Analyzing Scope Creep

Years ago I moved to Washington State form North Carolina. In the process of the move I decided to leave my vehicle, with hopes of finding a way to get it there later. It took me about a month to get settled in, and eventually I got tired of taking public transportation to get around. I thought it would be more feasible if I got my vehicle shipped rather than flying home and driving cross country. I had to take into account that the cost would simply be too high with having to pay for a ticket for me and my daughter to fly, pay for gas on a long road trip, lodging in order to get rest in between states, and plus the amount of time it would take to get my car their. With all that to be considered, I decided to get my vehicle shipped by a professional auto transport company.

I did research and found a reputable company, paid the non-refundable deposit and set the date for pick up. Everything was on track until……. you’ve got it “Scope Creep”. Let’s just say the car ended up residing in North Carolina for the next four years, due to unexpected circumstances. Scope creep is the change or growth of project scope and my car not being in Washington State with me, turned out to be that change.

Scope changes can make a project larger or smaller, and affect the timeline and the cost of the project (Gurlen, 2003). I lost money, my patients, and most importantly what I was working so hard to get, my car. Even though it was hard for me to handle at the time, I had to adjust to the fact that I would have to depend on public transportation for just a little while longer. After about another couple of months, I saved up some money and bought a used car. That car turned out to be a lemon, but I luckily got my money back and purchased a more reliable vehicle.

What I thought was an easy task or project, turned out to be a little bit of a headache, kind of like scope creep. I made the best out of the situation and found my self becoming more independent and capable of making important decisions. I was young, but learned very important life lessons from this little situation which grew to be a bigger, but workable problem.

References:

Gurlen, S. (2003). Scope Creep. Retrieved February 9, 2011 from, Web site:
http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f03_papers/gurlen/

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Communicating Effectively With Stakeholders

How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?

• Email- The email message was clear, concise, convenient and polite in its tone. For a busy person on the run, this email message can also be checked virtually anywhere, from cell phones to laptops.
• Voicemail- The message must not be of that much importance if a voicemail is left on the phone. It may not be checked immediately if the person is out of the office for an extended amount if time or just too busy to check their phone messages that particular day.
• Face-to-Face- While email can be a convenient form of communication, especially in the business sector, certain discussions need to be handled in person. If a situation is too in-depth to discuss any other way, I wouldn’t send an email or leave a voicemail, I would arrange for a face to face meeting.

What factors influenced how you perceived the message?

The most important factors that I perceived from the message were that the intended message was short with a clear point, and the tone of voice, tone of the written message, and the body language was positive.

Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?

I communicate 99% of the time via email at work, so I would reply to this form of communication more than the two other modalities. As stated before, this particular email message was clear, concise, and polite in its tone. All of the information that was needed for Mark to accomplish the task, that was asked of by Jane, was right there in the email massage.

What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team?

There are several forms of communication and all forms can be used effectively to get a message delivered. You need choose the correct form of communication at the right time and with a recipient who responds positively to the one you use. In other words if you choose email to send an intended message, the tone could be misunderstood by the recipient and a breakdown in communication occurs. Some individuals communicate better face to face, so sending an email can be ineffective.

Through communication people exchange and share information with one another, and influence one another's attidudes, behaviors, and understandings (Portny, 2008).


Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Blog Assignment: Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

I really had to sit down and brainstorm in order to come up with a project that I wanted to elaborate more on. I thought of using on the job examples, but I had none. After juggling around ideas I thought of a perfect example that Dr. Stolovitch discussed in the video program, “Defining the Scope of an ID Project”. When he creating a work breakdown structure chart which simply focused on planning a party, I thought that my last party planning project would be a perfect example for this blog assignment.

This project was my sons second birthday. I began the planning process in mid October, because his actual birthday was in mid December. I had two months to plan a party for about eight, very active 2 year old toddlers. My team consisted of my 14 year old daughter, mainly because she love parties and she was the only one interested in helping her mom. We sat down one day and wrote down a list of things to do. When I saw Dr. Stolovitch’s chart, it reminded me a lot of my list. We had to establish a date and time that was conducive for the parents and kids, a theme that would make my son happy, a place to have it, the kids that would be invited, the supplies needed to make everything happen, and the budget that we were working with.

This list primarily came about, because of the poor planning for my son’s 1st birthday party. Many of my guests didn’t show because of the time and place I selected. First of all, the time of the day was too late for the little ones and it was in the cold of the winter. Of all places, I chose Chuck E Cheese’s as the venue. It was too crowded and busy for anyone to truly enjoy themselves. I guess the ultimate problem was that I’d been planning parties for an older child for so long; I really didn’t remember how to plan correctly for a baby.

