Analyzing Scope Creep

Scope creep is nothing new to me in my role as a HR Trainer. In my department, I am responsible for developing training that supports our district's administrators prepare for and execute teacher evaluations. In planning the trainings, often times I experience interruptions in development and implementation from our leadership groups, who find additional items to include at every turn. 

One specific example of scope creep I encounter is the manipulation of deadlines. Our evaluator certification training began in June 2020, yet planning began in February with 9 weeks scheduled to conduct needs assessments, create training content, activities, and determine the LMS to implement rollout. In this case, I had plenty of time to produce the training and the timeline was agreed upon for completion and review. 

Unfortunately, the timeline was derailed in week 2 by my manager, who wanted to produce a project within 6 weeks in hopes to impress district leaders (individuals I might add who did not have go through the certification process) and rollout months earlier than anticipated. My initial inquiry to this request was simply, "Why?". I went on to explain how the abbreviated timeline would affect the tasks I was currently working on (did I tell you I was a one-woman team?), especially the LMS integration, as our vendor had yet to construct the online component that houses the training and the exam. This was planned to occur in week 5, as they were currently working on another concern for our office that required time. I presented that the best solution would be to continue on the original project SOW as confirmed to alleviate additional costs from the vendor to or their inability to meet the new requests. 

Long story short, my request to maintain the initial project SOW was denied. I did request for assistance from a colleague to help accomplish the project within the escalated timeline. Instead, I was replaced with the colleague and reassigned a new project. Due to the new changes, the vendor was not able to create the LMS changes to accommodate the online course within such turnaround and abandoned the project. As a result of this, at the conclusion of the five week timeline, the training was introduced as an instructor-led session over two days in lieu of online with a paper test-- much to the dismay of district leaders. Around this time, COVID-19 became more prevalent, cancelling much of the in-person trainings the district held, including this one. Training was then shifted to occur via Microsoft Teams and its implementation and the processes taken by the manager were highly criticized. 

In hindsight, if I had final decision-making rights to this project, I would have maintained the original timeline. Unknowing that a pandemic would have led us to virtual learning fulI-time, I believe the outcome from the original project would have been an innovative turn for our district, serving as a model for how we could better serve and train our instructional and non-instructional colleagues. I now will work to include change of scope documentation in our planning conversations, even with my reporting managers, to confirm contingencies if and when planning changes occur to the project to help identify and assign accountability in the event the project outcomes are not desirable. 

Resources to Manage Your Project's Schedule

The website Toggl Plan defines project scheduling as "the process of breaking down a project into activities/tasks, resources, deliverables, and milestones" (2020). Before the tech boom, many projects could be managed using spreadsheets, leaving opportunities for gaps in project completion and time management concerns.Today, project managers have a plethora of resources and tools at their disposal to help protect the integrity of their projects and timelines. 

Monday.com is an awesome project management system that allows for project 

managers to track the phases and tasks of the overall ID project. Workflows can be 

compartmentalized by boards, providing specialized work areas for the assigned team member. 

PM teams can easily update progress per board with dedicated status updates to select from 

that are automated, which will alert assigned stakeholders to events such as tasks finished, 

past due, and any notes the assigned team members make. I have used this site in past 

projects and it was extremely helpful in helping me stay on track with the various facets of the 

training project I was developing at the time. It also eliminated so many meetings with my 

manager and other collaborative partners, because once I added them to the project, they 

were always kept abreast of my progress. 

Gantt charts have been a staple in project management for years. A new update of this old PM staple

is TeamGantt. This project scheduling software has features the old Excel sheet could not provide us;

the ability to clock completion percentages, view team productivity levels, budgeting expenses 

(whether you're over or under...hopefully the latter!), and the site generates reports. Based on the 

website breakdown, TeamGantt also offers comparison timelines. This is a wonderful feature to show 

stakeholders and clients the 'life' of the specific project, compared to where it initially began, especially 

if scope creep on the part of the client is evident. 

As an Project Manager, it is important to make sure you are equipped with tools that will aid your 

success in completing the project. Project scheduling is the first step in defining how well the outcome of 

tasks will be. Whether you use Monday.com, TeamGantt, or one of the many PM apps and software

on the market, you and your team will benefit.

