Scope Creep

Analyzing Scope Creep

Bridal Shower Scope Creep Drama

     I assisted my best friend with the planning of a bridal shower this past summer. I wish I had known about the responsibilities and duties of project management to better prepare us for the vast amount of scope creep that we endured from the bride and her family members. Scope creep is defined as the natural tendency of the client, as well as project team members, to try to improve the project’s output as the project progresses (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008).

     Dorisa and I initially sat down with the bride and agreed upon a theme, budget, guest list, and location for the event. The budget seemed to balance with the bride’s expectations in the beginning of this project. As the planning and organization tasks progressed, the task list seemed to get longer and longer. First, the bride wanted to increase her guest list on several occasions. Of course, the more people you invite the more food, seating, and decorations are needed. In turn, this will cause an increase in the budget. The bride didn’t have extra money allotted in her budget for the increase she demanded, so of course we had to deviate funds from other sub tasks to please the bride.

     Looking back on this experience, we could have pulled in more stakeholders who would have been willing to assist in the financial department. We should have consistently communicated with the bride and her family members on the progress and updated remaining funds throughout the project. We also could have pre-planned to use alternate inexpensive food choices and decorations to accommodate for any possible risks. Risk is the possibility that a project might not achieve its product, schedule, or resource targets because something unexpected occurs or something planned does not (Portny et al., 2008).  The next time I’m asked to assist with planning a bridal or baby shower, I feel that I’m well equipped with project management tools to successfully complete the project and maintain/decrease scope creep.  Scope creep will happen in any project you take on, but as the project manager (PM) you have to plan for the worse and hope for the best.

Reference

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.

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

Learning about the different responsibilities, roles, performance tasks or duties of a project manager has really unfastened my eyes completely throughout this course. I’ve learned thus far that instructional designers find themselves being managed by a project manager, may be performing every role an must manage themselves, or may serve as the project manager and be less involved with the day-to-day development, Stolovitch (n.d.). Budrovich (n.d.) explained that every project requires the management of five variables: time, resources, expertise, quality, and scope. With that in mind, each component of a project has to have a budget that is formed by estimating costs and allocating resources to get the project completed successfully. There are so many resources and tools to utilize to assist a novice to experience project manager during a project. The Bright Hub PM website provides forms/templates, and software on Excel project budgets. They have created Excel forms for overall project budget, monthly project budget, and task project budget. So there is no need to recreate the wheel when you have templates/forms already out there and accessible to use. This would save time, which is a very crucial component of a project. Check out the site by clicking on the link below.

http://www.brighthubpm.com/templates-forms/75727-use-our-excel-project-budget-template-to-simplify-your-life/

EnrichUK Good Practice Guidebook also provided a great amount of useful information on the vital steps of taking on a project and completing it successfully. I focused in on the following sections: planning tools and techniques, risk management, costs and budgets, and monitoring and controlling sections because these are the phases that I’m learning and constructing currently during this course. I gained valuable information and I suggest you check out this website also. Allocating resources for a project seems to be the main stress that a project manager has to experience to make sure the budget is accurate in order to fulfill the requirements for each task/activities included in a project.

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/nof/support/gpg/ProjectManagement/#Costingandbudgets

References

Bowen, R. & McDonough, M (2011). Use Our Excel Project Budget Template to

     Simplify Your Life. Bright Hub Inc. Retrieved on 11/29/12, from:

http://www.brighthubpm.com/templates-forms/75727-use-our-excel-project-budget-template-to-simplify-your-life/

EnrichUK Good Practice. Project Management. (2004). Retrieved on11/29/12, from: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/nof/support/gpg/ProjectManagement/#Costingandbudgets

Stolovich, H. (n.d.). Project Management and Instructional Design. [Video Media].

     Laureate, Inc.

Communicating Effectively

     Communication is a key component in any relationship, situation, and mainly during a project. Effective communication has to take place among all project team members in order for the project to move forward and achieve its goals. For this week’s assignment, I had to view the multimedia program “The Art of Effective Communication.”  The piece of communication was presented in three different modalities: as written text, as audio, and as video.

