. Visualization of ideas and concepts is critical when designing instruction to be delivered to distant learners. (Add some animation to the training materials and make it more interactive).

4. Adequate support systems must be in place to provide the distant learner with access to resources and services. (Add a good support team, someone who is knowledgeable and has some expertise in the training, who can answer questions)

5. Interaction between the instructor and student and among students must be possible and encouraged. (This is when an incentive can be introduced to the training program) May the training worthwhile and motivating. This may help the learner to want to learn more and be excited about taking the training.

6. Assessment should be designed to relate to the specific learning outcomes of the instructional experiences. (Follow-up and evaluations are valid to any type of training materials).

Distance education can be as effective as any other category of instruction. Learning occurs and knowledge is retained. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek. (2009) (p.9) Once Western Dental get and effective learning tool/training materials and include an evaluation tools, it will help to alleviate some of the stress, at least when it comes to the training.



Reference:
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance (4th edition)

Walden University Video. (2010). Distance Education: The next generation