scope creep

Describe a project, either personal or professional, that experienced issues related to scope creep. What specific scope creep issues occurred? How did you or other stakeholders deal with those issues at the time? Looking back on the experience now, had you been in the position of managing the project, what could you have done to better manage these issues and control the scope of the project?





As I viewed the definition of the term scope creep, the word phenomenon stood out to me. I immediately think of the term as something big and having a major impact on the outcome of a project. Scope creep is the natural tendecy of the client, as well as project team members, to try to improve the project's output as the project progresses. (Portney, S.E., Mantel, S.J., Meredith, J.R., Shafer, S.M. Sutton, M.M. & Kramer, p.346). At the present moment I'm dealing with scope creep planning my son's first birthday party. I don't consider myself the hostess type and I rarely plan large events. Since this is my baby's first birthday I wanted to do something big. I knew first hand I wanted the party to have an Elmo theme because he loves Elmo. I googled ideas and gathered my thoughts. I knew I was going to invite alot of family and friends so I thought about having the party at Chuck E.Cheese. I called and learned it would be 12.00 per child. At first it wasn't a big deal but as I thought about it, I started thinking if I have the party at Chuck E.Cheese then I won't be able to have an Elmo party because I have to use their decorations and all I would be able to bring was the cake. After scratching the Chuck E.Cheese party, I had to start planning to have the party at my house. I've been doing everything by myself and being that I'm a procrastinator, I have one day left to plan. I don't have the menu completed, I don't have an accurate count of people because everyone didn't r.s.v.p., I have to clean up and decorate. As the time approached I thought I would have everything completed and I had all these visions in my head of how everything was going to work out and it is not going as planned. I can't even find the picture to play one of the games. Scope creep has occurred in planning my son's first birthday party. Hopefully things will come together in a day.


Portney, 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 and Sons

Communicating Effectively

How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next? This assignment was very interesting in how a person perceives information. A person can convey the same message using email, voicemail, or face-face but I’m going to interpret it differently based on the way I view things and my personal experiences. My interpretation of the messages changed based on my personal experiences. Email is the main source of communication on my job, so I take emails serious when someone sends them to me. In the video, the email was written documentation of what was needed, so the person receiving it couldn’t say they did not get it, especially if a read receipt was put on the email. Since text messaging was created, I don’t talk on the phone anymore. I would rather text than talk. I do not like checking voicemails because it takes to long to listen to them and I just find it to be a hassle. I think the voicemail in the video was clear and Jane was firm about what she needed. It was a friendly voicemail. Often times, when someone is giving me information face-to-face, my mind tends to wonder somewhere else or I tune them out. Sometimes we start conversing about something totally not related to the original conversation. In the video, the woman did not look serious at all, even though she was asking for papers that she needed to meet her deadline.



What factors influenced how you perceived the message? My personal experiences and what method of communication is based on what I use the most on my job and everyday life. Since I use email all day, every day, the way I communicate tends to gear towards any type of technology. We live in such a technology advanced work that we now tune out verbal communication. In my opinion most Americans don’t talk or listen to one another anymore.


Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message? I would have to say email because as I mentioned before, when a message is written, it becomes documented that you received the message.


What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communicating effectively with members of a project team? I learned that the same message can be conveyed differently and after that it still depends on how the other person receives it. Communication can be formal or informal whether it’s email, voicemail and face-to-face. Perception is a key component in communication.

Learning from a project "post-mortem"

A project that I‘ve been working on and failed would be my weight loss plan. All I can think about on a daily basis is what I looked like before I had my son in February of last year. Everyone keeps telling me it takes about a year for the weight to come off and the year has approached. Now I’ve gone into state of where this weight loss is constantly on my mind but I’m not doing all that I can to lose the weight. I started out watching the Special K commercials where they said if you eat cereal to replace your meals you would lose 2 jean sizes in 2 weeks. I did not develop a plan of diet and exercise, so I went out and bought all the Special K products. Did I eat cereal, protein shakes, and cereal bars every time I was hungry? No I did not. This is where the frustration set in and I knew losing weight was going to require some real determination. I could not expect the weight to come off just by eating cereal. I should have created a weight loss plan that included a schedule and been more consistent. I should have known that I do better exercising than cutting back on meals so buying the Special K products was a waste of money. This process has not been successful but now that it’s been a year, I’m more motivated and determined to lose weight. I have cut back on meals and I eat smaller portions and I make sure I exercise everyday even if it’s only 10 minutes to make sure I’m burning calories. I’ve downloaded fitness apps on my Iphone to help me stay focused on this journey and it really working. I think developing a plan and gathering research was the reason my weight loss was not successful before. Now I’m constantly doing research, buying whole grain foods and foods that are low in calories, saying no to sodas and staying focused. I am expecting great results by summer time.