References

Deshpande, I. (2020). 16 free & paid project scheduling software tools for all budgets. Retrieved from

https://toggl.com/blog/project-scheduling-software

Monday.com (2020). Retrieved from https://monday.com

TeamGantt. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.teamgantt.com/features

Communication Modalities

The State University of New York (n.d.) define learning modalities as the sensory channels or pathways through which
individuals give, receive, and store information. In this week’s blog post, I examine one message through three modalities: email, voicemail, and face-to-face, to determine communication impact or results. 

Email 

The overall tone of the email sounds rushed, as if the sender is exasperated with trying to retrieve the report data from Mark. The word ‘report’ is included 4-5 times, seemingly to emphasize its importance. I get the sense that the receiver might have requested this report before, due to the reference that it is missing’. All of these markers in the email messages paint the picture that the receiver may not be concerned about the established deadlines. 

Voicemail

The voicemail sounded less accusatory, with the sender speaking as if they were in a rush and needed the report as soon as possible. The tone of voice was calm yet pleasant, which makes the message almost see sympathetic. Unlike the email, hearing the sender’s verbal offer option for the receiver to email the data separately sounds as if she was trying to assist the receiver in an easier way to provide her the requested information. 

Face-To-Face

The young lady’s facial expressions also display a warm demeanor towards the receiver. Similar to the voicemail, the face-to-face modality was warm. The young lady uses a calming voice to appease the receiver, displaying her need for the reports and how they affected her project deadlines. 

It is important to understand that communication can be perceived differently and have varied results and reactions based on how it is received. As a project manager, this individual will be responsible for identifying the preferred communication methods for clients, team members, and any other stakeholders to guarantee messages are conveyed and received in a positive and productive manner that keeps the task moving forward. 

Reference

Modalities (n.d.). The State University of New York. Retrieved from https://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/learning/modalities.htm

Project Management Failures

Quite often, we tend to focus on the success we’ve experienced with accomplishing projects. But what about when we fail? How can we learn from those losses? I discuss an example of a failed project below and strategies I could have implemented to make the process more fluid. 

Project Background

In July 2018, I was asked to create an evaluation norming activity to release to 450 school principals in an effort to continue honing evaluation practices. To provide context, a norming activity typically includes an opportunity for evaluation teams to view a recorded instructional lesson, script by collecting evidence, and align evidence to the assigned rubric to determine a teacher’s level of instructional performance. I was given little to no guidance on how to set this up; I was told “We want this done. Preferably around September.” I quickly began outlining what was needed for this project to happen: timelines for completion, expected outcomes, technical needs (LMS platform functions), and communication plan. At the time, I had about 3-4 weeks to create the program’s functions, with check-ins with the manager each week to report progress. No recommendations were given, no changes. By late August, a final project that met the requirements I created. I did ask for colleague feedback, inviting them to walk through the course requirements in the LMS and an overview of the discussion. Both ended with positive results. When presented to my manager with feedback, she stated the next phase was for her to include other leadership members to review the process, from outline to finished product. I was told I would have ‘feedback’ by September...yet September is when they wanted the program to rollout for participants. 

Long story short...the norming project was not released until November 2018, two months after the initial requested launch. After an additional 4 weeks of inquiring about feedback from leadership, my manager requested to broaden the audience from 450 principals to all 632 school-level administrators across the district. This meant I had to manually add the additional 182 people to the current LMS course. In lieu of each grade band receiving its own aligned instructional video, all participants were required to watch the same 3rd grade video, which angered many of the middle and high school administrators. The last piece of straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back was after the two-month delay, the project was mysteriously ‘reassigned’ from me to the Academics department lead to revise, The final product on their end was the same project I created. I did manage to determine that the transfer of the project was not due to my error or negligence; it was reallocated because leaders felt ‘the norming process would be better suited in the academics department, not the evaluation department’. By December 2018, only 27 people completed the norming assignment. 

Why did the project fail?

I believe it was due to unclear expectations on what was wanted. I created a program that could have been successful (It was when we used it in 2019) yet there were no guidelines in which the manager nor her leadership had for the process. Time was also a factor in its failure. By the time participants were granted access, it was December, a time of year that many school administrators are engulfed in many end of semester tasks (i.e. grading, district responsibilities, evaluations). If the project was launched on time, we would have at least allowed for practice before the actual evaluation season began and used the data to determine areas of focus for future practice and areas to support during the season. 

