This document discusses various aspects of eLearning project management including work breakdown structures (WBS), scheduling, and Gantt charts. It describes how to identify and organize project tasks in a WBS using a top-down approach. The importance of sequencing tasks and identifying dependencies is covered as well as estimating durations and assigning resources. Network diagrams and critical paths are explained for scheduling purposes. Finally, the document provides an overview of how Gantt charts can be used to display project schedules and track task progress over time.

1. (cc) 2011 Michael M. Grant | Image from beccaxsos at Flickr.com
eLearning
project
management

2. WBS
Scheduling
Gantt
Chart
Identify
Identify
and
Display
and
project
tasks
level
communicate
resources
tasks
and
scheduling
of
resources

3. ¡ Very
similar
to
task
1. Begin
at
the
top
analysis/content
2. Name
all
the
tasks
analysis,
particularly
3. Organize
the
WBS
Dick,
Carey
&
Carey

4. ¡ By
top,
we
mean
a
top-­‐down
process
¡ Begin
by
listing
all
the
deliverables
Image from Trip Deezil at Flickr.com

5. ¡ This
is
all
the
tasks
and
sub-­‐tasks
¡ Convert
each
deliverable
and
tasks
into
real
tasks
¡ Recognize
the
summary
tasks
and
the
work
packages.
Verb
+
product
=
Task

6. ¡ Once
all
the
work
¡ How
do
you
choose?
packages
have
been
It
depends
on
what
you
identified,
arrange
want
to
communicate.
them,
and
there
are
§ One
may
emphasize
multiple
ways
to
do
features.
that.
§ One
may
emphasize
phases
of
a
project

7. ü The
WBS
must
be
broken
down
starting
at
the
top.
ü Work
packages
must
add
up
to
the
summary
task.
ü Each
task
must
be
named
as
an
activity
that
produces
a
product
Verb
+
product
=
Task

8. ¡ perform
analysis
¡ research
¡ database
Image from _boris at Flickr.com

9. ¡ No
work
packages
should
be
smaller
than
8
hours
(1
day)
¡ No
task
should
be
longer
than
the
time
between
2
status
points/
reporting
periods
¡ (No
task
should
be
at
50%
for
more
than
2
status
meetings.)

10. ¡ Granularity
§ If
it s
easier
to
estimate,
break
it
down.
§ If
it s
easier
to
assign,
break
it
down.
§ If
it s
easier
to
track,
break
it
down.
¡ If
it s
not
one
of
these,
don t
break
it
down.
¡ Don t
forget
to
put
PM
into
the
WBS,
maybe
under
Manage
project.
Image from bcostin at Flickr.com

11. ¡ Consider
quality
for
each
¡ Types
of
quality
checks:
work
package:
§ Reviews—SME
review,
§ What
does
it
mean
to
be
design
team
review,
alpha
complete
with
this
task?
prototype,
storyboard,
§ How
do
we
know
it
was
expert
review
done
correctly/well?
§ Standards—industry
standards,
internal
checklist
§ Testing—user
testing,
beta
testing,
1-­‐on-­‐1,
small
group,
field
trial

12. A
realistic
schedule…
¡ Includes
detailed
knowledge
of
the
work
to
be
done.
¡ Has
tasks
sequenced
in
the
correct
order.
¡ Accounts
for
external
constraints.
¡ Can
be
accomplished
on
time,
given
the
availability
of
skilled
people
&
enough
equipment.

13. Step
3
Step
1
Step
2
Identify
task
Estimate
Assign
&
relationships
durations
for
level
tasks
resources

14. ¡ Sequence
constraints—when
one
task/work
package
must
be
performed
before
another
because
of
dependency
¡ Indicate
the
predecessors
for
each
activity
Activity
Description
Duration
Immediate
Predecessors
1.1
Analyze
learners
-­‐-­‐
1.2
Analyze
context
1.1
2.1
Define
performance
gap
1.1,
1.2

15. ¡ Display
your
thinking
with
a
network
diagram
Image from http://press.teleinteractive.net/yackity/2005/10/06/critical_path_in_schedule_management

16. ¡ Network
diagram
¡ Relationships
§ Finish
to
start
Task B cannot begin until Task A is finished.
Image from Microsoft at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA101130671033.aspx

17. ¡ Network
diagrams
help
present
relationships
among
tasks
Task B cannot begin until Task A begins.
§ Finish
to
start
§ Start
to
start
Image from Microsoft at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA101130671033.aspx

18. ¡ Network
diagram
¡ Relationships
§ Finish
to
start
§ Start
to
start
Task B cannot finish until Task A finishes.
§ Finish
to
finish
Image from Microsoft at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA101130671033.aspx

19. Activity
Description
Duration
Immediate
(in
days)
Predecessors
1.1
Analyze
learners
14
-­‐-­‐
1.2
Analyze
context
14
1.1
2.1
Define
performance
gap
2
1.1,
1.2
Image from http://press.teleinteractive.net/yackity/2005/10/06/critical_path_in_schedule_management

20. ¡ Identify
resources
(i.e.,
¡ Labor:
in
hours
labor,
equipment,
¡ Equipment:
in
hours
materials)
¡ Materials:
amount,
¡ Determine
when
each
when
needed
(task
resource
is
needed
and
relationship)
for
how
long.
Image from Truthout at Flickr.com

21. ¡ Assign
resources,
primarily
labor
and
equipment
to
tasks
¡ Determine
resources
for
each
day
and
compare
schedule
¡ Some
tasks
may
not
be
completed
concurrently
because
of
resource
pool
or
additional
resources
may
be
needed

22. ¡ Critical
path
§ The
critical
path
is
the
longest
path
through
the
network,
but
represents
the
minimum
amount
of
time
a
project
will
take.
Image from http://press.teleinteractive.net/yackity/2005/10/06/critical_path_in_schedule_management

23. ¡ Gantt
§ Henry
Gantt,
early
1900s
§ Horizontal
axis
shows
schedule,
vertical
axis
shows
WBS
Image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henri_Gannt.jpg

24. Image from Gary Booker at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GanttChartAnatomy.png

25. ¡ Booker,
G.
(2007).
Ganttchartanatomy.png
[image].
Retrieved
January
27,
2010
from
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GanttChartAnatomy.png
¡ dmdk12.
(2007).
Development
of
the
network
diagram
and
critical
path.
Retrieved
January
27,
2010
from
http://www.slideshare.net/dmdk12/the-­‐network-­‐
diagram-­‐and-­‐critical-­‐path
¡ Doval
Santos,
C.V.
(2005).
Critical
path
in
schedule
management
[image].
Retrieved
January
27,
2010
from
http://press.teleinteractive.net/yackity/
2005/10/06/critical_path_in_schedule_management
¡ Lynch,
M.M.
&
Roecker,
J.
(2007).
Project
managing
e-­‐learning:
A
handbook
for
successful
design,
delivery
and
management.
New
York:
Routledge.
¡ Schwalbe,
K.
(2010).
Information
technology
project
management
(6th
ed.).
Boston,
MA:
Cengage
Course
Technology.
¡ Verzuh,
E.
(2008).
The
fast
forward
MBA
in
project
management
(3rd
ed.).
Hoboken,
NJ:
Wiley.

26. (cc) 2011 Michael M. Grant