This year I got it right after learning from my mistakes. I basically found the list to be very helpful, and the end results of this party proved that everything worked out perfectly, even the cleaning up process. I selected an early time in the day, invited most of the kids from my son’s daycare, and I used the basement in my house for the festivities. My daughter and I then cleaned out the basement and baby/kid proofed it weeks before the party, and shopped for the supplies with in budget at that time as well. I did not want to do anything last minute; especially if I couldn’t find the things I needed for his “Cars” theme. I did want to run around town looking all over what I really wanted, pay more for it somewhere else, or have to just settle for anything. That does sound a lot like “Scope Creep”, which means for any variety of reasons the project may become larger than initially planned. Overall, the party was an overall success, with the help from my team “daughter”, my organizational list, and my past experiences.


Stolovitch, H. (2011). Video Program: “Defining the Scope of an ID Project”. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from Walden University, Web site: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4744643&Survey=1&47=6446129&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

The Future of Distance Learning - Reflection

I believe the perceptions for distance learning in the next 5-10 years will be that people will be more open to learning in an online environment, due to the increase in online communication, practical experience with new tools, growing since of comfort online, and the ability to communicate with diverse global groups (Siemens, 2010). It will definitely become a norm in which more and more institutions will conduct classes online to accommodate lifelong learners. Many types of learners will benefit from the distance education arena, such as K-12 students, undergraduate and graduate students, working professionals, home makers, and individuals wanting to continue their education for personal advancement. This testament proves that opportunities for learning and higher studies will be available to a far wider community of people than ever before.

In order to be proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning, I would have to keep learners informed about the many opportunities for learning in this type of environment. I would also have to introduce and share with learners the many resources available for the successful delivery of synchronous and asynchronous distance learning activities.

I can simply be an example of a successful online learner and share my positive learning experiences with others interested in the distance learning environment. I can inform them of the distinct benefits of distance learning such as its accessibility, convenience, and flexibility. The distance learning environment is definitely geared toward the busy life and vast experience of various types of learners. I can also continue to learn in this environment because there is always a need to constantly improve in skills needed for the advancement in my career and education. Education is definitely a lifelong learning experience and distance learning promotes improvement in every way.

My thoughts on this learning environment were quite different before I was enrolled as a student at Walden and enrolled as a student in this class. This course has opened my eyes to what distance education really is. It is definitely evident that we are heading to major advancements in the future of distance education. It is a societal norm that we learn from a distance in many educational settings. I also believe that learning from a distance can only grow and improve due to technology and innovation, and reach many types of learners in different environments in the near future.


References:
Siemens, G (2010). The Future of Distance Education. Retrieved December 24, 2010 from Walden University, Web site: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4603379&Survey=1&47=6446129&ClientNodeID

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Consider the following scenario: A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.

With this scenario in mind, and taking into consideration your Learning Resources, reflect on the following:

1. What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?

The trainer will have to decide which parts of the course will be conducted online, and which parts will be offline. They also need gain knowledge about the learner’s technological abilities, the logistics and location of the audience, and the resources available for the course.

2. What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?

The trainer can make the training modules all text based and place it online so that the trainees have access to it throughout the training sessions. Online learning activities may include taking and submitting assessments taken by the trainee at the end of each training module. Other activities may be used such as posting comments and participating in discussion forums in online chat sessions among trainees and trainers. In this particular case, the trainees will interact with their instructor and colleagues both in person and online, via web discussion forums, email, and chat sessions.

3. How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?

He will first serve as the developer and then facilitator to the trainers teaching the course. His role as the instructor is critical because it requires a transformation process to that of learning facilitator.

4. What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?

The trainer must keep in constant contact with the trainees in this blended learning environment and must participate and monitor in asynchronous discussions for online participation. They can also encourage the trainees to communicate online by using activities that keeps the trainees engaged participants.

Based on what you have learned thus far in this course, formulate a best practices guide for this trainer to follow when converting his program to a distance learning format. Include ideas and tips that could assist the trainer in facilitating communication and learning among his students. Be sure to support your ideas with documentation from your Learning Resources.

Distance Learning Best Practice Guide
1. Planning and development- Allow enough time to develop the course.
Creating a blended course is not as simple as placing presentation slides or notes online. (Ragan, 2010).

Have a good lesson plan which includes activities, polls, small group discussion (Piskurich, 2010).

2. Technology - Know and master the technology/software in order to administer the course. Posting content to the course web site, creating discussion forums, and managing student grade books are examples of skills that might be useful to practice (Ragan, 2010).

