Scope Creep

When I think about the project I have worked in my professional life I can think of multiple projects that have had scope creep; which is where the scope of the project exceeds the original defined scope.

The first project was a video production project that started out at an informal side project that I was doing for fun when I was supporting another work related project. I was support a system conversion project, and also video taping the associates feedback on change management. Although the project started out as an informal side project it, quickly became a high priority and the interviews became part of a company-wide presentation. This projects was scope creep was because a clearly defined scope wasn’t project was never identified. That defiantly taught me the value of having the project scope outlined and verified from the start of any project.

Another project where I have encountered a scope creep like situation is related to a project that was for building a virtual training environment. The scope of the project was defined out, the player that were related to the different areas were talk. The project was very well planned, we had business analyst assess the value of the project, we had sign off from half of the companies’ upper management. Now, if we fast forward 6-8 months to the system be done from a IS/IT building standpoint and handed over to the training department, this is where the issue started. Some of us were expecting a “turn key” system and other expect to have to do some work to make the new tool what we want!

The issue is that we couldn’t have the IS/IT department defining simulated training scenarios. It came down to the training department analyzing the core data and making adjustments to the data to design our go forward system.

So this project didn’t have a traditional scope creep, it had a miscommunication scope creep. In the end this situation came down to make sure every party understood why it was important for us to define our own scenario from the data.

It all comes down to communication!

Thanks,

Rob

Communication types

There are clearly many different ways to communicate as part of this weeks assignment we saw the same message delivered 3 ways, via email, voicemail and face to face. The person receiving the message translates each of these communication methods differently.

The email in our small case study seemed to be wordy and insincere. There are three types of emails that I send, “The first is the quick or low priority response. I send things I hope will just be immediately deleted or read whenever. The second is documentation. When I want to layout something that someone can refer to in the future, I'll send an email so that they can easily save the information however they like. The third is when I want to be on record”. (Ramsey, 2008) It was clear that an email asking for the information didn’t fit into any of the above options. It was have been an email or file that Jane needed from Mark, but the original request didn’t have to be an email.

I think that voicemail communication from the standpoint of phone tag isn’t the best approach to communication. If it’s voicemail system then that maybe better. Also with either system it seems like the information given like in an email will make or break the message. For example if the voicemail message is “call me”, why didn’t you email or text me that message? Voicemail does have the advantage of sincerity, and being able to hear the persons voice and emotions. All to often we try and put “emotion” in emails and in type with things like LOL or OMG. LOL will never replace a sarcastic comment that is followed by an LOL. For example, if I send an email to my boss on a project status update and ask him “Are you done with that file yet, it’s taking forever for you to get me that information, LOL!!” That may not come across as sarcasm in an email like it would in a voicemail.

Face-to-Face communication has the lowest chance of misinterpretation, in the example for this week it was apparent that Jane was actually aim to be very open and sincere. Her goal was to truly get a status update not to really push Mark to complete something fast then possible. The emphasis in the email and voicemail seem to be on Jane need to complete her assignment. With the f2f it seemed more laid back just looking for an update. “Face-to-face communication has nuances that electronic communication will never have. I knew I'd be able to express an easily misunderstood point much more clearly in person.” (Ramsey, 2008)

Overall, I think that it flows smoothly and clearly from email to F2F communication for how emotions can be misinterpreted. Also it seems based off of my professional experiences it’s easy to type an emotional email and then hit send and regret putting the information into text. Emotions tend to stay in check more with voicemail, phone calls and F2F communication.

References:

Multimedia Program: "The Art of Effective Communication", Laureate Inc. 2010

Ramsey, J. (2008, July 14). Communication - Phone vs. Email vs. Voicemail.... (Staying Sane - Organization in a Digital World). Allegheny College: Webpub. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/com

Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

From October through mid December I was the lead trainer on complex building integration project. This project was part of larger corporate initiative to integrate another office supplies company that was bought out by my employer in July of 2008.

Overall, my project was a huge success! It was seen as one of the smoothest conversations/integration to date. Part of the reasons for success was that I had been a team member is several similar projects across the country and as part of those projects we did the post mortem project review.

Indirectly we did answer a lot of the question that are in Greer’s book The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! as part of our post mortem review. I think it’s imperative to ask questions as state by Greer like:

· What was the single most frustrating part of our project?

· How would you do things differently next time to avoid this frustration?

· Which of our methods or processes worked particularly well?

· Which of our methods or processes were difficult or frustrating to use?

· If you could wave a magic wand and change anything about the project, what would you change?

(2010 p. 42)

The answers to the above questions outline a clear and successful plan for my manager and I to follow for our project.

One example of this would be, based off of previous project the physical inventory training tended to be a little confusing for the learn to comprehend. In the past it was delivered 1 hour prior to the associate going out and starting the process. The goal had been to deliver the training as close to the time need so there would be no lose in information retention. The take away was that it also only gave them one shot to learn a complex process with no practice activities or hand on experience.

