How to Manage the E-Learning Development Team
By John M. Ivancevich,Thomas N. Duening, and Robert Konopaske 

The typical e-learning courseware development team is interdisciplinary. Unfortunately, integrating this diverse team of creative, intelligent, and high-energy subject matter experts and technology specialists into a cohesive unit is nearly impossible. Often, the missing ingredient is an effective project manager.

There's no single team structure to use when assembling, motivating, and rewarding an e-learning development team. However, there are specific roles that team members must perform. E-Learning teams need people with technical expertise, subject matter knowledge, interpersonal skills, and who are willing to learn. More important, they need strong leadership to bond this group of diverse talent.

In addition to project managers, the e-learning team includes instructional designers, graphic artists, videographers, animators, writers, programmers, quality controllers, and subject matter experts. Each of the team members has a specific set of tasks and duties to perform. Here's how the team looks.

Project managers are the formal leaders who manage the work, processes, and communication within the team. Budget and resource allocation decisions and setting schedules also are a duty of the project manager. But more important than managing the daily chores of the group, an effective project manager needs to create a collaborative culture that is free from hidden agendas, dominance in one area, and infighting.

Instructional designers map the course into an organized and cohesive presentation, working closely with SMEs to gather information and programmers to translate learning exercises into online tools. They have a solid foundation and understanding of learning and cognitive-learning theory.

Subject matter experts generally are described as being responsible for the accuracy of the content. Although it’s assumed that SMEs only provide content to the courseware development process, they're responsible for the technical language, source material, and performance objectives. Unfortunately, these notions create an incomplete picture of the characteristics and contributions of SMEs and can limit their ability to contribute to the courseware development process. For example, it's a misconception that SMEs aren't experienced trainers and can add little to the instructional design. Indeed, because they informally educate those around them, they are most familiar with ways to best convey the information.

To avoid this issue, project managers should try using the following criteria when identifying potential SMEs: traditional training experience; effectiveness as an educator; ability to understand basic learning concepts and principles; and experience working on educational, training, and project teams. To be sure, SMEs with experience as trainers can play a more significant team role by creating more meaningful courseware, quality control, and evaluation methods.

A more pressing issue regarding the role of SMEs is that they can be the least integrated part of the e-learning development team. It's common for the team to isolate and underuse SMEs. Instead, there's an overemphasis on technology issues and technical roles. In this instance, the project manager needs to role model thought behavior, looking past the latest bells and whistles and placing more value on content, training program effectiveness, and the experience of the SME.

Graphic artists, videographers, and animators need to be proficient with the best software tools. More important, they need to be able to interpret and execute the requests of instructional designers.

Writers manage the text and structure of the content. However, from working with content provided by non-team affiliated freelance SMEs, some writers become self-declared subject matter or content experts. By accident--or design--they may alter content, effecting learner performance. The PM manager needs to work closely with the writers and quality controllers to assure that content from the SMEs and the intent of the instructional designers remains unaltered.

Programmers assemble the text, graphics, and animations provided by the other team members. Using storyboards, graphics, sound files, text, video clips, and animations to construct the courseware, programmers fit content into an appropriate delivery form. In addition, programmers develop the scripts that translate interactive portions of a traditional classroom course, such as discussions and quizzes, into an online format. It’s easy for programmers to become preoccupied with the options that are technologically available but add little (or even detract from) the learning experience. The project manager needs to check whether the programmers' content conversion is consistent with the learning objects and supports the instructional design.

Quality controllers are detail-orients and check for accuracy, functionality, and design. However, every team member needs to perform those functions throughout the development process.

Challenges

The e-learning development team will face a host of challenges, but understanding each member's role and tasks will help the team overcome its most demanding obstacles. Although the obvious issues that come to mind are technological in nature, the team will more likely be derailed by problems that are common to nearly all teams.

§  Lack of group identity. Few e-learning teams actually share workspace. Not integrating or using the talents of all members results in a half-committed team. For example, on many e-learning teams, SMEs are considered isolates or outsiders. The project manager needs to lead teambuilding exercises and put into place communication vehicles to help develop camaraderie.

§  Lack of recognition. A crucial task of team leadership is enlisting the efforts of all team members. Acknowledging everyone's contributions--concentrating on recognition, reinforcement, and rewards--needs to be a priority of the project manager. In addition, it's important for them to spread recognition throughout the entire organization.

§  Lack of appreciation for the team's diversity. It's inevitable that the team's members will have diverse work histories. In fact, the team leader should welcome diversity. For instance, SMEs are dramatically different from other members in terms of their depth of expertise. In another example, the technical know-how gap between programmers, quality controllers, and SMEs can be staggering. By valuing differences, the project manager will be able to build a cohesive unit that's based on common goals rather than common knowledge.

As those challenges suggest, being the project manager of an e-learning team requires more than generating schedules, charts, and to-do lists. Here are some teambuilding actions recommended for project managers.

§  Collaboration. Project managers who build collaboration obliterate the internally competitive and destructive win-lose conflicts common to teams. To build collaboration, team leaders should avoid the not-invented-here syndrome, which ignores ideas that aren't generated solely from within the group. The project manager also needs to role model respect for all team members at all times, allow members to voice opinions on any issue, and provide the needed resources.

§  Contribution. Team members that feel like a part of a group are more likely to contribute ideas, problem-solving ideas, and so forth. To encourage balanced participation from each team member, project managers need to pay close attention to three factors: inclusion, confidence, and empowerment. Leaders who keep everyone informed and create a climate of sharing and collegiality create a sense of inclusion. To build confidence, managers need to provide timely feedback and intermittently reward team collaboration behavior. Allowing team members to participate in decision-making and to have autonomy are ways project managers can bolster empowerment. Finally, suggesting that team members engage in their own evaluation of their contributions can enhance the amount and quality of contributions.

§  Communication. Open, frequent, and timely communication is important to any team's success. Team members must be able to voice opinions, ask for help, share ideas, and take risks. A project manager that's skilled in listening, offering feedback, and building consensus can create an efficient and useful communication system.

§  Cross-Functional Connectivity. The e-learning development team won't say in business if online courseware isn't put to use. Other functions within the organization, such as HR, sales, or marketing, must have an active relationship with the e-learning team. It's up to the project lead to recognize, form, and support these cross-function bonds. Cross-team meetings, training programs, non-work social activities, and sharing of member profiles are steps to building connectivity.

The knowledgeable e-learning provider understands that learning starts with a good e-learning development team. Assuming that a team of diverse people will bond and become creative producers of marketable e-learning courseware is naive. Recruiting and developing project managers who know how to build the e-learning development unit should be a significant priority for management. Indeed, the e-learning development team will not achieve the success, until project management leadership is considered important and SMEs are better integrated. The number of e-learning providers that know how to effectively use the talents and of every team member must increase if online learning is going to succeed.