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No matter how great we are at creating learning solutions, we will not even get off the ground without the right content and context. Sometimes, working with SMEs can be one of the most difficult parts of the process. This article provides four great suggestions for how to effectively work with your SME.

I like #2. So many times SMEs loose sight of the project objective. :-)

Jenna, these guidelines are simple but powerful. What of the greatest challenges I had on a recent project was to get the SME to back off and take care of the content, not the learning materials. I never really succeeded but it might have helped if I had the #4 guideline instilled in our heads early in the project.

Introduction: In order to achieve goals and planned results within a defined schedule and a budget, a manager uses a project. Regardless of which field or which trade, there are assortments of methodologies to help managers at every stage of a project from the initiation to implementation to the closure.

Thanks for posting - it is nice to see a list like this of many of the competing methodologies out there. My interviewee told me that the most important thing prospective PMs can do is learn as many methods as possible as well as possible, because in reality, you need to mix and match them depending on what your project requires, and the more you know, the more you can adapt.

Project Management is about managing time, scope, and resources at the same time. Here you will find links to the best material on the Internet to help you do that. Be sure to scroll down past the ads for more hand-picked links.

If you want a way to make the most beautiful Gantt charts you've ever seen... use Smart sheet. It's not free, but there is a free trial. I wanted to make a one page Gantt chart, that was vertical rather than horizontal, and I didn't want to pay money or download open project, and smart sheet came to the rescue. It does have more features, like assigning tasks to your team members... but I really only used it to make the Gantt chart of my dreams.

I subscribed to this podcast (it has a free option) I liked because it is short (each episode is around 30 min long) and gets directly to the point, so it helps me to understand better some concepts we discuss in our class. I listened to the interview in the Episode 266: PMO and Capitalizing on Diversity (Free) This one gave me a perspective about how to integrate diversity in PM. The other episode I listened was Episode 261: How to Identify Project Stakeholders (Free) , so I learned a little more about this confusing topic for me. I also enjoyed the British accent; I finally can catch what they are saying! I think my English skills are improving: double check!

We talk a lot about personal productivity tools at Lifehacker, but sometimes you're not the only person who needs to get things done for a project or job to be a success. This is a review of free tools to support online collaboration. I've used several and found more to try out here!

His book helps team members to realize the importance of emotions when working with a team. I use this book in my administration class because we must always remember the human factor when working in groups to accomplish a task.

From their website: "Free, simple, fast online meetings. Share your screen instantly with anyone." I couldn't say it better myself. Join Me is a pretty great tool if you have meetings with remote members of project teams. The premium version has all of the features of WebEx and then some, and you can get a 30 day trial of the premium version for free. Even the free version that is available after the 30 day trial is useful. No one has to download anything or have a program installed except for the moderator (and it is a very simple download). The moderator gives everyone a code, they go to a website and type it in and can immediately share screens. My advice: Use Microsoft Paint to enhance your Join Me meetings by using it like the WebEx whiteboard.

Andi, thanks for sharing, sounds like a cool alternative to expensive or complicated ways to create an online meeting. I will try it for a couple of online interviews I need to conduct.

Everyone wants to be heard. But not everyone knows how to truly listen. Here's how amazing listeners use those odd things on the sides of their heads. Most people like to think what they have to say is important. Here is 5 easy to remember tips to help strengthen active listening skills.

Great quick tips for active listening!

Agreed! great tips

Pros and Cons of each project management method to help one decide which style to use.

Love this info graphic. I am going to forward it out to my team who has been debating how best to approach project management when there so many outside factors and influencers that things need to flexible and the plan updated throughout the project process.

In this internationally acclaimed text, Marshall Rosenberg offers insightful stories, anecdotes, practical exercises and role-plays that will dramatically change your approach to communication for the better. Discover how the language you use can strengthen your relationships, build trust, prevent conflicts and heal pain. Revolutionary, yet simple, Nonviolent Communication offers you the most effective tools to reduce violence and create peace in your life-one interaction at a time.

There is a lot of information on this site! They could use a little help with their web design to make it a little less overwhelming though...

I love this approach to communication! I've used in all aspects of my work and personal communications and when I really implement it has really helped me navigate some high conflict situations. It does take practice and is easier to work with if you have others you can engage with to practice the techniques.

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I liked this article with it's straightforward language and steps that make sense. Not only are the concrete requirements such as budget and tools discussed, but the often overlooked teamwork and leader roles are covered. Also on this site are related articles from "An Introduction to Project Management", "The Role of the Project Manager" and many others.

that was a great article. I link the simplification of project management ins beining defined through the who, what, when, where and how. Also they discuss getting participants to commit, that is important or they will not do their part in the project. thanks for sharing.

I like the reminder of several basic but easily forgotten tips. Writing down the objective is key for me. I can become a little too creative at times and end up distracted from the main goal. I like to keep it in sight throughout the entire process. Thanks for a great article!

This article gives project managers some tips for managing stress.

Jaime- I am on day 2 of no caffeine and I already feel SO much calmer. I'm craving it really badly, but I was so jittery lately and I know it was stressing me out more. A good reminder on keeping stress under control. Thanks Allan!

I like the recommendations for stress reduction. A few people at my work actually requested that the company create a quiet relaxation room. Not sure if they'll do it, but I hope so. I got into breathing meditation years ago and it pretty much cured me of anxiety attacks that had persisted from my late 20's to early 30's. A couple years of daily practice and they haven't returned for almost 10 years. I don't keep up with the meditation anymore, but I'd say any amount of practice can affect long-term benefits.

This is a blog that has several entries directly related to managing e-learning projects. There are also external links to additional resources.

Thanks, JP - I've used Articulate's forums for developers to find answers to specific issues, but didn't realize they had extended into this topic - very helpful - I plan to do some digging soon!

A useful article providing some tips on using technology to assist eLearning project management.

I found this to be an interesting article because it's from Kineo. In my first semester in this ILT program, my first group and I presented on Kineo eXe, an eLearning authoring tool. The article talks about the use of MS Project, a timesheet system, a bug database, and a collaborative tool. All of these are needed to manage an eLearning project. There are tools that offer more than one of these options, such as SharePoint as a collaboration tool and bug database, but with a cost. The article lists other options as well and I'd like to investigate the tools listed there more to see if there are free options.

I thought this site might be helpful for anyone looking to add a quiz to their Wiki page. MyQuizCreator offers free quizzes for you to create for your website, wiki, blog, and more! This is a very basic quiz creation tool (multiple choice/true false only) but it's free and you can send it to your learners via link or embed it in your wiki or other webpage. Here is a sample quiz I created: http://myquizcreator.com/take/6917 For better navigation (having the results pop up in a separate window when the user hits "submit"), add target="_blank" to the second line of html. For example: Before: After:

Wiggio is a free group collaboration tool that helps facilitate communication, document sharing and project execution. Some technical issues have been identified with this site which might prevent effective use of it's tools. Use with caution.

What I enjoy the most about Wiggio is their ability to send text messages about deadlines for school projects. However, when trying to take full advantage of all their social connectivity components, I found myself running into issues with server lags. I think they probably still need more financial support or stability to increase the efficiency of their services.

After using Wiggio for several weeks now, I do like some features, but the number of errors is obnoxious. It really reminds me of when I tried to use Google Wave in its final moments.