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This is part four of a four-part series on Project
Management for Instructional Designers for the EDU 627 course.
Last time, we discussed the importance of communication in instructional design and project management. This week, we will be tying it all together and discussing the importance of
project management in instructional design, and where/when project management and instructional design intersect.
Instructional designers and project managers are very
similar in so many regards, as building a training is a project, after all. One
could argue that project management is in of “itself” a form of instructional
design. When using ADDIE, the defacto generic process followed by most ID
people, the ID person follows five core steps: Analysis, Design, Development,
Implementation, and Evaluation. In project management, a project manager (PM)
follows four or five core steps: Initiation, Planning, Execution/Monitoring,
and Project Closeout (Russell, 2016). Following both processes, allows for both an ID and PM to complete projects.
Taking on a large project as in instructional designer may require the ID to do more than just follow a framework such as ADDIE. While
an ID can use ADDIE to build a project, ADDIE does not account for the entire project,
ADDIE essentially only accounts for the design of the project overall, and all the processes to ensure the instructional project is completed from a mostly pedagogical approach. There will be times
when an ID needs to also be a PM. When looking to execute a large ID project,
processes that ADDIE does not cover will need to be addressed. A work-breakdown
schedule (WBS), labor cost breakdown, and communication plans, are all pivotal to
the success of a project that ADDIE does not typically address. The larger a project becomes, the more the PM process
becomes critical. If a large training is being designed with multiple designers,
someone will need to be the PM and ensure that all deliverables are accounted
for and delivered on time.
Applying the concepts in an ID framework such as ADDIE can be easily plugged
into a PM process. Through the creation of a WBS, the entire ADDIE framework
can be itemized, assigned, and budgeted. Other important documents such as
a communication plan are also critical and can even be part of the WBS. If designing
a large project, key communication with stakeholders is typically critical, and an ID
framework such as ADDIE does not typically account for a communication plan.
While many ID frameworks like ADDIE do try to cover all bases and many PM processes
can be completed in an ID framework, when a ID starts applying PM principles in
ADDIE, I would wager is just makes more sense to use the PM process entirely, incorporating
whatever ID framework the ID is utilizing into the PM process.
Below is an excellent video that succinctly demonstrates how ID fits into PM,
and where the processes an ID follows tie into the PM cycle (5:00 minutes).
References:
Russell, L. (2016). Project Management for Trainers,
Second Edition. VA: Association for Talent Development.