Project Management Knowledgebase

This site is a nice collection of tools (and descriptions) that, although not specific to Project Management, can be helpful when creating certain products (e.g., learning modules). It was shared by our project SME.

This fairly recent article details the risk vs. quality argument and posits that effective risk management underpins a successful project. - Sara Lohndorf

An interesting article about the difference between project control and project authority and what it means to be a project manager. - Sara Lohndorf

This article is relatively old (2002). Nonetheless, it contains timeless tips to ensure eLearning success, particularly with regard to managing stakeholder expectations. -Duncan McBogg Abstract: Leading a major e-learning or blended learning initiative is a relatively new, complex and high-stakes challenge. Success depends on a variety of factors, not the least of which is the project leader's ability to manage threats in the form of miscommunication among key constituents, excessive rework, missed milestones, cost overruns, poor quality deliverables, etc. To help ensure the success of your organization's learning initiatives, consider how you might apply these proven tips:

As students of project management, we learn how PMI's Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) is the ultimate PM industry certification to obtain (with which I agree). The PMP is a great goal to reach for, however, most students of project management are nowhere close to meeting the eligibility requirements necessary to pursue the PMP. You may or may not know that PMI has another option for entry-level project management professionals called the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). The CAPM is appealing because it serves as a much more attainable stepping stone in our quest for the coveted PMP. - Duncan McBogg

In researching effective communication for project managers, my team determined that quality communication is a critical component. We reference the book "Effective Business Communications" by Herta Murphy, Herbert Hildebrandt and Jane Thomas. This eHow article summarizes the author's "seven c's" of effective communication directly from the book. These communication skills, both oral and written, are the foundation for helping you express yourself clearly and correctly.

This handbook is a product of Caltrans, a department in the California state government. By the title, you can see that this resource is focused on project communication. It provides an easy to follow process and guidance on developing a communication plan. It also includes tips on how to identify stakeholder, gather input and how to communicate with stakeholders.

This site offers a whole host of tools that are helpful--in addition to other content and guidance. Here is the description from their site: The purpose of the tools and resources feature is to provide assessment instruments and various group process and project management aids that will help Higher Education institutions better manage their most critical technology projects. This Month's Featured Tool Intervention Diagnosis and Planning Tool This management development tool helps the manager discern the type of intervention assistance that is situationally appropriate for their leaders.

Zoho offers a suite of online web applications geared towards increasing your productivity and offering easy collaboration. Zoho's online office tools include a word processor, spreadsheet application, presentation tool, hosted wiki, notebook, CRM, Database software, etc. I have used it for some of the database applications. They also have a Project Management tool. The collaboration tools could also be used by members of a project team to share documents and to work together on projects. Here is an interesting story that I found on their site: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1855616,00.html.

This is a great resource that ties instructional design the the Agile project management methodology. I found the pages on "Selecting the Course Format" (http://www.intulogy.com/addie/course-format.html) and "The Course Development Process" (http://www.intulogy.com/addie/develop-materials.html) very interesting. There's a lot of great information here, but not really one place to see all of what is contained herein--like a table of contents. So, set some time aside and enjoy perusing!

Pivotal Tracker is an award-winning, simple, effective, agile project management tool that allows your team to collaborate around a shared backlog of stories in real time.

Join Rick Zanotti and Coline T Son Lee, two well known eLearning and media professionals, as they host top influencers, shakers and movers in the eLearning and Training industry. Topics can range from eLearning, multimedia development, project management and more to social media. These shows are recorded during a LIVE stream on http://www.justin.tv/relatecorp.

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:

Exforsys provides free online training in business skills. The module on EI has 11 units ranging from "what is EI" to "business relationship management."

This site has rich resources on EI, including articles grouped by category, references, and even some reprints. A good place to look for seminal resources such as Goleman.

Article about using emotional intelligence in managing elearning. "Feelings have value," "Thinking and feeling are not opposites."

This article argues the case for successful strategic planning vs. diving in and hoping your project will be a success. -Duncan McBogg

This article illustrates how successful eLearning project management is directly tied to University culture and processes. I found the "Tactics and Technique" section particularly enlightening. -Duncan McBogg Abstract: Iain Doherty VOL. 24, No. 1, 91 - 106 We outline the project management tactics that we developed in praxis in order to manage elearning projects and show how our tactics were enhanced through implementing project management techniques from a formal project management methodology. Two key factors have contributed to our project management success.