For a project manager, the key to a successful project is building, communicating and executing a “shared vision” with your team. The project’s vision is the expectation of what the deliverable will be. A shared vision means one that is created by the client, project manager (PM) instructional designer (ID), the production members who will work on the project, and other stakeholders.
So you may be wondering, “How can a team of people create one vision?” Well, think of it like a funnel. Team members come to the project with their individual perspectives. You maximize their experiences and opinions to generate ideas relevant to the project. Then everyone works together until there is one agreed-upon solution. So, how do you work through the funnel?
(1) Determine the boundaries. Talk to your client and stakeholders. Work together to establish the limitations of the project. How big is the sandbox you can play in?
(2) Brainstorm treatments. Internally and externally. Pull in creatives, technical team members and key client stakeholders. Build ideas together. And by the way, bringing clients into this process increases their vested interest in the success of the ideas you generate together.
(3) Document the solution or shared vision. Based on the brainstorm treatment, think about what the end product will be before you estimate it. What will it look like? How will it sound? How will it function? Use the answers to create a project description and assumptions that will later feed project scope.
(4) Share the initial vision. Communicate the vision by sharing it with the team and your client. Is everyone on the same page? By identifying gaps and managing expectations early on, you can easily make adjustments. Communication also provides you with the opportunity to sell the vision (and the project) before it’s even estimated.
Creating a shared vision does require an initial investment of time (and money) for team members for meetings, brainstorms, and discussions. But it’s more efficient and effective down the line. The team can work concurrently and in sections so a project can get done quicker. We lose the assembly line approach. No longer does the entire production process hinge on the instructional designer writing the script, passing it to the designers, who pass it to developers, who then pass it to QA. With a shared project vision, all of the players know what they have to do and how their piece fits in the larger picture. And since they helped create it, they are vested in the follow-through and look for ways to add value.
On the external side, you establish buy-in with the client (and other stakeholders) since they were involved with shaping the shared vision and approved it. This manages client expectations throughout the project’s life cycle. You can prevent extensive revisions after development and reduce the chances of scope creep, both of which decrease the odds of having to write a change order.
As an extra bonus, once the shared vision is created, the PM can sit back and take it easy … I mean, the PM can continue to communicate the vision, and the team can follow the vision with minimal questions to the project manager. This allows the PM to take on more projects or add value in other ways. Just be careful that you don’t get too busy creating other shared visions that you stop communicating the current project’s vision.
JPL
Learning Solutions
Creating a Shared Vision for Learning Solution Projects
For a project manager, the key to a successful project is building, communicating and executing a “shared vision” with your team. The project’s vision is the expectation of what the deliverable will be. A shared vision means one that is created by the client, project manager (PM) instructional designer (ID), the production members who will work on the project, and other stakeholders.
So you may be wondering, “How can a team of people create one vision?” Well, think of it like a funnel. Team members come to the project with their individual perspectives. You maximize their experiences and opinions to generate ideas relevant to the project. Then everyone works together until there is one agreed-upon solution. So, how do you work through the funnel?
(2) Brainstorm treatments. Internally and externally. Pull in creatives, technical team members and key client stakeholders. Build ideas together. And by the way, bringing clients into this process increases their vested interest in the success of the ideas you generate together.
(3) Document the solution or shared vision. Based on the brainstorm treatment, think about what the end product will be before you estimate it. What will it look like? How will it sound? How will it function? Use the answers to create a project description and assumptions that will later feed project scope.
(4) Share the initial vision. Communicate the vision by sharing it with the team and your client. Is everyone on the same page? By identifying gaps and managing expectations early on, you can easily make adjustments. Communication also provides you with the opportunity to sell the vision (and the project) before it’s even estimated.
Creating a shared vision does require an initial investment of time (and money) for team members for meetings, brainstorms, and discussions. But it’s more efficient and effective down the line. The team can work concurrently and in sections so a project can get done quicker. We lose the assembly line approach. No longer does the entire production process hinge on the instructional designer writing the script, passing it to the designers, who pass it to developers, who then pass it to QA. With a shared project vision, all of the players know what they have to do and how their piece fits in the larger picture. And since they helped create it, they are vested in the follow-through and look for ways to add value.
On the external side, you establish buy-in with the client (and other stakeholders) since they were involved with shaping the shared vision and approved it. This manages client expectations throughout the project’s life cycle. You can prevent extensive revisions after development and reduce the chances of scope creep, both of which decrease the odds of having to write a change order.
As an extra bonus, once the shared vision is created, the PM can sit back and take it easy … I mean, the PM can continue to communicate the vision, and the team can follow the vision with minimal questions to the project manager. This allows the PM to take on more projects or add value in other ways. Just be careful that you don’t get too busy creating other shared visions that you stop communicating the current project’s vision.
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