Which parts of the PM process, if included, would have made the project more successful? Why?

When I reflect on my experience, I should have asked more questions about what my manager’s expectations were, even if she initially responded with nothing. Two that come to mind is what her vision was for norming, or if the department had conducted it previously and its outcomes. Also, conducting a needs analysis to determine areas of concern would have been a great method to assess evaluation areas to pinpoint support and norming aids. 

New Course Alert! EDUC 6145: Project Management

 EDUC 6145: Project Management 

New Course Alert!

Welcome to Project Management! This is the 9th course in the Instructional Design & Technology program with Walden University. This blog will give you a glimpse into my thoughts and ideas about ID experiences within the project management field.

Be sure to follow my blog! Leave a comment below to let me know you are here!

-IDT Newbie

The Future of Distance Learning: A Course Reflection

Perceptions of Distance Learning  

Perceptions of distance learning will shift greatly within the next few years. Two years ago, it was documented that college presidentsbelieved that at least 25% of college students will be online for learning (Lowell, 2018). Now, as of August 2020, here we are, with the majority of the country’s educational system utilizing distance learning methods to keep the school year on track. It is my belief that within the next few years, if not sooner, the perception of distance learning will shift from one of apprehension and doubt to one of appreciation. Before the pandemic, it seems as if the idea of distance learning was a viable option for learning for every institution except K-12 organizations. Now, mid-pandemic, all educational institutions must look to distance learning and are searching for support to develop programming that supports learners from a distance. 

     Technology is constantly evolving and the need for distance learning is bound to become as necessary as textbooks for courses. Through the use of online learning, both learners and speculators are beginning to understand that geographical distance is not a damaging factor in the learning process or interaction among students (Laureate, n.d.). With its development in distance learning, technology is taking on a new form that provides learners with varied options for distance learning that have improved online learning for thousands of students. 

Societal Perceptions of Distance Learning 

     Technology is widely used today to communicate virtually anything the human mind can think of. It seems almost inconceivable that distance learning is just now being implemented in the K-12 sector, yet many districts nationwide have touted themselves as proficient in educational technology. To help eliminate this notion, I would strive to create interactive experiences that include objective-driven assignments that motivate learners to interact with the work and each other fluidly, replicating similar instances they would experience in a face-to-face setting. 

 Contribution to Distance Education

     When designing instruction for learners participating in distance learning opportunities, I will ensure content is created with the principles of adult learning in mind. It is my hope to squelch societal fears by constantly demonstrating the benefits of and advancements of instructional design and ways it enhances the learning experience. By incorporating basic theories, approaches, and ensuring all learner abilities and accommodations are considered, my contributions will maintain learner engagement and push them beyond their initial thinking, which increases the collaborative process for both instructor and learner. 

 

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). The future of distance education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 

Lowell, A. (2018). The past, present, and future of distance learning. Training Industry. Retrieved from https://trainingindustry.com/articles/remote-learning/the-past-present-and-future-of-distance-learning/#:~:text=The%20Future&text=Additionally%2C%2025%20percent%20of%20learners,about%2C%20from%20their%20own%20homes.

 

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (6th ed.) Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Assignment Summary: Converting Trainings for a Distance Learning Environment

For our week 7 assignment, we were tasked with creating a best practices guide for converting a training in a format that is conducive to distance learning environments. We were given free reign to create our guide in any format, and in the spirit of developing portfolio items, I chose to be a tad creative this week. My guide was created using the site Piktochart. Piktochart is an amazing site where you can design colorful layouts for posters, flyers, infographics and MORE! I selected the infographic design to layout the principle steps I considered to be vital to convert trainings to function in an online learning. Topics discussed are below:

1. The Basics of Every Course
2. Activities and Materials 
3. Technologies and Resources
4. Student Support Materials 
5. Training Shifts 
6. The Change in the Role of a Trainer
7. Encouraging Learner Communication

Please take a look at the infographic and let me know what you think! What else should be considered when converting face-to-face trainings for distance learning?