My previous articles on Learning Technology Implementation Planning have considered the scoping and kick-off stages, and project setup.

Now I will look at the different workstreams that are likely to be involved in the typical implementation process.

Much of this fits closely into the Periodic Table of Web Design process which I shared recently.

A workstream is a set of work that would be normally be carried out by a specific group of people. Each workstream is usually managed separately, although under the overall management of the project manager. Larger projects might need a programme manager who has the overall view, with each workstream having its own project manager.

Each workstream is likely to be closely involved with the client, understanding their requirements and translating them into workable designs and plans. Strong coordination & communication between the workstreams, and an overall vision, is critical so that they can come together at key points with minimal clashes.

In the diagram above, the iterative process of define, prototype, test, develop, test, release and improve is common to all workstreams.

• Define requirements – what do you need to be able to deliver
• Prototype – demonstrate how your ideas will deliver the business requirements
• Test prototype – check your ideas against real, potential users if possible
• Develop – build what you said you were going to deliver
• Test – check that what you’ve built still does what you said it would do
• Release – make it available to real users
• Improve – consider what needs to be done next to improve on what you’ve delivered

How many iterations you do will depend on the project management philosophy your team adopts.

Visual design

The visual design workstream will need to address things like:

• Understanding the client’s brand guidelines
• Creating an overall art direction for the application and content interfaces
• Designing interface elements such as buttons and icons
• Sourcing and editing appropriate images

Application platform

The application platform workstream will focus on things like:

• Identifying the applications to be used
• Mapping the functional requirements to the applications’ capabilities
• Reporting and analytics requirements
• Identifying new functionality to be developed
• Wireframes, user flows and prototypes
• Designing data flows and integration pathways
• Implementing any new visual design elements – Dependency on the Visual Design workstream
• Installation of the applications – Dependency on the Hosting workstream
• Configuring the applications
• Penetration testing
• Application support & training

Hosting

The hosting workstream will focus on things like:

• Forecasting load
• Identifying required levels of redundancy
• Identifying required frequency of data backups
• Identifying security requirements
• Hosting system design
• Implementing hosting service
• Testing against load – dependency on Application Platform workstream
• Server support

Content

The content workstream is likely to focus on:

• Learning needs analysis
• Learning design
• Content authoring
• Media creation – dependency on Visual Design workstream
• User testing
• Analytics – in cooperation with Application Platform workstream

Rollout & Communications

The rollout and communications workstream is often forgotten, but will probably need to consider:

• Stakeholder management
• Communications planning
• Developing motivation
• Finding champions and early adopters
• User support
• Management reporting
• Issue reporting processes
• Change management processes

If you'd like to discuss this article, or how I can help you, get in touch.

Posted: 22 April 2015

Tags: Project management

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