Analyzing Scope Creep

Scope creep... as an Instructional Designer you have experienced this before I guarantee it. Why does it happen so frequently? Does it happen with each project? Well, in my experience as a Instructional Designer of 4 months it happens... on almost every project. So, its important to determine how to stop it when it occurs or if it needs to be included, have a process to get it approved.
I am currently working with a Supplier Operations team at a large eCommerce website. I've been asked to reformat and redesign their current training's to make them better overall. Well, I've been working on this project for a bout three months or so and have already experienced a ton of scope creep. The struggle that I have is the project manager I am working with just added a a whole bunch more work but with the same deadline. As a young ID i wasn't sure what to do. So I've said yes. The stress I have now is much greater and I have to do more with less time.
I think moving forward I am going to work with management to have a document that needs to be filled out to get this approved. In this project I am sure I can get it done on time. However, in future projects, if I can't learn to say no I can really get in big trouble. So for me, I have to learn how to deal with scope creep and quickly.

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

This week we have been discussing estimating costs and allocating resources for our projects. I've been assigned to find two different resources and rate what I think about them. I've done so below. Enjoy!

Smartsheet.com

Smartsheet.com is a project management tool that can help you will all things project management. One thing I enjoyed about this tool is they have a full article on project cost estimates. They go through some really good information. Then they link it to their tool showing that it is a easy to use tool. It can help accurately estimate costs. I really like this tool.

replicon.com

Replicon.com is another project management tool used to do an array of project management objectives. I think its really cool how both these tools have a full suite of software. It is nice to have a one stop shop for all things project management. Replican states it can, "Track up-to-the-minute project time, capture all billable hours and efficiently manage your resources, projects, clients, and billing." This is a big deal. It is really important to be able to track billable hours and efficiently run a project. Many times we think about what a project is going to cost, however we don't think about what we would need to collect. The inflow of money can come and help projects. This tool would be perfect for all things budget. 

Project Management Tools

There are countless tools available for use to help manage projects. I've taken a couple to describe what they are and a evaluation of their resources.

1. Monday.com

Monday.com is a project management tool that helps team collaborate together. The format is easy to read and understand. This tool really makes it easy to go in, see where you are at, and know what you should be doing. There are many different customization settings that can help make it a more personalized program. Moday.com was formally named Dapulse. Moday.com is one of the most popular programs for companies of all sizes.

2.  Airtable.com

Airtable.com is project management tool that also helps teams collaborate projects. On of the first things that I noticed about this company is they offer both a free and a paid service. This is a big deal as some smaller companies are unable to afford expensive software but with this option, they are able to utilize their software and collaborate projects. Airtable.com has different kinds of displays. This helps if some people work better with a grid, or a calendar, or a form. I really like this feature. It helps get the task done but everyone works with what is most comfortable for them. AS an instructional designer, I am going to try using Airtable for my work and see how it truly works.

Communicating Effectively

Hello!

In this weeks assignment, we were tasked with receiving the same message via email, voicemail and in person. We needed to see how we felt about the communication. Below is my report. 

As I consumed the messages from these three different modalities, I realized the way the communication was given can really change how it is received.

My interpretation of the email seemed like the person was desperate to get the report from Mark and was even willing to do the work themselves with them requesting the data needed for their report.

The voicemail didn’t seem so urgent or desperate. The voicemail did seem that there was a deadline and that they needed the report but it was not dire at that moment.

Seeing the person request this felt like the frustration was non-existent and that they really wanted help. I felt that in this one, I would have been more likely to help as that physical conversation was showing as important enough to walk over to their desk.

The factors really depended on how I was feeling. Reading the email felt like it was important to them but they could put it off. I would say the urgency was different as they went on. Even giving the same conversation, you could sense the importance and urgency for getting it completed.

The form of communication that conveyed the true meaning and intent was the face-to-face. As I mentioned before, seeing the body language, having them physically come and talk to me shows that they need my help and would really appreciate it. It made me want to actually get that report done for her.

With the different forms of communicating, it is important to think about what message I want to portray and then decide what form of communication I would be using. There is a need for all of those communications, there is just a time and place for each of them. 

Resource:

http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

Learning from a Project “ Post-mortem”

Looking back at a project you've done before can really help you learn how to do even better on your next project. This is something I am looking forward to. Currently I am an Instructional Designer at a large online retail store. I have been working on a project and it is coming to a close. There have been many frustrations with this project and I'm looking forward to moving on from it.

This is my first job as an ID. So, I'm learning by doing. I have worked with a mentor to help me do a good job. I have worked with her to find out why the project isn't going the way I wanted it to. While discussing with her about it, I found that I began working on this project before getting the learning objectives from the manager. I have ended up having to redo work because it wasn't what was wanted.

I've been looking and trying to figure out what else has caused problems and caused this process to not be as smooth as I want. I have learned that it does take time to learn the processes. I'm excited to see what else I can learn from this project to make my future projects even better!