Integrate AI content generation tools

Here’s how I estimate time for an eLearning development project. I wrote recently that a typical instructional design and development eLearning project in a tool like Storyline is usually 10 to 12 weeks for us. https://lnkd.in/erT_92mt That’s my starting calendar for a project plan, but the actual time needed (and therefore the weeks) can vary wildly. Some projects we’re doing in mere days. Some we’re working on for multiple months. So, this is a little deeper dive into how I approach that estimating. The four main factors I consider when quoting a project are: 1️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭. Has the front-end analysis work been done? Does the content already exist? How complete and stable is it? Does it provide actionable steps for the learner? 2️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲 is driven by the learning objective and relates to what the end product might be. Has it already been designed and we are simply production or are we performing the whole project? What level is needed and how much effort will it take to build? 3️⃣ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 relates to how my team will need to work the project in order to meet the request. Is it a typical timeline or a rush? Is there an available SME to answer questions and how responsive will this person be? 4️⃣ 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 comes from our PM tool. As I scope, I try to find similarities with previous work. Then, I run reports on those past projects and see how much time we spent. My team and I will take those numbers and debate it, such as this project went well because we had a great SME or that one went off the rails because the content kept changing. All of this helps us hone in on what the new project might be like. Try to build in some contingency. I’ll also sometimes take our own historical time spent and cross-reference it with data from the L&D industry. My three favorites to reference are: Bryan Chapman, How Long Does it Take to Create Learning? Despite this PowerPoint being 15 years old, the time estimates are still really strong. https://lnkd.in/eTbC-KgU Robyn A. D., How Long Does It Take to Develop Training? New Question, New Answers. I don’t agree with the numbers in this 2020 ATD survey quite as much, and they used a variety of course lengths, but still good info. https://lnkd.in/ef8gVSeQ Christy Tucker, Time Estimates for eLearning Development. This 2019 post walks through Christy's thought process for estimating hours on a big project. https://lnkd.in/ex6_ykQ7 I hope this info is helpful to you. My biggest advice is to track your time spent and build formulas based on that and industry resources like the links I’ve included. What other steps do you take when estimating an eLearning project?