Critical issues in elearning project management

Critical issues in

elearning project management

Ed-Media 2005 ConferenceMontreal, PQ ~ June 30, 2005

Beverly Pasian, M.A.Gary Woodill, Ed.D.

June 30, 2005 www.plantolearn.com 2

What is elearning project management (ePM)?• Combination of knowledge,

skills, and the application of certain methods, templates and principles to the management of an online learning project

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Emergence of ePM• Growing sophistication of elearning projects

requires new competencies to manage them• Traditional PM models (construction, software) are

changing to accommodate the technology, pedagogy of elearning projects

• Cultural issues, changes in resource use and project phases require variation on traditional model

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• Introductory chapter• Review of ePM literature• 24 case studies

– 16 in academic settings– 8 in corporate settings

• In final stage of negotiating with a publisher

Edited Book: Edited Book: Plan to Learn: Plan to Learn: case studies in elearning case studies in elearning project managementproject management

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Lesson 1: Importance of Leadership

• Involves both Sponsor and Manager• Key to project success• Manager: motivator and negotiator; directs

collaboration• Balances various sets of stakeholder needs• View of projects as “complex adaptive systems” –

leadership is fluid

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Lesson 2: Importance of Communications • Essential part of project plan:

– Supports awareness-raising and acceptance of achievements and issues related to each project phase

• Plan must reflect needs and involvement of project team and stakeholders– Prepare at beginning of project

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Lesson 3: Conflicting Cultures and Interests• Most prominent between content

developers (e.g., faculty/teachers or instructional designers) and IT members– Faculty (SMEs) and IT need their own separate but

distinct roles on the project team– Sense of competing ownership over the elearning

medium (is it technology or teaching?)

• In academic settings, conflict between interests of “managers” and “academics”

• Conflicts between clients interests and vendor interests

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Lesson 4: Need for adequate time, budget•Size of project should be

carefully assessed to determine time, budget– Typical problems: underestimation,

failure to identify resources and expenses

• More time, money needed during design, development phases– Traditional projects require more

during implementation

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Lesson 5: The Need to Manage risk and change• Lack of usability studies with learners or

instructors• Cultural / organizational changes – larger impact• SMEs (faculty) may leave • Change takes time…project timelines may not be

realistic• Evaluation takes more prominent role in ePM

(than traditional PM) – are learning goals being met?- Kirpatrick’s stages of training doesn’t work in academic settings

• Consensus building is ideal but not always possible

• Right LMS can be an enabler, wrong one a problem

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Lesson 6: The ePM Learning Curve• Many e-learning project managers have little or no

background in project management methods • PM is often an added role• Some find resources such as the PMI or SEI – others

make up their methods on the fly – few resources on ePM

• Need to survey available tools and technologies: facilitates learning and team building

• Need to start project process with standard PM tools: – feasibility study, needs assessment, stakeholder analysis,

communications planning, etc

• In the end, the project team can become a resource to be shared – e.g. from ePM novices to international consultants

ePM Web Sitewww.plantolearn.com

www.elearningprojectmanagement.com

Other resources“Plan to learn: case studies in ePM” (upcoming book…2005)

ePM Webinar series

F2F seminar series across Canada and USA

To get on mailing list, send e-mail to:

Beverly [email protected] 416-803-3269