How to Guarantee Your Next eLearning Project Will Fail

Have you ever wondered why most client eLearning projects fail? In today’s post, I’ll get right to the point. They fail because there is often a lack of clear communication and alignment between the client and the person doing the work when the project starts. 

When communication breaks down, your projects suffer from misunderstandings, mismatched expectations, and outcomes that neither party wants!

Communication Gaps

When there is lack of clear and frequent communication, both the client and you will have a different understanding of the project’s requirements, timelines, deliverables, and outcomes. This almost always leads to wasted time, reworks and frustrations for both parties. If not addressed immediately, the project will go off track and you will fail to achieve the desired outcomes.

Addressing Those Gaps with a Simple Checklist

To avoid misunderstandings, you need to establish communication requirements and expectations in your initial project kick-off meeting. Here is a simple checklist that should get you started!

Client Kick-Off Meeting

• Determine which communication channels will be used (email, phone call, project management tools)
• Share relevant contact information (email, phone) along with each person’s preferred method of communication.
• Identify the primary contact person for the project
• Identify any backup or alternative contact person if the primary is not available
• Determine stakeholder availability during the project (e.g., upcoming vacations, leave)
• Determine the frequency for reporting project updates, progress reports, and check-ins
• Discuss acceptable timeframes for responding to questions
• Determine when regular meetings and check-ins should occur; will they be in person, virtual?
• Determine the duration for those meetings to ensure they are productive
• Establish clear milestones, deadlines, and deliverables for the project; make sure they are realistic
• Ensure you all have a shared understanding of the project’s scope, goals, and objectives
• Establish a feedback and revision process
• Discuss how feedback will be collected and when it needs to be completed

I hope you found this post useful! if you have any questions about what I’ve mentioned here, please feel free to comment below. Of course, you might have additional things to add that would be helpful for improving communication between parties. If so, please share.