Overall project was to design a new hire orientation training curriculum to be used by all lines of business within a call center for a major financial company. The course outcome was and is still successful; however, from a project perspective there are many tools and processes that could have been used that would have allowed for a more successful project plan and better outcomes to the project team.
“Post Mortem” Questions
In reviewing the various project phases many were on target; however, in hindsight, some could have been performed better. Let’s take a look.
Phase 1: Determine Need and Feasibility
All major stakeholders agreed there was a need for a division-wide orientation program, especially during a two-company integration. It was important for new employees to understand the company’s mission, vision and strategies. One area that could have been improved upon was better organization of source documents from all sources (Portny, et-al, 2008, p. 33) and enhanced inclusion of other company divisions, and then a comprehensive document outlining the sources, division and content to be considered.
Phase 2: Create Project Plan
The first item to mention is that I served as the primary ID and the PM. According to Allen & Hardin, this is feasible because 53% of the time is spent performing PM projects and 47% as ID. However, this was my first project using project management tools so my numbers were skewed. Many instructional designers are ill-prepared to manage the resources, schedules, and budges associated with ISD projects (Allen & Hardin, 2008, p 75). I do think there are advantages to have an ID be the PM; however, the PM/ID needs to add another ID to be the primary ID with me supporting them in the process. Therefore, I would not have been the person doing most of the design and development.
A detailed design, development, and review schedule was created. However, the flaw in the timeline was that the SMEs had multiple documents to review at the same time. Once the project began, the SMEs requested a second review of all the documents which was not considered in the timeline and overall schedule. Therefore, the timeline did not anticipate for any unknowns (Portny, et-al, 2008, p 41).
Additionally, a clearly defined audience list was not developed (Portny, et-al, 2008, p 274). If this list had been created, it would have allowed me to ensure all parties were informed throughout the project.
I did create a project task list, both in Microsoft Word and Project Management; however, I did not use the tools to their fullest capabilities. In other words, my task list was not as detailed as it could have been and I did not continuously update my project plan with changes so it was difficult to manage any crunch or overlapping deadlines. In other words, I did not create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (Greer, 2010, p 15). If a WBS had been created and followed, risks would have been identified earlier and considered in the overall timeline to allow for the unknowns. This would have allowed the SMEs/reviewers additional time to complete their tasks and for the designers wiggle room during the development phase (Allen & Hardin, 2008, p 75).
As far as the right people involved, all SMEs were appropriately identified and their roles defined. All the SMEs proved to be very effective and valuable to the project and project meeting was conducted to share and review their responsibilities. A project roles and responsibilities document was created and each responsibilities assignments were made to designate primary, secondary and approval (Portny, et-al, 2008, p 96).
Another project tool that could have been more effective was the use of a clearly defined communication plan (Greer, 2008, p 15). A high level plan was created but because of the other issues; ID as PM, crunched timelines at the project initiation, and not all tasks being identified, the high level plan was implemented but more nilly willy or wishy washy than should have been. All communication seemed rushed because the deadline was looming.
Phase 3: Create Specifications for Deliverables and Phase 4: Create Deliverables
As far as the training development, my department has and uses established templates. However, this was my first design project using the department templates so the learning curve to gain a comfort level with them added to the design timeline and was not considered in the original schedule. Another aspect of the development and product deliverable was pulling each individual module into one document for ease of printing.
And as mentioned previously, the timeline was truly crunched due to overlapping documents to review and complete edits. It often seemed as though we were stumbling over documents.
Phase 5: Test and Implement Deliverables
This phase went more smoothly and most likely because I previously was a trainer and understood their expectations. The curriculum was implemented using train-the-trainer training sessions and a pilot program phase allowing ample time for feedback from other designers’ delivery observations and trainer feedback and surveys.
Another area that I would and should have done differently was the last phase of Evaluating and Ending Projects. I did not perform a post project evaluation (Portny, et-al, 2008, p. 404) which would have included a post project evaluation that would have gathered feedback on the overall project and uncover areas of project management strengths and improvements.
As you can see, the project was developed successfully with the exception of how it was completed. Phase 2: Creating a Project Plan of Project Management could have been more successful if many of the project tools and processes had been developed, implemented and followed. If I had to choose one project management tool to make sure I use the next time I am in charge of a project, it would be the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (Gordon & McDonough, 2010, June 14).
Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc
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. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Allen, S., & Hardin, P. C. (2008). Developing instructional technology products using effective project management practices. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 19(2), 72–97.
Copyright by Springer-Verlag, New York.
Gordon, A., & McDonough, M. (Ed.). (2010, June 14). What is a work breakdown structure? Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/2645.aspx
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Chris,
ReplyDeleteYou did a fantastic job in your post-mortem review. The experience and knowledge that you have shared has helped all of your readers to realize the importance of the project management process. As I read your post, I wondered if you had conducted a post-mortem at the end of your project or if this was the first opportunity to really look back and learn from the experience. The solutions that you suggested were appropriate and relevant to many project cases that we have reviewed and your analysis provided helpful information and insight for me for the Work Breakdown Schedule (WBS) that I am currently developing. This blog highlighted how important and imperative the WBS is to the PM process and how it must be reviewed and updated during the life cycle of a project.
I was interested in your comment that you would hire an additional instructional designer so that you could be a support for the instructional designer and not have as much hands-on responsibility while occupying the PM position. Murphy (2000) suggests an eight member team with one or two instructional designers. This scenario is a perfect example why he recommends this configuration and I can visualize how two instructional designers could be beneficial rather than competing within a team. I am sure that you have learned a great deal from this exercise as I have about the process, decisions, and responsibilities of a project manager.
Reference:
Murphy, C. (1994). Utilizing project management techniques in the design of instructional materials. Performance and Instruction, 33(3), 9-11.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like this was a challenging project. Not only were you new to project management, you also had to serve as both the project manager (PM) and instructional designer (ID). Allen and Hardin point out that the emphasis on IDs managing their own programs is growing (2008). If this is the case, it will become increasingly important for organizations to recognize the different roles the project manager and ID play on an instructional design project. The ID is responsible for overseeing the whole project. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, it may difficult to manage all aspects of a project as well as the design process itself. For this reason, I think your analysis that the project might benefit from another ID was accurate. Your post also made me wonder if a mentor or PM community of practice might have helped you as a new project manager. I know that while I have learned a lot about managing projects from on-the-job experience, I have also learned plenty from observing and getting advice more skilled project managers. Organizations may benefit by facilitating learning groups among their project managers to provide support for novice PMs in learning the ropes.
Allen, S., & Hardin, P. C. (2008). Developing instructional technology products using effective project management practices. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 19(2), 72–97.
Thank you both for taking the time to read my post and for your responses.
ReplyDeleteI did not recall the comment from Murphy about having an 8 member team. Who all should be included?
Actually, since I am going through this class, I have encountered a PM Community of Practice group and have reached out to members for assistance.
Also, I agree with Allen & Hardin, it will be more common for an ID to also be the PM so the more tools an employee has the better positioned they will be to perform better and stay employed.