Mar 18 2016

My Building Block for L&D Project Planning

My 4-Part Building Block

1- Prep for it

2- Coordinate Logistics for it

3- Conduct it

4- Document it

Project Planning Activity-Set-Block

IT?

The “it” in the above Activity Block depends on your project, it’s phase, etc.

Here are some examples:

Client Requested Visit to Discuss Needs/Issues
Inital Client & Stakeholder Planning Session
Client & SME Interviews
Initial Data Gathering & Stakeholder Review Meetings
Project Planning Session
Client & Stakeholder Proposal Development
Client & Stakeholder Presentation Development
Client & Stakeholder Review Meeting
Etc.

The “it” is an Activity – with inputs, processes and outputs. But as the graphic suggests – it’s more than just that Activity. There’s also Pre and Post stuff.

I also use it to estimate “touch” time required for each of 3 parties (as in the visual example above). FYI- I plan in increments of 2 hours – or .25 day.

As I plan, sometimes in front of the client in the very first meeting, I remind them as I write it up in front of them – that “every number is wrong, but in the aggregate we hope to be within 10-15% of the eventual actual.”

Truth in advertising. Of course, you’ve got to have confidence based on some level of experience in estimating those “touch times.”

And … I can also plan an “allowed” Activity cycle time – based on the individual touch times for each oval in the Activity Block – and often “allowing” a little extra time for Murphy … and Recovery from Murphy. As in Murphy’s Law.