Written text (email)

Jane sent an email to Mark expressing that she needed a data report so that she could complete her task in the project and meet her deadline. Jane displayed understanding, used clear and concise communication, and provided options for the solution. Dr. Stolovitch (n.d.) agreed that effective communication with stakeholders should be clear, concise, and focused in order to help everyone stay on target. I felt the email was professional and to the point. This informal written correspondence assisted Jane in quickly communicating what she needed form Mark, but also provided Jane with documentation of the discussion. Emails can be a convenient method to communicate, but could cause a gray area when it comes to trying to figure out someone tone or attitude within the message.

Audio (voicemail)

I felt I interpreted the same message from the voicemail Jane left Mark, but it had a different influence of communication. The voicemail seem to have added a more understanding tone and warmer delivery. Jane still was clear on her request, kept a good pace of conversation, provided great tonality, and displayed a professional attitude. The voicemail exposed Jane’s professional attitude about getting her task done in the overall project and also provided Mark with flexible options.

Video

In the beginning of the assignment, I knew the face-to-face form of communication would produce the best result. When you are F2F communicating with someone, you can interpret their body language, sense their emotion, and clearly listen and get immediate feedback from the information presented.  One-on-one meetings are particularly useful for interactively exploring and clarifying special issues of interest to a small number of people (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). The video did provide a visual of a non-confrontational attitude from Jane. Jane was smiling, giving eye contact, and still using a calm and professional tone. She also provided different methods for Mark to give her the data information that she needed to complete her part of the project.

Overall I felt the voicemail and F2F methods of communication were effective during this activity. Emails are widely used to communicate things quickly to people, but again I feel gray area can interfere with the intent of the message. I have learned that you can use different methods of communication to deliver a message effectively, but you should make sure the intention of your message is clear, concise, friendly, and professional.

References

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.

Stolovitch, H. (n.d.). Communication with stakeholders. [Video Media]. Laureate

     Education, Inc.

Learning from a Project "Post-Mortem"

Learning from a Project “Post-Mortem”

Project managers should plan to conduct and hold a postproject evaluation after any project is performed (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). A postproject evaluation, or project postmortem, is an assessment of project results, activities, and processes in order to recognize project achievements, identify techniques that worked, and approaches that didn’t work (Portny et al., 2008). I’m a Physical Education teacher and I haven’t had the opportunity to conduct a formal project, but I consider organizing a May Day annual event at my elementary school as a major project.

Each year the PE department organizes a May Day event for the students to participate in relay races, carnival games, and witness live entertainment. The planning for this project starts in February, even though it’s in May. We have to create a blueprint version and submit it to our administrators for approval, then get financial funds approved, and then gather all resources and people needed to assist in the actual event. Scheduling is a big headache due to having to work around other school calendar events, fieldtrips, and lunch schedules. May Day is a strenuous project, but I love the outcome every year.

After the May Day event, the PE department normally sits down and reflects on the pros and cons of what happened so that we can revise and improve the event for the following year. After answering the “Post Mortem” review questions, I was able to reflect on the approaches that produce great outcomes and things that caused obstacles in our events. We along with the entire school are always proud of the May Day event. The teachers, students, administrators, and parents show great gratitude each year. The most effective component of this project is the planning. The other stakeholders, administrators and teachers, tend to interfere with the scheduling by approving fieldtrips and other activities during May Day week, which then causes schedule changes. This obstacle could be eliminated if the administrator participated effectively in this project by only allowing the 1^st week in May to be reserved only for May Day events.

Regardless of what the project involves, it's important for project managers and team members to take stock at the end of a project and develop a list of lessons learned so that they don't repeat their mistakes in the next project (Greer, 2010).

References

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.

Perceptions of Distance Education in the Future

Perceptions of Distance Education in the Future

     Distance education has been around since the mid 1800s. Distance education started with the use of the newspaper to create an avenue for correspondence courses. Then went on to use the post service, radio, television, telephone, Internet, learning management systems (LMS), and now Web 2.0 technology tools to implement distance education. The evolution of distance learning is remarkable and I can’t visualize it discontinuing now. There is a tremendous need for distance education and what it has to offer.

Distance Learning in 5-10 Years

     Based on my own personal experience, distance learning will continue to educate traditional and non-traditional students to allow them to reach their academic achievements. In this course I learned the three models of distance learning: online courses, hybrid/blended courses, and web-facilitated courses. Each models offers a different type of distance learning, which would accommodate the vast amount of diverse learners and their learning style needs. Distance education is becoming a good way to acquire knowledge separate from the traditional method of attending the classroom (Schmidt & Gallegos, 2001).  In 5-10 years I visualize distance learning progressing to higher levels, utilizing more new invented technology tools, and becoming even more popular to individuals who are seeking higher education.