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Learning from a project "Post-mortem"

A project that I‘ve been working on and failed would be my weight loss plan. All I can think about on a daily basis is what I looked like before I had my son in February of last year. Everyone keeps telling me it takes about a year for the weight to come off and the year has approached. Now I’ve gone into state of where this weight loss is constantly on my mind but I’m not doing all that I can to lose the weight. I started out watching the Special K commercials where they said if you eat cereal to replace your meals you would lose 2 jean sizes in 2 weeks. I did not develop a plan of diet and exercise, so I went out and bought all the Special K products. Did I eat cereal, protein shakes, and cereal bars every time I was hungry? No I did not. This is where the frustration set in and I knew losing weight was going to require some real determination. I could not expect the weight to come off just by eating cereal. I should have created a weight loss plan that included a schedule and been more consistent. I should have known that I do better exercising than cutting back on meals so buying the Special K products was a waste of money. This process has not been successful but now that it’s been a year, I’m more motivated and determined to lose weight. I have cut back on meals and I eat smaller portions and I make sure I exercise everyday even if it’s only 10 minutes to make sure I’m burning calories. I’ve downloaded fitness apps on my Iphone to help me stay focused on this journey and it really working. I think developing a plan and gathering research was the reason my weight loss was not successful before. Now I’m constantly doing research, buying whole grain foods and foods that are low in calories, saying no to sodas and staying focused. I am expecting great results by summer time.


Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects!. Retrieved January 3, 2011 from Walden University, Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc Website: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/56607/CRS-CW4744643/EDUC_6145_readings/PM-Minimalist-Ver-3-Laureate.pdf

Distance Learning Reflection

The question asked is what you think the perception of distance learning will be in the future. According to Dr. Siemens (2010), distance learning will have a positive perception based on the growing acceptance as well as personal experiences of learners. He states personal experiences with distance learning are becoming more meaningful due to communication. Traditional students have learned that they can have meaningful relationships thru online communication. I can agree with Dr. Siemens and say distance learning is going to overtake our global society. I say this based on my personal experiences and knowledge of technology. I can only imagine what the world will be like ten to twenty years from now. I think the world will become dependent upon technology and every individual will need to have an advanced background in technology. I recently bought an IPhone 4 and I am amazed at what all this phone can do. It is like anything you need is at the touch of a button. Technology is used in the business world, social world and educational world. Education is not what it use to be in the past.


Distance learning has become a popular method of learning for all simply due to the fast paced world we live in. I think people are dealing with so many issues such as employment, family, school, etc., that finding things that are quick and convenient is satisfying. Is distance learning going to grow? The answer is yes, in fact, it will continue to gain popularity and make education more widespread than ever before.

There has been a vast growth in the amount of knowledge and information being given to people all over the world. Along with that, there has been increasing emphasis on the use of information for decision making rather than just memorization. The goal is to prepare future leaders through educational and professional excellence. This is starting as early as elementary because the mission of our school is to prepare all students to be academically and socially successful in a global society. I interpret that to mean we must keep up with current trends in education which includes technology in order to prepare students for what’s to come in the future.

As an instructional designer, proponent s for improving societal perceptions of distance learning will include roles and responsibilities and how the designer adjusts to change. Motivation and learning styles are also proponents for improving societal perceptions of distance learning. The roles and responsibilities must be outlined at the beginning of the course. The designer must design the course to meet the needs and learning styles of all the learners. The designer must have background knowledge of students experience with distance learning and motivate all students in order for them to be successful in the course. It is vital for the designer and learners to be aware of where distance learning is going and stay current with technological trends and changes in distance learning.

I would be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance by making sure that the ADDIE model is followed when designing programs. The ADDIE model should always be used because it is a guide that helps instructional designers plan effectively. In order to be a positive force other factors need to be addressed as well such as the learner, the content, the method and material and the technology. Online learning is not difficult it just takes motivation and determination.

References

Laureate Education. (2010). The Future of Distance Education. [Video]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4603379&Survey=1&47=6354370&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1&BrswrOK=1&PrevRef=http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn%3FCourseID%3D4603379%26Survey%3D1%2647%3D6354370%26ClientNodeID%3D984650%26coursenav%3D1&submit1=Continue

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

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.


In any instructional setting, students benefit when they have a clear view of such issues as class organization and student responsibilities. The instructor’s responsibility involves organizing the course, including such items as class schedule, grouping for activities, and expectations for interaction (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). Students must understand how the course will function so they can be better prepared to participate. These things will be important for the trainer when converting the face-to-face training sessions to a distance learning setting. The trainer must keep the trainees in mind and their learning style when setting up this new format so that the blended learning format can be successful. The trainer must also create a learning environment that facilitates student learning and use a variety of methods when structuring the course. I created a best practices guide that will help the trainer design the course successfully. This guide includes key components the trainer must think about and use when converting and designing the blended learning format. Best Practice Guide

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