How come children’s birthday parties are the easiest examples for scope creep?  What starts out as a small party in the park explodes into a big party in the park with sports, piñata and M&M characters!  It ended up being very fun for everyone, but it was a lot more planning and cost than originally budgeted for.

I like Michael Greer’s (2010) definition of project scope:

Scope change may be defined as any addition, reduction, or modification to

the deliverables or work process as outlined in your original project plan. Change of

scope is normal — it’s not necessarily a problem. In fact, scope changes can be

beneficial when they allow the project team to respond sensibly to changing conditions

that exist outside the project. This can help ensure that project deliverables remain

relevant.

It makes me feel better about how the birthday party planning was managed and our end result of this huge party in the park.  Change is not necessarily a problem and luckily budget was not a huge issue or it would have been disastrous.

 

Here’s what happened:

Project Requirements and Scope           

The party was for my great-nephew’s 6^th birthday party.  I offered to help my niece with the expenses for the party and with the planning.  Jamal only wanted a few friends together to play in the park.  He did want an M&M birthday cake and for us to BBQ some hamburgers and hot dogs.  Hot dogs and potato chips were the desired menu items along with the chocolate M&M cake.

Here was the first project plan:

Jamal Birthday Party

• 10 kids from classroom and our family (10 or so)
• Picnic lunch in the park
• BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs
• Chips and sodas
• M&M themed birthday cake

 

We thought we would just keep it simple and small.  We hand made really cute invitations for his M&M theme that he wanted and we had Jamal deliver them to his classmates. When the people at my niece’s church heard about the party, they wanted to be invited too.   So we did invite them.  We made more invitations and handed them out to more people at the church.

 

 

Scope Creep

The above quickly turned into:

• 10 kids from classroom, our family, + 5 families from church (big families)
• Picnic lunch in the park
• BBQ hot dogs for the kids and chicken for the adults
• Chip, sodas, potato salad
• M&M themed birthday cake
• M&M piñata
• M&M plastic characters rented from the party store that will hold the kids prizes for the games in them.
• Baseball game

 

I was shocked by the time we were done!  It really exploded into a party that stretched my allotted budget from about $100.00 plus my gift to him to $300.00 plus my gift.  As the PM, I let the project get away from us because I wanted Jamal to have a nice party and for all us to have fun.  Which it was.

In order to learn from this mistake, I have done a Looking back and doing a project analysis, I can see that the original expectations were not realistic.  We really did make the part too small in size and should have known that it was not feasible to plan a small party with such a big family and leaving out friends from church. 

It was a lot of work, fun, family, and friends together and in the end, the kids had a blast that day in the park. The more the merrier, right?

 

 

 

 

 

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Websites for Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

There is a tremendous amount of information to sort through about project management and instructional design.  I found a couple of sites that will be helpful to me and I hope to you as well.

 

The first is from a project manager.  Michael Greer is a PM who has a great website, http://michaelgreer.biz/pm-ID.htm, to give you help with a few different types of project work but the I.D is showcased separately.  He has a worksheet showing the 51 atttributes which are grouped together based on their functions such as at the beginning of a project, Phase I, Phase II and so on.  There are listed according to the 10-Step ID Project Management model from his text ID Project Management: Tools & Techniques for Instructional Designers and Developers.

 

He goes over estimating I.D time, cost benefit analysis, and success criteria.  I find all of this information very helpful.

 

 

Another webiste that has some great tools to use is the http://pm4id.org/ site.  This is the Project Management for Instructional Design site with some great videos to watch and the information is taken from a group of students that were in a PM  class at BYU. They were able to do a "remix of a pre-existing, openly licensed project management textbook" that was donated.   This site has some good examples of different project cost estimating methods and compares Analogous and Parametric estimates for projects.  For example, Analogous means that if a similar project had a certain cost, it may be possible to assume that another project of similar scope and size would cost about the same.  

 

I hope you enjoy these websites and find them useful. 

 

 

The Art of Communication

 

 

 

 

The Art of Communication

 

Can a message delivered in 3 different formats be construed in three different ways by the message receiver?  That was the assignment this week and it included reviewing a message, the same exact message, that was delivered in an email, in a voice message, and in a face to face conversation.   The messages are from a PM who is requesting a report from a team member I made notes after reviewing each of the 3 examples, and surprisingly, found little difference.

