McDaniel, K. and Liu, M. A Study of project management techniques for developing interactive multimedia programs: A practitioner’s perspective. Journal of Research on Computing in Education: 29.1 (1996). 29-48.
The mesh of ID and project management brought a refreshing practicality, and I especially appreciated the additions from Gentry on adoption (all of her supporting processes are essentially PM skills). Greet’s model didn’t add much; it seemed merely a merge of Dick & Carey with Gentry. However, the proposed 5 components were perfectly clear.
I was surprised not to see a discussion of Gantt charts and critical path in the Team Assembly and Management section. In the section on Evaluation, Marketing and Support, I have successfully used the conceptual differences between project management (the team) and project ownership (the client) to effect this critical transfer. If ongoing support is in the business model as a continuing revenue stream, it should be provided on a T&M basis.
The ID models seemed overly complex and somewhat idiosyncratic. However, the common desire for evaluation and revision is more easily accomplished with networked products (especially using agile and rapid prototyping) than with previous static delivery mechanisms.
As far as responsibilities, the following are key in my experience:
- Keep big picture (outcome) in mind
- Motivate team
- Meet deadlines and budget
- Free members from day to day
- Break & sequence projects into manageable tasks
- Use appropriate personnel (bring members along through smaller projects to develop independent decision-making)
However, my experience cautions that meetings should not necessarily “involve as many key players as needed.” Smaller teams may be more successful at problem-solving (see post on 2-player teams outperforming 4-player teams in online PBL). Also, while open communication channels are always essential, the project lifecycle I have found successful has 4 phases:
- Brainstorming – everyone talks, all ideas entertained
- Defining – everyone offers dependencies, tasks and times negotiated
- Monitoring – often, only key players present/talk
- Celebrating – offsite if possible, documentation review and lessons learned
Jus Sayin 