e-Learning: Planning the Pieces - part 1 - by Mark Pepper

At first glance, the prospect of planning a complex e-learning system that requires the input of a multi-disciplinary team and buy-in from a potentially ill-informed client can seem daunting. Even technical communicators with project management experience likely would have a difficult time knowing where to start.

The reality is that while planning an e-learning project is a lot of work, having a framework for deciding the who, what, when and how of your project, makes it simpler to understand.

For starters, begin the planning process as early in the project as possible. For those who have read any of my previous articles, you do not need to complete the audience assessment or curriculum development before planning the project. In fact, the assessment and development components are milestones in the plan itself.

When creating a project plan for e-learning, the key documents you should produce are:

• Project Brief
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Organization Chart
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Schedule
• Budget
• Project Charter

These documents are described below.

Project Brief

This short document should be your first order of business. It should be developed with your client or project sponsor to answer the following questions:

• " What business needs/problems will be resolved by implementing this e-learning? "
• " What measurable goals need to be met for this project to succeed? " They should be specific and quantifiable.
• " What are the measurable benefits the client or sponsor should see by completing this project? " These can include reductions in cost, measurably increased productivity, reduced numbers of defects, etc.
• " What deadlines, budget constraints or other limitations need to be considered when completing the plan? "

Ideally, the project brief should be no more than a page or two, and should be signed off by you and the sponsor. This allows for accountability over the duration of the project.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The WBS describes exactly what needs to be done in the project. It is broken into the following levels:

• Project name (yellow)
• Work groupings (blue)
• Work packages (green)

A work package is the smallest deliverable that you can manage. They can be assigned to people for work and are detailed enough for you to effectively track progress being made on the project.

A sample e-learning WBS is shown below. (click to enlarge)

Organization Chart

The organization chart describes who is on your project and what the reporting structure is for the project. A sample organization chart, showing typical resources required for e-learning, is shown below. (click to enlarge)

Stakeholder Analysis

The stakeholder analysis draws information from your WBS and organization chart to show the responsibilities each stakeholder has for a work package. This table, known as a RACI diagram, or Responsible-Approving-Consulted-Informed, is one type of stakeholder analysis tool designed to tell you how people are involved with your project. (click to enlarge)

In the next part of this article (e-Learning: Planning the Pieces - part 2), I will explain how to use the information you have created to assemble your Schedule, Budget and Project Charter....