Top 5 Ways You Can Ensure a Smooth Project Experience

I write and manage the production of clients’ storyboards at Artisan E-Learning. But once, I was an Artisan client. Back then, I didn’t give much thought to how the process worked, just that it did. Sometimes there were delays or cost overruns. That’s just the nature of business, right?

Well, yes and no. I’ve learned as a member of the Artisan production team there are ways clients can ensure a project is completed on schedule and within budget. Let’s take a look:

1) Provide well-curated content.

While it is Artisan’s job to make the best of the content you provide, it adds time if we have to search a large number of documents to find the ones that are relevant. The less time we spend searching for your content, the more time we can spend developing a great course. You can help by telling us where to find what is most important to you.

2) Provide authentic images.

Learners appreciate images that represent their work environment. For example, if a course requires uniformed characters, real photos in their actual surroundings resonate. If you don’t have access to your own image library, provide examples that match your culture. This helps us establish a strong look and feel for your course.

3) Stick to the schedule (or provide ample notice if you can’t).

A couple of days’ delay here and there won’t change your schedule much. However, longer delays can affect the availability of resources. When we are in the writing phase, our online development team is already scheduling narrators, graphic designers, e-learning developers, and testers. A sizeable delay can cause us to lose those resources, potentially causing even further delays.

4) Have one person responsible for adjudicating comments.

While it may be easier for you to collect your subject matter experts’ (SME) feedback and forward it to Artisan, it is time-consuming and dangerous for Artisan to reconcile the feedback. If your SMEs’ comments disagree, we are not in a position to decide which comment to use. Take the time to organize feedback to eliminate confusion. This allows Artisan to work faster. Time is money, right?

5) Give clear direction for changes.

Feedback that starts with, “Should we . . . ” is not helpful. As the client, you are in the best position to answer such questions. That said, if a whole section is confusing, it is appropriate to ask Artisan to correct it. Be as specific as possible in your feedback so there can only be one interpretation of what you’re asking for.

What became clear in my transition from an Artisan client to an Artisan team member, is the value of communication. Our job is to craft your perfect e-learning solution, but there are steps you can take to ensure your project is on schedule and within budget.