Recently one of my blog readers asked me a very interesting question:
Could you please elaborate on the questions/ information an ID should look for from the client/ the Project manager when he/she is the lone ID handling a project?
All of us are used to collaborative effort when it comes to creating an e-learning course. Typically in companies, you have senior Instructional Designers who gather requirements for the course and initiate work for junior Instructional Designers. When you collaborate you share ideas, you discuss things with fellow Instructional Designers, get opinions and improve.
However there are cases when you are the only Instructional Designer working independently on a project. In such a situation, what should you do? What are the things to keep in mind?
So let me try and list some tips on things that you need to pay attention to before you start work on an e-learning project, especially if you are the only Instructional Designer working on it.
Here goes the list:
Request a project briefing session
If you haven’t got a project briefing, request the Project Manager to give you one. Make sure you ask him about the client and his/her requirements. Try to understand what the Project Manager has in his his/her mind, especially what he/she is planning.
Do not agree with anything at the first instant. Request the Project Manager for some time. You might not be able to change anything. However never explicitly agree to anything without probing. Remember that you are going to do most of the work.
Also request the Project Manager to introduce you to the client.
Always start with the subject matter
Read the content given by the client. Internalize the information. When you read it, think in terms of using the content to teach someone. Take sometime to analyze and research the subject matter.
Only when you look at the content closely, you will get an idea about the amount and kind of work you have to do.
Ideally you must not rush into scheduling delivery dates before analyzing the content. However if the schedule is fixed, you will atleast know what amount of work you have to do within the deadline.
Make sure you understand the requirements of the target audience
Talk to the client and understand why he/she needs the course. Try to understand about the target audience. Ask the client if there is already training in place. If there is a training, then ask the client why the current training program is not working. If there is no training then ask the client why they want to have training for the subject.
It is very important to learn a lot about the target audience before you decide on the Instructional Strategy for the course. A good understanding about the target audience will help you choose the right kind of information and create appropriate Instructional Design for your e-learning course.
Build a rapport with the SME
Incase you have a SME for your e-learning course, make sure you build a good relationship with him/her. Do not expect the SME to give you all the information. Always research and try to find some answers. When you talk to the SME, you must assure him that you are also learning and trying to get a grip of the subject. This way you will get more support.
Always demand SME support. Incase the project demands you to be the SME, demand more time and think of ways to validate information.
Take time to fix the course outline and course flow
How you structure information is critical to an e-learning course. Even if you have structured content from the client, take time to study the way information has been structured. Think and analyze if the existing structure meets the learner requirements.
Always fix the course outline and course flow before you move on to designing the Instructional Strategy. However do not completely ignore the Instructional Strategy when you create the content outline. You should keep all aspects of Instructional Designing in your mind.
Make sure you validate the content outline and course flow with the client. Without approval do not proceed further.
Research and discuss while designing the Instructional Strategy
If you do not have any other Instructional Designer to talk to, the best thing you can do is research and find out what others are doing.
One other thing you can do is seek external help. Talk to your friends or mail people you think are experts and discuss your ideas. You can frame questions in such a way that it does not seem project specific.
Never ask anyone for a solution. Never reveal project details to people who are not involved in the project.
Educate other people in the team on the project
You might not have an Instructional Designer in your team. However you have other people like Graphic Designers, Programmers etc who are also working on the project.
Take some time to explain and discuss what you are actually doing. Involve the Graphic Designers and Programmers in every phase of elearning development.
Do not use technical language or jargons in case you get to know that you teammates have no clue about Instructional Designing. Create informal channels of communication. Yet be professional.
Keep the Project Manager in the loop
Always keep the Project Manager informed of the work you are doing. Do not wait for him to ask. Involve him in every meeting you have with the client. If the Project Manager is busy and cannot attend the meeting, make sure you give him the details later.
Do not try to deal with tough situations on your own. Make sure you take decisions with the Project Managers consent.
If something is not working raise an alarm. Get the Project Managers help. Never hide anything.
