How to Manage the E-Learning Development Team
By John M. Ivancevich, Thomas N. Duening, and Robert Konopaske

The typical e-learning courseware development team is interdisciplinary. Unfortunately, integrating this diverse group of creative, intelligent, and high-energy specialists into a cohesive unit can be challenging. Often, the missing ingredient is an effective project manager.

There's no single team structure to use when assembling, motivating, and rewarding an e-learning development team. But there are specific roles that team members must perform. E-learning teams need people with technical expertise, subject matter knowledge, and interpersonal skills who are willing to learn. More important, teams need strong leadership that can bond this group of diverse talent.

In addition to project managers, the e-learning team includes instructional designers, graphic artists, videographers, animators, writers, programmers, quality controllers, and subject matter experts. Each team member has a specific set of tasks and duties to perform.

Project managers are the formal leaders who manage the work, processes, and communication within the team. Budget and resource allocation decisions and scheduling also are duties of the project manager. In addition to managing the daily chores of the group, an effective (and successful) project manager needs to create a collaborative culture that's free from hidden agendas, dominance in one area of expertise, and infighting.

Instructional designers map the course into an organized and cohesive presentation. They work closely with SMEs to gather information and collaborating with programmers to translate learning exercises into online tools. Instructional designers have a solid foundation and understanding of cognitive learning theories.

Subject matter experts are responsible for the accuracy of the content. Although it’s assumed that SMEs only provide content to the courseware development process, they're also responsible for the technical language, source material, and performance objectives. Unfortunately, that notion creates an incomplete picture of the characteristics and contributions of SMEs and can limit their ability to contribute to the courseware development process.

For example, it's a misconception that because SMEs often aren't experienced trainers, they can add little to the instructional design. In truth, SMEs spend much of their time informally educating those around them, which makes them familiar with ways to best convey the information. To avoid this conflict, project managers should look for the following characteristics in potential SMEs: traditional training experience; effectiveness as an educator; ability to understand basic learning concepts and principles; and experience working on educational, training, and project teams. SMEs with experience as trainers can play a more significant team role by creating more meaningful courseware and evaluation methods and assisting in quality control processes.

A pressing issue regarding the role of SMEs is that they can be the least integrated part of the e-learning development team. It's common for the team to isolate and underuse SMEs in favor of overemphasizing technology issues and technical roles. In this instance, the project manager needs to model behavior by looking past the latest bells and whistles and placing more value on content, training program effectiveness, and the SMEs' experience.

Graphic artists, videographers, and animators need to be proficient with the best software tools. More important, they need to be able to interpret and execute the requests of instructional designers.

Writers manage the text and structure of the content. However, from working with content provided by nonteam-affiliated freelance SMEs, some writers become self-declared subject matter or content experts. By accident--or design--they may alter content, affecting learner performance. The project manager needs to work closely with the writers and quality controllers to assure that the content from the SMEs and the intent of the instructional designers remains unaltered.

Programmers assemble the text, graphics, and animations provided by the other team members. Using storyboards, graphics, sound files, text, video clips, and animations to construct the courseware, programmers fit content into an appropriate delivery form. In addition, programmers develop the scripts that translate interactive portions of a traditional classroom course, such as discussions and quizzes, into an online format. It's easy for programmers to become preoccupied with the options that are technologically available but add little (or even detract from) the learning experience. The project manager needs to check whether the programmers' content conversion is consistent with the learning objectives and supports the instructional design.

Quality controllers check for accuracy, functionality, and design. However, every team member needs to perform those functions throughout the development process.

Challenges

The e-learning development team will face a host of challenges, but understanding each member's role and tasks will help the team overcome its most demanding obstacles. Although the obvious issues are technological, the project will more likely be derailed by problems that are common to all teams.

• Lack of group identity. Because few e-learning teams actually share workspace, building a team atmosphere is difficult. Some members may feel undervalued and out of the information loop. Unfortunately, not integrating the group or failing to use the talents of all members result in a half-committed team--and a poor product. For example, on many e-learning teams, SMEs are isolated and considered outsiders. The project manager needs to lead teambuilding exercises and put into place communication vehicles that will help develop camaraderie among all members.

• Lack of recognition. A crucial task of the team leader is to enlist the efforts of each team member. Acknowledging everyone's contributions--concentrating on recognition, reinforcement, and rewards--needs to be a priority of the project manager. In addition, it's important for him or her to spread recognition throughout the entire organization to build morale and a sense of purpose for the group.

• Lack of appreciation for the team's diversity. It's inevitable that team members will have diverse work histories. In fact, the team leader should welcome diversity. For instance, SMEs are dramatically different from other members in terms of their depth of expertise. In another example, the technical know-how gap between programmers, quality controllers, and SMEs can be staggering. By valuing differences, the project manager will be able to build a cohesive unit that's based on common goals rather than common knowledge.

As those challenges suggest, being the project manager of an e-learning team requires more than generating schedules, charts, and to-do lists. Here are some teambuilding actions recommended for project managers.

• Collaboration. Project managers who build collaboration obliterate the internally competitive and destructive conflicts common to many teams. To build collaboration, team leaders should avoid the not-invented-here syndrome, which ignores ideas that aren't generated solely from within the group. The project manager also needs to role model respect for all team members at all times, allow members to voice opinions on any issue, and provide the needed resources.

• Contribution. Team members who feel like a part of a group are more likely to contribute ideas and help solve problems. To encourage balanced participation from each team member, project managers need to pay close attention to three factors: inclusion, confidence, and empowerment. Leaders who keep everyone informed and create a climate of sharing and collegiality create a sense of inclusion. To build confidence, managers need to provide timely feedback and intermittently reward team collaboration behavior. Allowing team members to participate in the decision-making process and to have autonomy are examples of ways that project managers can bolster empowerment. Finally, suggesting that team members engage in personal evaluation of their contributions can enhance the amount and quality of contributions.

• Communication. Open, frequent, and timely communication is important to any team's success. Team members must be able to voice opinions, ask for help, share ideas, and take risks. A project manager that's skilled in listening, offering feedback, and building consensus can create an efficient and useful communication system.

• Cross-functional connectivity. The e-learning development team won't stay in business if the online courseware they develop isn't put to use. Other functions within the organization, such as HR, sales, or marketing, must have an active relationship with the e-learning team. It's up to the project manager to recognize, form, and support these cross-function bonds. Sharing member profiles and conducting cross-team meetings, training programs, and nonwork social activities are steps to building connectivity.

The knowledgeable e-learning developer understands that learning starts with a good e-learning development team. Assuming that a team of diverse people will immediately bond and become creative producers of marketable e-learning courseware is naive. Recruiting and developing project managers who know how to build the e-learning development unit should be a significant priority for management. The e-learning development team will not succeed unless the importance of project management is recognized and SMEs are well integrated into the team. To be sure, the number of e-learning developers that know how to effectively use the talents of every team member must increase if online learning is going to succeed.

Published: July 2002