 

Looking at the clues in each of the delivery methods, they all point to the same tone being expressed in 2 of the 3 3examples.  Surprisingly, the face to face had the least amount of urgency expressed.    

 

The first method I reviewed was the email communication. The example of the email message from Jan to Mark seems polite yet she stresses the need to received his written report.  She asks him for the report and uses the words “please” and tells him that she really needs his help.  In my opinion, the email does not permeate an angry tone.  There are no WORDS WRITTEN IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS which would imply yelling and no exclamation points which also can show anger or excitement!!! There is a good website the points out different email etiquette techniques.

http://www.netmanners.com/272/caps-formatting-dont-matter/

 

 

 The second method was a voice mail message to Mark is from Jane and she is politely asking for the report and states that she may be late with her report if she does not receive his. Still sounds patient and sincere.  I would not perceive this as angry or impatient but rather desperate. Almost a begging quality to her voice.

 

 

 The third method was the face to face communication with the PM talking over the cubicle of the team member. The face to face conversation with Jane seems more relaxed than the email but you can see the exasperation on her face and she is tired.  She is being polite and then gives him huge forced smile at the end.  Clearly the woman is going to snap any minute!  Give her the report fast.   

 

Reference:

• Ertmer, P., & Quinn, J. (Eds.). (2007). The ID casebook: Case studies in instructional design (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

 

Time Management

I found this video on time management and now to create a time management quadrant by Dr. Darryl Cross.  Very useful information and I am going to do this exercise for myself again. 

I encourage everyone to look at this because this information is very helpful in how to balance your life and prioritize so that everything can get accomplished!

Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

                                Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

 

             The credit card industry is ever changing and there was a time of growth in the 1990’s for one of the major card  issuers that I worked for.  I worked on implementation projects that allowed for the U.S issued card to be used overseas in the ATMs in foreign banks.  Each ATM system had to be converted to be able to communicate with the Funds Access System that is used for U.S banking networks.  There were many issues that were worked through and it got to be a relatively smooth implementation project after having a few under our belts. 

            There is one particular project, however, that stands out in my mind because it was one that had a major set back and was completed but long past the deadline and with a lot of expense that was over budget.

            The company was going to roll-out a new card product that was a clear credit card with a microchip in the middle of the card with a small magnetic strip.  If  my memory serves me correctly, the chip was tested so that point of sale (POS) guns could be pointed at it and it would work to capture the sale information and all the other information . The problem was that the ATM readers at the banks were not recognizing the clear card product, so our implantation project was brought to a halt.  We had to go back to marketing and all of the other stakeholders to work out a solution.  There was no way the card was going to work in any type of ATM.  The solution was that the first issue of the card had to be sort of an opaque color, which was the most transparent that it could be for the machines to recognize that card was inserted. 

            This was clearly an issue where all departments had not completely brainstormed the idea before deciding to go forward with the product idea, development, and implementation.

The post-mortem questions found in the Project Management Minimalist that analyze the need and feasibility of the project deliverables fits best with the issue that we had in this ATM project (Greer, 2010, p. 41).

The answer to the 3 questions in Greer’s Phase 1:

1. Did our needs/market analysis or feasibility study identify all the project deliverables that we eventually had to build? If not, what did we miss and how can we be sure our future analyses don't miss such items?

The answer to this question would have to be no.  The market study/analysis did not identify all deliverables.  This detail of the product for the bank ATMs and the feasibility they the card would work was not discussed in full detail in the beginning.  Marketing had a clever idea for a new card product and it was a project that did not originally include our Global Electronic Funds Services Department to make sure that the card would work in a major business segment.

2. Did our needs/market analysis or feasibility study identify unnecessary deliverables? If so, how can we be sure our future analyses don't make this mistake?

