Project Managing E-Learning

Table of contents

1. Copyright
2. Preface
   1. Who Should Read This Book?
   2. What’s Unique About This Book?
   3. Acknowledgments
3. Basic Principles of Project Management
   1. Putting Discipline Into the Management of E-Learning Projects
      1. Why E-Learning?
      2. Up Until Now
      3. E-Learning Environments
      4. Goals of E-Learning
      5. The “Waterfall Project” Philosophy
      6. The Power of an Evolutionary Philosophy
      7. E-Learning Project Development Cycle
      8. Time-Boxed E-Learning Project Management
      9. Your Turn
   2. Project Management 101 Applied to E-Learning
      1. The Discipline Defined
      2. Virtual Collaboration
      3. The Process, the Product, and the Project
      4. The Four Major Stages of a Project
      5. What’s Different About E-Learning Projects?
      6. Your Turn
   3. Stage 1: Defining the Project
      1. Stating the Problem
      2. Needs Analysis in the Age of E-Learning
      3. Product Scope Versus Project Scope
      4. Defining Priorities and Constraints
      5. The Role of Risk Management
      6. The Role of Change Management
      7. Defining the Collaborative Environment
      8. Defining the Progress Communication Plan
      9. Your Turn
   4. Stage 2: Planning the E-Learning Project
      1. E-Learning Project Milestones
      2. Cycle Review Sessions
      3. Is Project Management Software for You?
      4. Your Turn
   5. Stage 3: Managing the Project
      1. Collaboration Versus Command and Control
      2. Evolutionary Processes
      3. Monitoring and Reevaluating Risks
      4. Your Turn
   6. Stage 4: Reviewing the Project
      1. Project Reviews and Organizational Learning
      2. Project Reviews and Project Team Building
      3. Reevaluation of Deliverables
      4. Best Practices
      5. Creating and Maintaining a Risk Database
      6. Your Turn
4. Setting the Stage for Your E-Learning Project
   1. Project Selection and Project Initiation
      1. Selecting an E-Learning Project
      2. Dedicated Teams
      3. Purpose and Goals
      4. The E-Learning Project Life Cycle
      5. Initiating the Project: Some Critical Success Factors
      6. Evolutionary Cycle Planning
      7. Picking the Right Things to Measure
      8. Project Estimating
      9. Your Turn
   2. Parallel Universes: Building the Infrastructure
      1. Due to Technical Difficulties, %#&*@$!
      2. Learning Content Management Systems
      3. Standards? Who Needs ’Em?
      4. Author, Beware!
      5. Build Versus Buy
      6. Who Can Help?
      7. Your Turn
5. Getting Your E-Learning Project Off the Ground
   1. Preparing to Launch Your E-Learning Project
      1. Using Focus Groups
      2. Why Focus Groups?
      3. Recruiting Customers
      4. Focus Group Scenarios
      5. Analyzing Changing Requirements
      6. Prototyping Versus Focus Groups
      7. Customer Focus Group Benefits
      8. Your Turn
   2. Launching and Managing the Project
      1. Now What?
      2. The E-Learning Project Statement of Work
      3. Estimating Resource/Effort Requirements
      4. Planning the Delivery Cycles
      5. Sample Project to Illustrate Cycle Planning
      6. Publishing the Delivery Cycles
      7. E-Learning Requirements Management
      8. What Is Quality in E-Learning?
      9. Managing Risk in E-Learning Projects
      10. Tracking Progress
      11. Configuration Management
      12. Integration of E-Learning Components
      13. Your Turn
   3. Rolling Out, Looking Back, Preparing for the Next Cycle
      1. Balancing Order and Chaos
      2. The Project Manager’s Toolkit
      3. Your Turn
   4. Looking Ahead: Building on E-Learning Successes and Lessons Learned
      1. Delivering the Product, Building Momentum
      2. The Final Report
      3. Where Is the Next Frontier?
      4. Conclusion
      5. Your Turn
   5. Additional Resources
   6. References
   7. About the Author