Biosecurity Queensland, an Agency of the Queensland Government, Collaborates with Swift to Deliver Online Training on Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Abstract

This case study outlines the Project Management challenges and how a well-defined risk management approach would address those challenges. It explains the importance of anticipating future risks while avoiding any unexpected shortcomings to make your eLearning project a great success. Managing risk involves identifying project risks, evaluating them and minimising their impact on the project.

Having delivered hundreds of eLearning projects, at Swift, we understand what goes into eLearning Project Management!

Client Overview

Biosecurity Queensland, an agency of the Queensland Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Australia, is responsible for coordinating the government’s efforts to prevent, respond to, and recover from pests and diseases that threaten the economy and environment.

Under Biosecurity Queensland, the Biosecurity Preparedness Program (Foot-and-Mouth Disease) planned to rollout an online training course on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The main objective behind this training initiative was to raise awareness of FMD among veterinary professionals and veterinary paraprofessionals (learners).  It focuses on furthering their understanding of FMD prevention measures, recognition of clinical signs and appropriate actions to take upon suspicion of the disease.

The Biosecurity Queensland approached Swift eLearning Services to see if it was possible to develop and deliver approximately 100 minutes of eLearning (11 interactive eLearning modules) in less than 45 days.

It was a race against time and we moved on beating the odds.

The Challenges

Requirements are never constant; they tend to change throughout the project. Plus the time lines were short.

Scope

• Storyboarding
• Development
• Audio recording and integration

The Solution

Considering the time constraint, instead of waiting for the final approval, we developed partially approved segments of the storyboard.

As part of our contingency planning, we recognised and prioritised significant risks. We then devised the following strategy:

• Defined Structure: To get a clear picture of the evolving eLearning product, we:
  • Developed a work breakdown structure outlining the project milestones and deliverables with clear owners and defined timelines
  • Involved the client in every stage of the project for their inputs, review and feedback
• Standard Folder Structure & Centralised File Sharing System: We set up an organised project filing structure to manage eLearning content and asset repositories. This logical and consistent file structure allowed us to easily collaborate, search and share files instantly across all stakeholders.
• Effective Communication: We communicated project needs and status to all project stakeholders, both internally and externally to manage expectations. In addition, we conducted weekly telephone calls with the client to take stock on project progress.
• Resource Allocation: A dedicated team worked exclusively to ensure we stay on track while continuously improving the eLearning product. To resolve any uncertainties, we also planned the backup resources.

This strategic planning helped us keep track of ongoing tasks and handle multiple feedback cycles saving our time and efforts.

The Results

Despite scope changes, multiple feedback and tight timelines, Swift successfully developed the eLearning course within the agreed timeframe and budget. This was possible with collaborative Project Management and risk assessment. We identified and assessed the risks upfront to resolve the issues with a sense of urgency. This resulted in:

• Accelerated Development Time by 50%: Biosecurity Queensland was able to rollout online training courses as per the planned schedule.
• Higher Learner Engagement: Learners accepted the training well and participated more actively because of graphics and interactive nature of online modules.
• Increased Training Efficiency: Biosecurity Queensland is able to provide this valuable training resource to a wide range of veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals.  This training will also be extremely valuable as “just-in-time-training” should Queensland experience an FMD incident.  It will allow for rapid, effective and efficient training.

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