The clear card idea was agreed upon before it was truly researched for usage.  Without each department working projects in the same manner using all stakeholders from the beginning analysis phases, there will be issues.  As Greer mentions, there are 7 things that need to be addressed in the beginning phase of a project. They are:  First, figure out if the project is needed. That is, find out if it supports a: Market demand, a business or strategic initiative, a customer request, a technological advance, a legal requirement, or some other important organizational initiative (2010, p. 8). 

3. How could we have improved our need-feasibility or analysis phase?  For the project mentioned, the need-feasibility or analysis phase could have been expanded to include every possible scenario for the card.  Usage, acceptance, technology advance as stated above, seem to be some key factors that were missing.

References:

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

  

Welcome!

Welcome Project Management and Instructional Design classmates.  I am very happy to welcome you to my blog for our new class! 

                                           

   REFLECTION

            I was very inspired when I read the theories by Dede where he describes Distance Learning as shifting to “active construction of knowledge through mediated immersion” (2005).  The use of the new technologies in the classroom will provide students, particularly the neomillanial students, with an interactive online education involving situational experiences and the ability to co-design to make learning more personal and suited to each individual.  I can see the trend moving the learning environment in the next decade as being much more interactive than it is now.   It is exciting to think that students are taking part in simulated games which are designed to teach concepts of business, how to run a business, how to solve math equations or even how to put together a car engine.  What are the limits to the power of online instruction?  With the information supplied by Dede and other forward thinkers, the limit will be pushed further than before.  I would like to think that within the next decade education will be somewhere further along than what it is now to the truly “magical” world of Dede’s virtual immersion experiences that he describes as the possible future for universities.

            The design of the new online learning trends have to keep pace with technology that is available to foster a more connected learning experience.  There will need to be a variety of offerings to students so that the information presented to them will appeal to each learner’s style of learning.  However, the academic and purpose of the instruction cannot be lost either.  The learning goals and outcomes have to be met so that the reputation of learning on line will not be overly simplified to its convenience or flexible format.  Gambescia and Paolucci’s( 2009)  research shows that most schools are concerned with providing information about the Academic Fidelity in in terms of the faculty and curriculum as a way to focus on quality of the education. The chart below from Gambescia and Paolucci (2009) shows the traits of flexibility, convenience, quality and a global classroom experience as what is important to most upcoming students who are looking for educational options. Designers need to create ways to use all of these attributes in the instructional design of each course so that quality becomes a higher selling point for online education.  Until a larger portion of society recognizes that online education is just as high in quality as face to face instruction, designers have more to do to set the bar higher.

            Current and future designers will have to be able to assess which technological resources will increase knowledge transfer based on the subject content.  When instruction is designed using the correct media, efficiency is maximized and learning experiences have more resources available (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012, p. 116).   Knowing what technology is available to students is an important part of the assessment phase when designing instruction.  Even with technology advancements, I think it is a best practice to provide the information in a variety of mediums so that all learners have options.  Even students that are online and enjoy working at a computer, iPad, laptop, or phone, should realize that there are times when having written text to mark up or high light is of value.  Course material selections should be varied and considered.  

            Making students comfortable in their online learning environment by having a well- organized classroom with all information and capabilities right at their fingertips is one way to further integrate distance education into mainstream society.  Online is becoming widely accepted as an alternative and Siemans points out in his video that as more people are having meaningful communication on line in their personal and professional lives, this is contributing to the growing acceptance (2012).  

            As a future designer and even now as a student advisor for online education, I feel tasked with continuing to learn and familiarize myself with the new technology that is available.  I am comfortable with some and not as familiar with others.  Continuous self -education and practice with technology is a goal of mine so that I can experience everything that is available.   The only way to effectively put to use the best technology for any training class is to know it and be effective at it.  I have work to do and have a lesson plan of my own that I will follow to continuously expand my knowledge and skill level.  The concepts discussed in this Distance Education class solidify my goal that I must be a continuous learner in order to be an effect instructional designer of the future.

Sincerely,
Kathy
        
    
References:

Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly, 28(1), 7–12.

Gambescia, S., & Paolucci, R. (2009). Academic fidelity and integrity as attributes of university        online degree program offerings. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1). Retrieved from

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html

Siemens,G. (2012)  The future of distance education.  Laureate Education Inc,. [Video Program]   

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Blended instruction is becoming more popular at my place of business as a way to up-train and present information to employees.  It used to be just the face to face training that everyone had to attend by packing into the training or conference rooms to listen to the Instructor go over new processes with us.