Create a prototype and do pilot testing
If you want to quickly check if you are on the right track, use a prototype to check if your idea works or not. A prototype can do a lot more good than written documents because it will give the client an idea about what the end product will look like.
If possible also do a pilot testing by giving the prototype to a group of people whose profile matches with your target audience.
You can improve and change a lot after pilot testing.
Well, I have just listed a handful of tips.
Please feel free to add more 
Not sure if I understood the intent of the question. The tips you give would be applicable even if there were many IDs on the project.
I think the intent is not so much about the questions to ask the client but perhaps how to generate ideas when the person is the only ID on the project (of course I am speculating here). I would recommend the person to start building his/her virtual network on the Internet and collaborate with others on that network. With all the social media and social networking, a person need not worry about being alone on a project. There is enough collaboration possible on the social networks. The power is in the size of the network. So build your network and collaborate for more ideas. And don’t underestimate the idea generation capability of other roles in the project. Discuss the project with the graphics artist or the programmer and generate ideas.
My other speculation could be that person is asking what to do if he/she is the ONLY person on the project. In which I would suggest the person starts learning some rapid elearning tools. And look for free sources for graphics on the Net. Again, collaborating with the virtual network will make things easier for the person.
[...] Quick Tips for a Lone Instructional Designer | The Writers Gateway | Rupa Rajagopalan | 22 April 2009 [...]
Hi Manish,
Thanks for adding your two cents from two perspectives.
If the Instructional Designer is the only one in the project then there is no Project Manager. The Instructional Designer dons multiple roles and has to use rapid e-learning tools and has to collaborate with others on the web.
The article addresses the scenario where there is one Instructional Designer put on an e-learning project and has to work with a Project Manager and the development team including Graphic Designers and Programmers.
How does an Instructional Designer do his/her part in a project where the entire responsibility of Instructional Design is on that person?
So in a situation where there is only one Instructional Designer and he/she has no clue where to begin and what to do, it gets a little tricky.
Hi Rupa,
Very good Quick Tips you brought here.
I have completed an eLearning project lately using Captivate, Flash, Dreamweaver, Acapela, Audacity, etc. to name a few. So here’s a couple of my 2 cents from your writing.
Request a project briefing session
This is a must and, if you can, get a copy of the contract. In my case I have learned that the delivery date was not the same on the contract than from my client’s client.
Also request the Project Manager to introduce you to the client.
Ask questions. Ask the client to describe his view on the project and take notes. All the notes you can. You usually have only one shot at it.
Research and discuss while designing the Instructional Strategy
And submit to the client briefings and samples of your work during the process to know if you are going in the right direction.
Create a prototype and do pilot testing (s)
Can’t live without it!
Again, very good points Rupa, thanks.
Victor Daniel
eLearning Specialist
Thanks for the clarification. You have some good tips that would be applicable irrespective of the number of people in the project. These are good practices that we should follow whether we are a one person team or multiple person team.
I would maintain that if there was only ONE member in the team who is expected to work as an ID, project manager, graphics artist and programmer, he/she should become familiar with rapid elearning tools. Learning Photoshop or similar graphics tool will be must. Ability to locate free photos/graphics will help the lone team member juggle multiple responsibilities. Hopefully ‘project management’ required will be minimal since there is only person in the team and that person has to manage the tasks for self. Building a social network will help generate ideas and get peer feedback.
@Victor – Thanks for reinforcing
@Manish – Thanks for bringing in new views
Rupa, really interesting post. Adding my thoughts
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1. I have worked on several projects as a lone instructional designer. As a lone ID, a brainstorming session becomes extremely crucial for any project. This could be virtual or face to face with other IDs (who may not be working on the project). This helps add fresh ideas.
2. Another thing that I find really critical is to have a reviewer. This really helps when a pair of fresh eyes go through the storyboard.
3. As you mentioned, the ID dons several roles. The most important role is that of a project manager. The ID has to ensure other in team (GD, reviewer, client) is aware of the intervention points. Ensure that deliverable are sent out on time.