Distance Learning in 10-20 Years

     I can’t image the perceptions of distance learning in 10-20 years from now. Since it’s progressing so well from the mid 1800s, I can only visualize great improvements and more learners utilizing this method of education.  I will say that I don’t agree that distance education will replace traditional on-campus programs, but I do feel that distance education programs will be more accepted, respected, and have higher enrollment. It is clear that distance education, especially online learning, is here to stay and is likely to continue to expand in the foreseeable future (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).

Improve Societal Perceptions

     As an instructional designer, you must be an advocate for distance education. An instructional designer is a key player when it comes to designing and developing on-the-job trainings, web-based instruction, or online courses.  The ID may also have explain the importance reasons for implementing distance learning modules to businesses, military forces, and learning institutions. The ID can make sure that societal perceptions are improved by creating quality work that benefits everyone.

Positive Force

     Distance delivery is, and will continue to have an impact on education in the years to come (Schmidt & Gallegos, 2001).   I want to be a positive force in the field of distance education. The keys to successful distance education are in the design, development, and delivery of instruction, and are not related to the geography or time (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012). I want to create distance learning modules that are organized, meets the learner objectives, evaluate learning, and most importantly engage the learner. I’ve learned a great amount of knowledge from this course about the important components that must go into distance learning. I will be that positive force in distance education if I design and implement trainings and courses that meet the needs of all learners from a distance.

References

Schmidt, E., & Gallegos, A. (2001). Distance learning: Issues and concerns of

     distance learners. Journal of Industrial Technology, 17(3). Retrieved from

     http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/schmidt041801.pdf

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

Converting F2F to Distance Learning

I was presented a real life scenario about a training manager frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With the supervisor's permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format. Blended learning is considered a form of distance learning because 30%-79% of the course's content is delivered online (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). This would provide the opportunity for the trainer and trainees to interact with each other and learn the material in both a F2F and online environment. I reflected on serveral questions and provided my best solutions for the trainer to consider before converting the training course. 

                                      AND

Click on link below to view my reflection on converting to a distance learning format.

                                                                                                                                    

http://www.scribd.com/doc/110618667/Converting-to-a-Distance-Learning-Format

Open Course

The Impact of Open Source

     The open source course I selected to review this week was MUSI 112: Listening to Music (http://oyc.yale.edu/music/musi-112#overview), provided by Open Yale courses. This course is designed for musical novice to foster the development of aural skills that lead to an understanding of Western music.  The learner objectives for the course consist of learning how music is put together and learning how to listen to a variety of musical styles.

     Before exploring through the open source course, I read the details in the syllabus. The syllabus is one of the most important components of an online course or face-to-face course. They syllabus also has vital information for the students such as, textbook resources, grading scales, and participation requirements. Instructors of online courses must make the course organization, calendar, activities, and expectations as clear as possible (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).  I felt the course was carefully pre-planned for a face-to-face or an independent correspondence type of learning environment. I didn’t observe any technology emphasis or skills required to navigate or interact this course, which made me think it wasn’t totally pre-planned for an asynchronous online learning environment.

     As I continued my journey of learning how to listen to music, I notice that each session was basically a recorded lecture of the face-to-face learning environment. Of course open source courses were designed and created to allow anyone from anywhere to learned material from prestigious universities for free or at a very affordable rate. One of the fundamentals of teaching online courses is not to dump face-to-face course onto the web (Simonson et al., 2012). This course did just that. Each session showed the weekly recorded lectures and provided criteria for the weekly assignments.

     In my conclusion, I felt that this open source course was not pre-planned for a distance learning environment. The course had minimal interaction and few activities to maximize active learning. The course didn’t entirely utilize a systematic instructional design process in my opinion. The critical components of an instructional design system include the learners, the content, the method and materials, and the environment, including the technology (Simonson et al., 2012).  On the other hand, the instructor did have an organized syllabus, presented the material effectively by having visual and audio delivery options, assigned coursework to measure the learners gained knowledge, and the class pace was appropriate for the musical novice learners. Perfect for a face-to-face learning environment.

Reference

MUSI 112: Listening to Music (2012). http://oyc.yale.edu/music/musi-112#syllabus. Open Yale courses.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning

     at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.