Now, most of our trainings are delivered to us first in an Online Training (OLT) course that we do right at our own desk and if it is a larger topic such as the new phone system that was just installed, there are Instructor Led Trainings (ILT) as well.

These have been successful for the most part, however, there is a consensus that the OLT Training part could be a little longer in length and the ILT could have been a little shorter!  Typically, the OLT takes only about 20-30 minutes and the ILT about 2 hours. 

I have attached a guide for the systematic approach that should be taken when trying to convert a face to face course into a blended instruction environment.

                                      The Impact of Open Source

 

To find out more about how the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), I reviewed one hosted by a Yale professor, Dr. Diana Kleiner on Roman Architecture.  The course number is HSAR252 and it is an introduction into the Roman building structures and the ancient roman town layouts. This class can be found at the web address http://oyc.yale.edu/history-art/hsar-252.   I found it very interesting because there are 1,500 pictures that accompany each of the 23 video lectures in this program.  Many of them are personal pictures taken by professor Kleiner and others are from Google Earth images or the textbooks that are required for the course.  The instructional materials associated with this course seem appropriate for the amount of information presented.  There are two textbooks that students must purchase along with a download of other course materials. 

            The course is a series of lectures that are listed on the webpage.  Since this course is just a collection of the lectures that have been videotaped, the Dr. Kleiner refers to the course timing as evolving over a semester.  The syllabus does not show a definitive begin and end date for the course and is a very weak in the sense that it does not clearly lay out what is to happen.  There are no details instructions on how to or if we can contact the instructor, how to find the project information and left me wondering where to go.  I had to find all of this on my own.  Assuming the responsibility for my own learning is essential in any student-centered learning environment (Simonson et al, 2013, p. 233).  However, there is also an amount of guidance that should be given by the instructor and communication between the two should still be part of the distance learning experience. 

 

            The 23 sessions listed are videotaped lectures from this professor’s face to face class and in some of them you can see the students sitting in the lecture hall.  The context of the course is to introduce students to the various styles of architecture and the lectures are very interesting and do just that.  In the few minutes of sitting through the first session, I found the pictures and the explanations very interesting.  Each online session has a transcript available also which can be printed out.  This is a good use of having the course materials in written form for students to use for note taking. 

            However, is this design the best for an online student?  I was not able to raise my hand or type in any questions if I wanted.  Some of the sessions have Dr. Kleiner asking questions and students answering her, but the distance learners do not have this option for interaction.  The structure of this class is in direct conflict with Drs.  Simonson and Schlosser (1995) use of equivalence theory in distance education.  They stated that online instruction is not to be the same as in- class instruction. It must be equivalent yes, but not the same (as cited in Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2013, p. 52).  There should be other interactive activities for the online learner to interact with the information, the professor, and each other.   The experiences of the distance learn should have equal value but can have different experiences.  Simonson also argues that just videotaping classroom instruction is not how distance education should be designed (2013).

            In this HSAR252 course, there are 2 exams that are taken in the course as well as a term paper or project of the student’s choice.  These are due by the end of the semester.  The student can either write an 8 page research paper, “Select a building – Select a theme” meaning the student can write about a particular building that they are interested in but was not covered in class.  The third option was to develop a roman city.   Kleiner describes this was done once by an architecture student.  The instructions for this project are found in one of the sessions about half way through the list of the lecture sessions.  There is no group work in this project and not requirement for technology or use of any interactive software.  While reading the instruction from her about getting permission for their own project ideas by her or one of her teaching fellows further alienates the distance student because we are not in contact with her or know of her fellows. I did like the information presented and found it very interesting, but I was an isolated observer and did not feel part of a course with other students.  In conclusion, the open course experience is not the same as the traditional distance education courses.

 

 

Images above are from Google Earth.  Two of the buildings discussed in the course.

References:

Simonson, M. (2013) Laureate Education, Inc.  Theory and Distance Learning. [Online Video]

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.