Like most work, projects tend to have stages, and these include a “sunset” stage. This is where the instructional designer takes a quick bow and splits. This is usually defined by the MOU (memorandum of agreement), or more specifically, when the funds run out. Optimally, this coincides with the work’s final wrap-up and acceptance of the curriculum by all parties involved.

Tapering off on a project involves letting the principals and the team members know that the tapering phase has started. It helps to have a constant sense of principal investigator (PI) priorities, especially as the time is running down, to make sure that everything that needs wrap-up can be achieved. These last phases may well involve long work days and sacrificed weekends, but the last deadlines aren’t to be fooled with if possible, or else work will have a way of dragging on.

As one of the faculty I’ve been working with said recently, Well, what are we going to do when you leave the project? We joked around that I would walk on by if I saw any of the team on campus…but it’s probably a wise thing not to make every project a forever kind of thing…but also not just drop a project.

The Long Goodbye

Longer-term projects involve a fair amount of challenge to wrap. For one, during the height of a project, one is on-call by virtually everyone on the team. That means a steady stream of calls and emails…during the active phases of the project. There are occasional lulls, such as during official breaks or especially busy times of the term.

That sense of being on call carries over through various projects, sometimes even after a year has passed from the initial work. Or when a grant has been awarded and funded, sometimes the PI will call for more (unfunded) advisement and support, which is unwise—as people do have long memories.

Letting Work Fend for Itself

Ramping up to the wrap-up of a project involves putting the curriculum through its paces, testing it against various rubrics and standards, assuring that the work is accessible… and if I’ve learned nothing else, when there’s a group of high-powered and smart faculty in a room, it’s better to let them decide their preferences. There is also no accounting for taste or the various rationales.

If asked, I’ll let them know what I think, particularly if I think there is “give” on a subject. If there isn’t, it’s a little pointless to debate a curricular issue (unless it’s law or policy).

Then, in a thundering herd, they’ll generally head off in whatever direction they wish. They are the SMEs (subject matter experts); they have to form the buy-in to this curriculum that they’re teaching. They’re the ones with a lifetime of expertise in the particular subject matter. And they’ll not be forgiving if they feel un-heard or disrespected.

The Technology Challenges

Another area where people may require mop-up support is in technologies. Once a course has been created and deployed to the various learning / course management systems and technologies. not everything runs as one might imagine…or mishaps occur…and there are calls yet again.

It makes sense of save up some store of patience and goodwill and understanding that a project will go beyond a discrete date. However, it’s also important to let a project end reasonably, so the work doesn’t end up costing the office a lot of unpaid, unrecoverable work hours.