Where Can IDers Get Help with Project Management?

Where can Instructional Designers (IDs) go to get help?  Some of it depends on the type of help we are looking for.  There is a multitude of sites to provide help on specific topics.  This week I am looking for help in managing a project for ID.  Many sites offer help in this, articles and books, even ads for training courses.  I narrowed the search to listservs and blogs because I want sites that can be updated with new information as it becomes available.  There are many blogs and listserv sites for Instructional Design.  Most of them had info on ADDIE and how to incorporate technology into course design.  When I clicked on them and tried to draw information pertaining to project management (PM), the list narrowed dramatically. 

I’ll start with an excellent ID site called canvas – All Places > Instructional Designers (https://community.canvaslms.com/groups/designers).  The opening screen states “This is a group for teachers and instructional designers to help each other, collaborate, and discuss elements of course design in Canvas.”  There are four buttons on the screen that provide links to site areas: Ask a Question, Start a Discussion, View All Resources and View All Members.  There is also a search bar, which I used to ask for information on “project management”, (must be in quotes to narrow the search). I was led to three sites. “Project scheduling” led me to none.  From a PM side, there was some information but I expected more.  From an ID side there is plenty.  I found the search feature to be the most useful item to start with.  The Ask a Question area would be next.  Before using it you must open an account, which I did.  They will send me info shortly.  More to come.

The next blog I looked at is The Rapid E-Learning Blog, where I found Managing E-Learning Projects (http://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/managing-e-learning-projects/).  This site opens with a bold-lettered sentence in the first paragraph reading “The success of your elearning course starts and ends with project management.”  I was excited when I read it because the site showed promise.  There is a list of posts that can be clicked to give PM tips below the second paragraph.  To the right of these is a resource list and a search box.  I scrolled through the list of posts and chose “The Project Management Tip You Can’t Ignore.”  The post mentioned a video which was titled,  “You Don’t Know How to Email.”  It was an interesting video on some of the foibles we are all guilty of in our busy emailing day.  I encourage you to check it out.

The last site I checked out is iddblog (http://www.iddblog.org/?p=2888).  It starts with an article by Veronica Johnson titled, “Organization or Bust? Project Management Tools for Success”.  It lists several tools to help the ID get organized when it comes to PM.  Veronica touts a program called Asana, which she says has been a lifesaver for both her and her teammates.  Asana has a free version but if you want the real power of it you need to spend about $10.00 a month.  Not wanting to buy another software program just yet, I continued reading.  Gaantt Project will lay out your project in a PM format and help you keep track of it.  But again there is a monthly fee.  I really enjoyed the next section of the article because it is titled “More Free Project Management Tools:  She includes links to a few of them. 

These sites offer information and help on Project Management.  Depending on what you are looking for, some are more helpful than others.  Please check them out and judge them for yourself.  Thanks for viewing my blog.