There is a lot of information on the web that can be
helpful resources for instructional designers when estimating costs, effort,
and/or the activity durations associated with the projects.
Recommended Resource #1: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html#hours
This site was particularly useful because it offered
advice on budgeting, training cost guidelines, estimating development hours,
eLearning development time, and instructor preparation time. There is even a tool available that is an
Excel worksheet that helps you to estimate training costs. I was actually really glad I came across this
site, I think it will be an excellent resource for me in my occupation when
having to perform tasks associated with estimating costs and budgets.
Recommended Resource #2: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/creating-your-project-budget-where-to-begin/1045600
This site contained an called “Creating your project budget.
Where to Begin?” This article offers guidelines on the basics of
budgeting including identifying project costs.
It also includes a section on risk assessment and emphasizes the importance
of including it for a successful budget.
I could relate to this article because it stresses the importance of
coming in under budget for customers, rather than over. As I have gained more experience in
budgeting, training, and instructional design, I think my accuracy has improved
with this component (estimating costs) of the project.
References
Clark, Don (n.d.)
Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html#hours
Doll, S. (2002). Creating your project budget: Where to
begin? Retrieved February 2, 2011, from http://www.builderau.com.au/strategy/projectmanagement/soa/Creating-your-project-budget-Where-to-begin-/0,339028292,320265341,00.htm
Angela,
ReplyDeleteI found your first link Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design very interesting. Many of the numbers took me by surprise. The average numbers of estimated design time per hour were much higher than what our resources suggested this week. I know that different teams and level of experiences can account for different time frames. I also know it is better to plan for more time and finish early than to try to rush and meet the deadline, or even have to miss the deadline.
Your second link, Creating your project budget: Where to begin?, was easy to read and follow. It gave helpful tips and guidelines on finding project costs and developing a project budget. I felt comfortable with this article because I felt like someone was trying to speak to me and get me to understand, in a normal kind of conversation. There was not a lot of jargon and it did not seem overly formal.
Thanks for the resources.
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteyour first link was the same link I found when I was searching the web for different sites. It gives you a break down of the structure for estimating budgets and allocating resources. It's very user friendly in the sense that it goes step by step of how to make a project a success.
Angela,
ReplyDeleteI used your first link as well. I even used the information he provided to help estimate the costs in my project.