My idea was to create a hands on practice activity that was done several times throughout the week leading up the physical inventory. The results were clear and undeniable that the ROI was well worth it. The inventory was the most accurate to date, and the learner time to mastery was a quarter of the time that it was in the past.

The success of my project was directly related to the success and failure of other projects. Being able to learn via a post-mortem review process exactly what could be better and also worked is imperative!

References:

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Reflection

Over the past eight weeks I have learned a lot about distance education. Including that fact that it’s not new, the concepts of distance education are far greater then just eLearning. Distance education dates as far back as 1833, when it was just articles in a newspaper and corresponded based. If you look at the evolution thus far for distance education it show a clear predictor that the growth and acceptance isn’t stopping anytime soon.

Over the next 5-10 year, I think that the primary changes are going to be more of a blend of distance learning and face-to-face (f2f) learning. One of the primary take a ways that I have from this class (Distance Learning EDUC-6135), was that distance education doesn’t have to take the place of f2f classes. All to often it seems as though we think its f2f vs. distance learning. It’s not a competition of one vs. the other it about how we can make them work together to benefit the learner.

Looking out 10-20 year, I think that distance education is going to be more the norm, with new video chat and multimedia technologies being developed the distances will start to fade away. If you look at the current level of video conferencing technology and the pace of advancements, the future is going to very interesting, for an example look at agcommsvs.ca.uky.edu/videoconferencing/.

As instructional designer, it will be our jobs to create positive learning experiences for all learners that are taking distance learning based courses. One of the takeaways I had from this class was the importance of the instructional designer building a solid course for the facilitator. As an instructional designer it important to build in activities that attempt to close the gap and the perception of the distance in distance learning.

My primary mission for continuous improvement in the field of distance education is to incorporate as much multimedia in distance education courses. The concepts of Web 2.0 and social learning theory are strongly driven by multimedia learning. Ironically, multimedia learning isn’t far off what we have been doing for year, because multimedia is defines as the usage of text, graphics, audio and video.

Facilitating Distance Learning

Teaching and training always require a level of preparation. When delivering a distance learning or blended learning course it takes an extra level of preparation. However, there are some tips and advice that can be reviewed to help the facilitator prepare for delivery.

Pre-Planning Strategies

Before you start the primary planning phase, there are a few questions that need to be answered.

· What model is this going to be delivered by, (I know the scenario states blended, but does that mean the exact blended format?)

o Online Course

o Blended/Hybrid Course

o Web-facilitated

· Are the courses going to be delivered by synchronous or asynchronous distance learning methods?

o Synchronous distance learning occurs when the teacher and his pupils interact in different places but during the same time. (Littlefield, 2011)

o Asynchronous distance learning occurs when the teacher and the pupils interact in different places and during different times. (Littlefield, 2011)

Planning Strategies

Now that the basics are answered the next phase of questions are related to your choice selected above. Yet, they can be broken down into two primary categories of technology and activities. The technology selected can have a direct impact on the activities that will be utilized during the course, and the activities selected are directly related to how the original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format.

The technologies and activities utilized for Synchronous and Asynchronous differ.

Synchronous-

· WebEx

· Web Cams

Asynchronous-

· Podcasts

· Discussion Boards

Read the attached PDF for more details.

Role of the Trainer

The role of the trainer with a blended distance learning course will be split between the roles of a facilitator/moderator and traditional trainer. During the classroom portion the role stay the same. Yet, with the distance learning portion the role changes to that of facilitator/moderator.

Communication with leaners is different in distance learning; “The way the instructor addresses students and the tone of responses also influences the atmosphere of an online learning environment. Although students cannot hear the intonation of an instructor's voice or benefit from body language, emoticons or abbreviations can be used to provide similar clues and prevent misunderstandings. For example, to communicate humor, an instructor can use explicit clues such as, ;-) , just kidding, winking, LOL (laugh out loud), and "This is a joke"”. (Durrington, Berryhill, Swafford, 2006)

Read the attached PDF for more details.

Conclusion

Creating a blended learning course is a time consuming process that involves knowing what model of distance learning is going to be used. What technologies and activities are going to be utilized to encourage communication among the learners, and lastly know what the role of the trainer is exactly going to be.

Reference:

Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006, March 18). Strategies for Enhancing Student Interactivity in an Online Environment - Technology News - redOrbit. redOrbit“ Science, Space, Technology, Health News and Information. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/433631/strategies_for_enhancing_student_interactivity_in_an_online_environment/

Hulsebosch, J. (2009, March 10). Lasagna and chips: 10 online icebreakers. Lasagna and chips. Retrieved February 19, 2011, from http://joitskehulsebosch.blogspot.com/2009/03/10-online-icebreakers.html

Littlefield, J. (n.d.). Synchronous Distance Learning and Asynchronous
Distance Learning. Distance Learning - Earning Online High School and Online College Degrees From Home. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://distancelearn.about.com/od/choosingaschool/p/LearningTypes.htm

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.). Pearson

Click below to download the PDF:

file upload

Updated Assignment from Week 3

There are many different technologies for distances learning, they range from a conference calling bridge to a full learning management system (LMS). Knowing what technology to utilize for what application can be difficult. The key is to analyze the options in order to make an educated decision.

