Milestones of a Typical E-Learning Project
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Email Us | +61 2 9988 3412 Member Login Blog Post Search... Welcome Membership Blog Courses Resources Contact Us Consultancy Posted By : Alison Bickford Comments : 4 14 APR 2012 Milestones of a Typical E- Learning Project Last week I blogged about what to include in an e- learning request for quotation (RFQ). A RFQ helps make clear the requirements of an e-learning course for development. Meeting requirements and expectations during an e-learning courseware development project is a 2-way street. The role of the client is to keep objectives clear, manage the internal stakeholders and project processes. The role of the e-learning provider is to listen to the client, meet their needs, and add value to the project experience and outcomes along the way. Creating an e-learning course is a multidisciplinary, multimedia production. Like any production, it is dependent upon the quality of the outcome that came before it. From start to finish, there are clear milestones where the e-learning provider must seek sign-off from the client to help ensure all is correct before the next part of the process proceeds. The client has responsibility to complete a through check before signing-off the milestone. Visit regularly to read or listen to insights in organisational e- learning from the Academy's e- coach, Alison Bickford. New topics are posted weekly. Why not add the blog RSS feed into your favourite news aggregator to receive updates automatically. Subscribe in a reader The E-coach Blog
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Milestones of a Typical E-Learning Project
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Posted By : Alison Bickford Comments : 4
14APR2012
Milestones of a Typical E-Learning Project
Last week I blogged about what to include in an e-learning request for quotation (RFQ). A RFQ helps make clearthe requirements of an e-learning course for development.Meeting requirements and expectations during an e-learningcourseware development project is a 2-way street. The role ofthe client is to keep objectives clear, manage the internalstakeholders and project processes. The role of the e-learningprovider is to listen to the client, meet their needs, and addvalue to the project experience and outcomes along the way.Creating an e-learning course is amultidisciplinary, multimedia production. Like anyproduction, it is dependent upon the quality of the outcomethat came before it. From start to finish, there are clearmilestones where the e-learning provider must seek sign-offfrom the client to help ensure all is correct before the nextpart of the process proceeds. The client has responsibility tocomplete a through check before signing-off the milestone.
Visit regularly to read or listento insights in organisational e-learning from the Academy's e-coach, Alison Bickford. Newtopics are posted weekly. Whynot add the blog RSS feed intoyour favourite news aggregatorto receive updatesautomatically.
Subscribe in a reader
The E-coach Blog
E-Learning courseware milestonesign-offs
Let’s take up the project assuming a RFQ proponent has beenchosen. There are typically six milestones that require theclient to review carefully and sign off.
A. Design brief: This high level brief should reflect both theRFQ inclusions and details discussed at the kick-off meeting.It should outline the design approach for what s being taught,the assessment approach, graphic style, interactivity andanimation to be used, video and/or narration, navigationinclusions, authoring tool and understanding of the client’stechnology environment (standard operating environment –SOE). It should also include a few template mock-ups calledGUI (graphic user interface). These are visual treatments thatshould reflect a little of your corporate look/feel, but shouldalso be mindful of the learner experience. Get GUI sign-offfrom Corporate Comms before signing off the Design brief. B.Test course: From the design brief the e-learning providershould create a small test course reflecting all of the agreednavigation, interactivity and assessment type. Test the coursein your LMS and check all the functionality works. Test theassessment tracks correctly and the course completes. Thensign-off. C: Storyboard: This is perhaps the most complexmilestones, as it requires the client and e-learning provider tocome to consensus about how the course content will beconveyed to the learner. Clients new to developing e-learningwill often concentrate on the source content, whereas a goode-learning provider will be designing for learning experienceand engagement. It requires give and take. Where possible, gothrough the first draft in person so that each party can betterconvey their perspective. Several iterations of the storyboardmay be required before the document is ready for sign-off.Remember, this storyboard is in document form, the next stepis production using multimedia. so, any alteration to thestoryboard once production is underway is usually considereda project variation. It may cost you. D. Narration script: If thenarration is not verbatim to the text on screen, or it may be avideo script, then these also need to be sgned off prior to
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studio or video production. You are looking for a script that isconcise, compelling and reflects your culture. E. Alpha course:This is the first draft of the produced e-learn. You will need torun a user acceptance test (UAT) internally to check both thetechnical aspects of the course, and the course content.Expect to find some minor issues, which will need to bedocumented as a change request. if you receive an alphacourse with lots of issues, send it back to the e-learningprovider for another quality assurance review – it will taketoo much of our UAT team time to notate the issues. Wherepossible, run your alpha test in your LMS so that tracking isalso being tested. Sign off the change request beforereturning it to the e-learning provider. F. Beta course: Thiscourse should be almost perfect. Use your change requestdata to check that all items have been actioned. Check yourLMS tracking once more. You may find one or 2 issues. If theyare minor (e.g. punctuation issue), you may decide it is notworth asking the provider to publish yet again (which meansmore testing for you). It is very difficult o get everything100%. perfect. If it does need updates, document them ina change request and repeat the beta testing process. Yourcourse should now be live on the system…don’t forget yourcomms plan… These milestone sign-offs are just onecomponent of successful e-learning project management. Forinformation and support, including a course and tools,why not join the E-Learning Academy. I also run E-LearningProject Management workshops.
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steven April 21, 2012 at 12:47 am Reply
Thanks for the list of milestones—I’m glad tosee that you had several focused around testingas this is often something that gets overlooked.I wrote a post on specific testing activities forElearning awhile back. Feel free to give it alook: http://rockidscience.com/?p=289
Alison Bickford April 21, 2012 at 3:57
pm Reply
Thanks for sharing your blog post Steven.
Philip Wood April 16, 2012 at 7:39 pm Reply
Alison’s summary process and milestones isvery good. I can say this with some confidenceas we’ve been designing and delivering elearning for 10 years.
I’d like to suggest one additional point:
TimelineEven large corporates, with extensiveexperience of online training can have have asketchy view of the typical timescales neededfor each stage.
Perhaps the project manager hasn’t had thecourage to tell the most senior stakeholder(s)that it will take a bit longer than they’re beingpushed for.
And most times they significantlyunderestimate how long it will take them topoll their SMEs, assemble source information,manage their interview storyboard reviewprocess and feedback to the vendor in aconsolidated format.
Net result is that the final delivery dates tendnot to move out, but the final third of theproject gets squeezed.From the point where the
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storyboard is signed off, the actualdevelopment time – in our experience is oftenno more than 35-40% of the total elapsed time.
Bottom LineCreate and share a simple Gantt chart (Tom’sPlanner is a good place to start). It focuseseveryone on the timeline.
Alison Bickford April 17, 2012 at 5:19
am Reply
Thanks so much for your contribution tothis topic, Philip. I couldn’t agree more.Next week I am going to blog a list ofthings that cause e-learning projects tomiss time, budget or quality expectations.The issues you raise will certainly beincluded. Best wishes & thanks again.
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