When you are working with e-learning authoring desktop tools to develop, assemble and publish digital files, then the old adage “the more, the merrier” doesn’t hold up. In fact the more people working on your project, the greater the challenge.
So what are the challenges?
Desktop tools do what they say on the tin: fundamentally, they work off your desktop.
Now, that presents a challenge when you have a team of talented folks all needing to be working on the same file. The rapid tools that have taken off in the market are really designed for the one-man band digital learning producer – you know, that mythical creature we’re all meant to be now, designer, developer and graphic artist all rolled into one. And sometimes that’s fine, if you are freelancing or a lone star in your organisation’s L&D department. But mostly digital learning is still crafted by interdisciplinary teams composed of people who are experts in their fields: instructional design, software development, graphic design and so on.
The challenge then becomes to manage your team and project so that everyone can do what he or she needs to in the file without working on it at the same time. Because, to do so is to fall into the trap that no project manager ever wants to see: multiple versions of the same file all containing DIFFERENT revisions!
If you’ve ever found yourself in this immeasurable hell, you’ll know that what you have on your hands are:
Multiple versions of the same file – all containing different updates.
Version control issues – which version is the most recent and up-to-date?
How to resolve with project management
To avoid the situation occurring, there’s the added project management time (cost) needed to facilitate team members working on files at separate times that you need to factor and your PM needs to mitigate against increased overheads associated with having someone waiting for a file to work on. In a world where clients are demanding more for less, the pressure is on to find cost-saving measures without compromising on quality.
Read More: https://www.elucidat.com/blog/authoring-elearning-immeasurable-hell