3. Focus on your learners - Understand the learner and keep in constant contact with them. Hold an initial face-to-face kick-off meeting. This first meeting can serve many roles, including a general orientation to the format of the course, a review of technology requirements, and an opportunity for the students to socialize and get to know their peers and their instructor (Ragan, 2010.

4. Communication- Participate in synchronous and asynchronous discussions (Piskurich, 2010).Monitor discussion board, send emails, and communicate. Make students aware of what a blended course entails.

References:
Piskurich, G (2010). Facilitating Online Learning. Retrieved December 17, 2010 from Walden University, Web site:
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4603379&Survey=1&47=6446129&ClientNodeID

Ragan, L. (2010). Best Practices in Online Teaching - Pulling It All Together - Teaching Blended Learning Courses. Retrieved December 17, 2010 from Penn State University , Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m15048/latest/

The Impact of Open Source

I decided to use and expand on the Open Culture website, which was one of the examples in our resources as an Open Course website. I learned that Open Culture attempts to bring together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Open Culture’s whole mission is to centralize audio and video content, and give users access to this high quality content anytime they want it. It offers free audio books, free online courses, free movies, free language lessons, free ebooks and other enriching content, which in other Web 2.0 tools, were scattered across the web, and not easy to find. (Open Culture, 2010). With in the site I decided to expand on an introductory course in Greek history, which traced the development of Greek civilization as manifested in political, intellectual, and creative achievements from the Bronze Age to the end of the classical period. This Yale College course was taught on campus twice per week for 75minutes and was recorded for Open Yale Courses in the fall 2007. Here is a link to the course, http://oyc.yale.edu/classics/introduction-to-ancient-greek-history.

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? How so?
Yes, the course contents included an introduction about the Ancient Greek History course, the Professor Donald Kagan, and the structure of the course. It also included an online syllabus stating course objectives, policies, and requirements; class sessions with access to audio, video, and course materials; course downloads which included downloaded course pages and course media; and a survey that allows students to share their thoughts about the course.

Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook? As stated in our textbook, we must remember that open source software is intended to be freely shared and can be improved upon and redistributed to others. The code in which the software is written is free and available to anyone to do just about anything with it. Keeping that in mind, this online course definitely follows the idea of what Open Course Software really is.

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?
This particular course did not implement a lot of the course activities that usually maximizes active learning for distance learners, because it mainly focused on class lecture and self directed learning. In order to maximize active learning online other factors must exists such as class discussion and open forums, mentorship, projects, and collaborative learning.

References:
Open Culture (2010). Retrieved December 4, 2010 from, Website: http://www.openculture.com/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Example 3: Asynchronous Training

In an effort to improve its poor safety record, a biodiesel manufacturing plant needs a series of safety training modules. These stand-alone modules must illustrate best practices on how to safely operate the many pieces of heavy machinery on the plant floor. The modules should involve step-by-step processes and the method of delivery needs to be available to all shifts at the plant. As well, the shift supervisors want to be sure the employees are engaged and can demonstrate their learning from the modules.

“Today’s workplace requires that individuals create and collaborate within the constraints of time and place. These needs have given way to technological advancements that allow for real-time communication among peers and co-workers who stay connected over the Internet. It is no coincidence that these same advancements bring a fresh promise to distance education. New tools promise to create a stronger learning community where members can build expertise and develop problem-solving skills”. (Beldarrain, 2006) With that being said in this asynchronous training scenario, I would have to use a multimedia format, such as streaming media training videos and materials on the Web, in order to implement the elements needed for employees to be trained on safety in the plant. This option provides a reliable video source, one which can be accessed through Internet connectivity. Simply put, placing the course training module on the Web affords employees 24-hour access and at their own convenience to training materials from any location with an Internet connection.

The online videos will provide an in-depth look at training modules and include exercises to assist employees with learning the course materials. It will be arranged by several modules or sections that will help the plant improve its poor safety record, and to comply with more stringent regulations that are aimed to protect people and the environment. Upon completion of each module the employees will be evaluated with an online assessment. After completion of the online training module and assessment, the shift supervisors will then evaluate each employee on safety as they work in the plant. This will help ensure that the employees were engaged and were able demonstrate that they have learned from the safety training module.

I found two external resources that is very similar to the solution in which I’ve just described. They showcase how these technologies have been successfully used in distance learning.

http://www.trainosha.com/
http://wisha-training.lni.wa.gov/Training/articulate/HazcomOnlineMod1/default.htm



References:

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.

Safety Training, OSHA Training & Compliance Courses. Retrieved November 19, 2010 from Web site:
http://www.trainosha.com/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (2009). Hazard Communication. Retrieved November 19, 2010 from Web site:
http://wisha-training.lni.wa.gov/Training/articulate/HazcomOnlineMod1/default.htm