Bankruptcy-Proof Your E-Learning Project
By Darin Hartley

Do chills run down your spine when asked to manage an e-learning project that you know will involve suppliers? Do suppliers take you where you need to go or where they want to go? Do your supplier-driven projects invariably cost more than initial proposals? How can you fortify your e-learning project management strategies? Here are some tips to keep your project in the black.

Fact: Most people complain about working with suppliers. Indeed, some folks think that suppliers are out to get them--and a fast buck. However, most suppliers are scrupulous. They will do whatever they are told to do by the client, and they often will make suggestions when clients don’t know what to do. That’s where they do get you, but it's also where you can make a difference.

Tip: Know what you need to get done…explicitly

One of the easiest ways to bankrupt your e-learning project (or any project for that matter) is to have unclear goals. As project managers, we sometimes are wishy washy about our goals. For instance, "I’d like a Web tool for teaching people accounting fundamentals." While this may sound clear, it’s not. What kind of Web tool? Who is the target audience? What are the technology limitations? What is the delivery deadline? How much funding is available? Who are the subject matter experts? You should be able to paint a picture (in words) for the supplier.

Imagine that your project was to have a supplier create the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Could you describe the desired result? Probably. You could describe the type of chips, whether or not to add nuts or other special ingredients, the cookie's size, money available for the raw ingredients, the target eater, and so forth. So, just use that same mentality to describe your e-learning project.

Tip: Create detailed functional requirements

Once you have the goal established, the next hitch is to develop micro-level descriptions of the project. Generally, this requires a functional requirements specification (FRS). The FRS provides a detailed list of questions and answers to keep you and the supplier on track. It includes specific end-user requirements, technology requirements, interoperability requirements, glossaries, references, and so forth. For best results, be sure to get input from multiple people on your FRS. You can see an FRS template at: www.learn2now.com/frs.htm.

Remember: If you don’t know what you need, a supplier will "have" what you need.

Tip: Choose a supplier based on their ability to meet your needs

By now, you have a specific goal in mind, you've prepared detailed functional requirements, and you're ready to source the project. This is another place that people can bankrupt their projects before they even get started. Would you go to a Ford dealer to buy a new Toyota minivan? Of course not. However, people involved in training make that sort of mistake every day. Due to resource constraints, they may use the first supplier they meet or contract with their favorite supplier without determining the best supplier for the job. One surefire way to weed out the wanna-bes from the folks who can really help you deliver the end product is to show them your explicit goals and FRS. This forces them to step up and either honestly say they can deliver or defer to another provider. In a sense this is like a request for proposal (RFP) process. You are assessing the suppliers you will consider based on what they can deliver.

Tip: Insist on fixed-bid contracts

The project is underway: You have clear goals, functional requirements, a project plan in place, and good communication. The last thing you can do to avoid spending extra money is request a fixed-bid contact from the supplier. Unless absolutely unavoidable, stay away from contracts or statements of work that include the phrase "cost-plus." These cost-plus agreements pay suppliers and other contractors by the hour, plus additional expenses required. The problem with this type of contract is that folks still misforecast actual work requirements, so there's a tendency to underbid or overbid a project. The other problem is that there's no incentive for the supplier to be as efficient as possible. In fact, suppliers make more money when they're less efficient on cost-plus projects. Conversely, projects that are bid at a flat, mutually-agreed-upon rate, give suppliers the incentive to meet or exceed the delivery deadlines. In essence, if suppliers are more efficient, they can take on more jobs and make more money.

Tip: Develop a project management strategy, and use it consistently

Now that you're ready to start the project, you need to create a project plan that will be the primary means of communication for the team. There are hundreds of templates and electronic aids to help you with this task. It's worth the effort to look into a Web-based centralized tool or a project management software package. But beware, there is no single project management application, tool, or template that's right for every project. (See T+D's Software Roundup for help in selecting a project management package for you.)

The key is to use whatever tool you've chosen, and use it consistently. This is where project management often runs into roadblocks. Usually, teams are gung ho in the beginning of a project: They have detailed project plans, elaborate breakdown structures, and estimates of staff hours and budgets, and so forth. But project management tools are useless if people aren't consistent in their communication, updates, and project status checks. If three weeks elapse on a project before the first meeting or status check, team members can disengage or start progressing down the wrong path.

Tip: Communicate (no, over-communicate)

One of the fastest project destroyers is lack of communication. As organizations outsource more work and people continue to be overworked within organizations, it becomes easy to forget to communicate on projects. Add disparate locations as a factor, and you have all of the makings of a project waiting to implode. Like most everyone, I made the mistake of not communicating with a particular supplier in the latter end of a project, which resulted in my company having to pay for work that was completed but not agreed to in the original agreement.

If you're going to err in project communication, err on the side of over-communication. The more everyone knows about the project status, including updates and setbacks, the better off you'll be. When you're dealing with suppliers, lay out specifications for project communications in the original contract or statement of work. For example, by the close of business each Friday, you might require a written status that covers

• current tasks due
• next week’s tasks
• accomplishments
• meetings held and attended
• additional issues and concerns.

Tip: Sign off on the project plan at each major project milestone

Even projects that are managed well on the surface, have the potential to grow beyond the bounds of the original plan, whether due to poor planning, unclear vision, or people wanting "just one more thing" added to the solution. As people test prototypes, view screenshots, and run sample applications, there's the tendency to say, "This is great, but it would be awesome if it could ________________." (You fill in the blank.) This is nerve-wracking for the project team, and it invariably brings scope creep into the project. The seemingly simplest addition or deletion can increase work requirements significantly. And, more often than not, the request affects other aspects of the e-learning solution.

One way to avoid scope creep is to have people sign off on tasks at regular, pre-determined project intervals. Consider the instructional systems design model. There are five major phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. If this were a traditional, classroom-based training project, you would have project meetings at the end of each major phase (or milestone), and get all team members and the client to sign off at each stage prior to moving forward. E-learning is no different; however, the milestones may expand within each phase.

These tips help minimize your odds of going bankrupt during your next e-learning project. If you follow though on each tip, you will see a vast improvement in your project completions and adherence to agreed upon standards.

Published: December 2001