PART 6 — Project Management for Instructional Designers (Part 6 of 6)

1. The Simple Version: Every Project Is Just This

No matter how fancy the job title sounds, Instructional Design projects follow ONE pattern:

👉 Plan → Build → Refine → Deliver

That’s it.

But of course… humans make things complicated.

So IDs use project management to keep everyone aligned, accountable, and sane.

2. The Mid Version: Why Project Management Is HALF of ID

You can be an expert in:

learning theories
Bloom’s
Gagné
UX
content structure
ADDIE

But if you can’t manage:

timelines
people
deliverables
files
meetings
expectations

then your course will crash and burn beautifully.

Project management is the skeletal system of instructional design.
Everything else hangs on it.

3. The High-Level Reality: IDs Must Manage Four Dimensions

⭐ 1. The Process (ADDIE or your org’s version of it)

Analysis → Design → Development → Implementation → Evaluation
You must keep the flow smooth.

⭐ 2. The People

SMEs, editors, designers, videographers, reviewers, managers, learners
You coordinate them all.

⭐ 3. The Time

Deadlines, milestones, buffer periods, decision points
You prevent slippage.

⭐ 4. The Product

Actual courses, content, assessments, videos, slides
You maintain quality.

IDs are the glue, the blueprint, and the engine — all at once.

4. Milestones: The Backbone of Project Timing

Every ID project needs clear milestones.

A typical flow might look like:

Kickoff Meeting
Needs Assessment Complete
Learning Goals + Objectives Finalized
Outline Approved
First Draft Created
SME Review
Revisions
Media / Interactives Developed
Quality Check
Final Approval
Launch

Without milestones?

You get the standard corporate ending:

“Uh… we need this by Friday.”

5. Buffers: Your Best Friend

You ALWAYS need buffer time.

Why?

Because:

SMEs travel
executives delay approval
IT breaks things
schedules clash
content changes
videos take longer
someone forgets to send files
life happens

A smart ID plans:

small buffers between tasks
large buffers between major milestones

This is the difference between calm ID and panic ID.

6. The Conversation Every ID Must Have With Their SME

This is GOLD.

You ask:

✔️ “When does the course need to launch?”

✔️ “What dates are you unavailable?”

✔️ “What deadlines MUST be hit?”

✔️ “Who approves what?”

✔️ “How many review cycles do we allow?”

✔️ “Who is responsible for each part?”

This one conversation prevents months of drama.

Most issues happen because roles and expectations were never clarified.

7. Managing People Without Authority

IDs rarely have positional power.

But they have:

✔️ clarity
✔️ organization
✔️ communication
✔️ consistent follow-up
✔️ documentation
✔️ structure
✔️ influence

This is your real leadership.

You’re not a boss —
you’re the coordinator,
the facilitator,
the calendar,
the translator,
the navigator,
the glue.

You lead the project gently but firmly.

8. Version Control: Avoiding “final_FINAL_v9_thisone.pptx” Hell

Every ID has lived this nightmare.

To avoid it, you MUST:

✔️ Use cloud-based storage

Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, SharePoint.

✔️ Create a clean folder hierarchy

01 Project Charter
02 Needs Analysis
03 Content
04 Drafts
05 Media
06 Reviews
07 Final
08 Archive

✔️ Label files clearly

Lesson1_Draft1
Lesson1_Draft2_REVISED
Lesson1_FINAL
Lesson1_FINAL_APPROVED

Your future self will thank you.

9. Meetings: Not a Waste of Time (If Done Right)

Meetings become torture when:

❌ no agenda
❌ too many people
❌ unclear goals
❌ poor facilitation
❌ no follow-up

You fix that by:

✔️ having a clear goal

✔️ inviting only necessary people

✔️ keeping meetings short

✔️ confirming decisions in writing

✔️ assigning action items

✔️ tracking responsibilities

Good meetings = huge time savings.

10. Quality Control: The “Final Exam” Before Launch

Before going live, every course needs:

🔹 content accuracy check

🔹 grammar + formatting check

🔹 media check

🔹 accessibility check

🔹 interaction check

🔹 usability test

🔹 assessment alignment review

🔹 final SME approval

🔹 technical check on the LMS

This is where IDs prevent embarrassment.

Nothing is worse than a typo on slide 1
or a broken button on page 3
or a quiz question that marks the correct answer wrong
or a video that won't load.

QC = your final shield.

11. The Sri-Style Reality Punchline

Instructional Designers often do the work of:

a project manager
a designer
a writer
a psychologist
a researcher
a SME-whisperer
a strategist
a quality-control analyst
and a life coach

all at once.

And we STILL deliver. The truth?

Instructional Designers are the hidden backbone of learning operations.
We hold everything together, even when nobody sees it.

Project management isn’t “extra.” It’s the reason ID projects succeed.