For this discussion around distances learning technologies, I chose the following scenario:

“A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.” (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.)

As I read the above scenario I made a list of all the obstacles that had to be overcome, I came up with the following:

· Multiple locations

· Multiple times

· Ongoing collaboration

In this scenario I would start by offering a web based conference meeting to discuss the new automated staff information system. The training session would have to be offered in multiple times. Utilizing a software program like Webex which allows for “Any printable document (to) be shared in a WebEx meeting, including CAD drawings, blueprints, network diagrams, and more. WebEx's vector-based imaging ensures high fidelity image quality for presentations and documents, with retention of the original fonts and colors”. (WebEx Communications, 2003 p. 1) WebEx meetings also allow for recording and asynchronous playback, so that if a staff member misses the training or needs to review a topic covered, the playback option is available. One company that has had great success with WebEx as a training platform is Fidelity, they have been using WebEx since 1999. Keith Resseau, Manager of Learning Technology at Fidelity, states that “When we conducted our first virtual class back in 1999, we were able to realize an ROI of $20,000 over the cost of a live training. This year, we increased that amount to $350,000 return on just one of our programs.” (WebEx Communications, 2005 p. 2) Overall, I think that WebEx would give the same successful results for the scenario above as it for Fidelity.

As for the obstacle of ongoing collaboration, a different discussion technology would be needed. I think a simple chat program would make for an easy fix. Chat programs like Lead Mind are built for the office environment and are secure applications. On Lead Mind’s website, one of the testimonials reads “IM works. It raises the level of collaboration and community for relatively low cost”. (Shultz, n.d.) Chat software is starting to gain a strong footing in the distance learning community it’s currently being used by “Language students at the University of California are using "chat" software, developed by UC Davis computer scientist Richard Walters, to learn better and faster. The technology is so promising that the U.S. Army Defense Language Institute is funding further development and extension to other languages, particularly Arabic, with an initial grant of $100,000.” (ucdavis.edu)

This scenario is very similar to situations that I face in my current role as a training specialist and I have successfully utilized each of the tools outlined above during the roll-out of training. One of the keys to a successful distance learning campaign is have solid reference training materials for after the sessions are over. It’s not enough to facilitate a WebEx meeting and setup the office with a chat program if they don’t have any reference material.

Reference:

Shultz, G. (n.d.). LAN chat software. Messenger for local network (LANs). LAN chat software. Messenger for local network (LANs). Retrieved January 22, 2011, from http://www.leadmind.com

UC Davis News & Information :: Distance Learning with Chat Software. (n.d.). UC Davis News & Information :: Home. Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=5922

WebEx Communications Inc. (2003). Ten of WebEx's Unique Capabilities

WebEx Communications Inc. (2005). Fidelity’s training department saves $350,000 on one program with WebEx Training Center. . Retrieved January 26, 2011, from

http://www.webex.com/pdf/casestudy_fidelity.pdf

Open Courses

With the recent advances in distance education, many different schools are starting to offer their classes online for free, these classes are known as Open Courses. They are allowing “anyone to take quality courses entirely for free. The incentive for taking these courses is not college credit, but rather to simply acquire knowledge or engage in a unique learning experience”. (Laureate Education, Inc.) Schools like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Yale and Stanford are offering this new concept of learning.

I researched an Open Course from Professor Richard D. Wolff at the New School University in New York, the course I reviewed was titled Economic Crisis and Globalization (rdwolff.com/content/economic-crisis-and-globalization), this course was a link on Openculture.com. The course meets the textbook definition of shovelware, as defined in Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, which is a term that has evolved to describe shoveling a “course onto the Web and say you are teaching online, but don’t think about it much”. (2009, p. 248) The course is just a video recording of his classroom lectures, that has a run time of 10 hours, 30 minutes. I don’t see how this course could have had more then a minimal amount of pre-planning before production started.

Richard D. Wolff’s site has all the content that you would expect from a Web 2.0 focused learning site, but it’s disorganized and hard to follow. The site offers blogs, podcasts, videos and audio. Then there is another section for online classes, which only offer videos of classroom lectures. There are no activities, quizzes or documents to download to follow along with.

Overall, I don’t see how this course is anything more then a face-to-face class that was recorded and uploaded to the Web. There seems to be little to no pre-planning that was evolved in the process. The class doesn’t follow any of the recommendations for online instruction, and lastly there aren’t any activities to download to go along with the course. As a distance-learning course it misses the mark on every account.

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.). Pearson Publishers.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). Week 5: Designing for Distance Learning: Part I - Application [Web]. Baltimore, MD