The five steps explained in this blog will help you execute your projects efficiently
For e-learning project managers, work revolves around executing projects successfully. Though each e-learning project is handled differently, there are certain steps you need to follow for smooth execution. The five steps explained in this blog will help you execute your projects efficiently.
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Step #1 Initiation
After the project kick-off meeting where you and the client get to know each other, initiation is the first step in the e-learning project management process. You need to identify:
- The stakeholders
- High-level milestones of the project
- Resources required to achieve the same
In this step, the project team is finalized and their roles and responsibilities regarding the project are decided. After rounds of discussion between the client and your team, the ideas of the team based on the requirements of the e-learning project and the profile of the learners are formally accepted.
Stakeholder expectations from the project – performance goals and learning outcomes expected from the course – and the scope of the content are determined.
The project scope document is finalized and approved by both parties. The project scope document must include:
- The project objective
- Project requirements
- Project deliverables
- Risk, constraints, and cost of the project
Step#2 Planning
Planning is important for any project to succeed. In this step, several aspects such as the authoring tool to be used for the course, the learning strategy including the instructional and visual strategies are decided.
The project team identifies the requirements of the project and develops the project management plan. This outlines the steps necessary to complete the project as per the schedule, budget, and specific requirements of the scope document.
However the project management plan is not fixed, and can evolve as the project is executed.
As the project manager, you must determine the size and scale of the project after considering the project requirements. During this phase, you must help your team determine how they will manage the timeline and quality demands of the project.
Step # 3 Execution
During this phase, the project moves ahead, the storyboard is developed, audio recording is done, and the final course is produced. You must:
- Monitor progress on a day-to-day basis
- Ensure the project is executed according to plan
- Co-ordinate between team members and the resources such as Subject Matter Expert's (SMEs) and translators
- Help team members adapt to changes that occur in this phase
When the project is planned and executed efficiently, milestones are achieved on time.
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Step# 4 Monitor
This step is similar to the execution stage, the only difference being that during this step, any deviation from the project plan is corrected. Scope, schedule, budget, and stakeholder expectations from the project are monitored for deviations.
Like the two preceding steps, controlling too is an iterative process and can impact the planning and execution of the project. In this step, you must effectively control project execution to avoid scope creep.
Step #5 Closure
At this step:
- The lessons learned from the project are documented
- The identified defects and requests for change from the client are recorded
- The process is evaluated
There is a tendency to overlook this step because the project is complete by this time. But this step is essential as it provides an opportunity for both, the organization and the team, to learn. Evaluating the project helps discover issues that affected its execution and find ways to avoid them in the future. This valuable information can be used for better execution of future projects.
Learn more secrets for better project management here. Handling an e-learning project requires expertise, knowledge, skills and a structured project management approach.
