| Project Kick-Off

Background

Projects focusing on the design and development of educational materials can very easily become large and daunting. The nature of knowledge means that the scope of a project can be tricky to define, leading to difficulties in getting start and/or knowing where to stop. This was the case with various educational projects that I managed in a health organisation, wherein assistance was needed to ‘kick off’ projects and maintain their pace in a short window of time.

Approach

With access to Miro and with knowledge of Agile working practices, I worked towards setting up a resource that I could modify, replicate, and share. The idea of this resource would be to guide planning from the broadest aspects (e.g., the rationale for the project) down to the smallest details (e.g., how individual learning outcomes would be measured). I supported this approach by the theories and practices offered by Reigeluth and An (2022).

Solution

I created a ‘kick off’ Miro board that could be securely shared with members of a project team. I designed this so I could use it as a guide alongside meetings and sprints, or as a resource that could be completed by an established team prior to our first live meeting. The two sections relate to the pre-storyboarding stages of a project: Kick Off to understand a team’s composition, to explain the lifecycle of educational design and development, and to ascertain initial thoughts and previous resources; and Discovery to explore what a product needs to do, to settle on a scope for the individual components of a product using educational theory, and to make an action plan for team members (e.g., gathering resources, designing storyboard drafts, and so on). A screenshot of part of this board is visible below, as well as a link to an annotated version.

Impact

I have applied this approach to over 10 different projects and have received feedback very positive feedback regarding both the ease with which projects can start, but also having a central, accessible point for people to access should momentum falter or should the scope of the project slip. I frequently review and update the board based on end-of-project feedback and updates to theory, and it has allowed me to approach any project with confidence and professionality.

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