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A PROJECT MANAGEMENT CRISIS: MOVING A MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATIVE IN-PERSON SPRINT ONLINE Kimberlee Carter; Jane Gravill; and Fatih Yegul Introduction It was 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, and Kim Carter, Professor in the School of Business at Conestoga College, panicked. Carter was the project lead for a multi-institutional collaboration project called Medical Terminology Open Educational Resources (MT OER). She had just received communication that the college was closed until further notice. On the same day, Marie Rutherford, a collaborating partner from Georgian College, called to ask, "has the project been pulled, and what are we going to do?" All in-person events at both colleges were cancelled due to concerns and unknowns over the contagious COVID-19 virus that had resulted in a global pandemic. The MT OER collaboration project was two weeks into phase 3, which involved multiple faculty subject matter experts (SMEs) adapting chapter content to prepare for the launch of phase 4, a two-day sprint (see Exhibit 1 -- MT OER Collaboration Project Plan and Schedule). The phase 4 sprint, an iterative agile approach to completing tasks, was critical in completing the project in time for publication in August 2020. Phase 3 was in jeopardy since all faculty SMEs were pivoting their work to accommodate remote learning requirements until the college re-opened. All phases of the project had to be completed on time to meet project timelines and to allow integration of the MT OER in Fall 2020 courses. Carter exclaimed, "All the work to get to this point, and now we may not be able to complete the project. What will I do for a textbook this fall? I don't have one for the health care terminology course." The project's key deliverables were open educational resources (OER) that encompassed a 20-chapter openly licensed digital textbook, interactive learning objects, and accompanying ancillary resources to be published in time for Fall 2020 delivery. Carter needed to re-evaluate whether the key deliverables could still be met and adjust the project plan based on situational factors.A key component of the phase 4 development was the in-person sprint, which was critical to the MT OER being published on time. The in-person sprint was scheduled for April 29 and 30, 2020, at Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (ITAL) in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Since in-person events were no longer allowed, Carter and Rutherford had to re-evaluate the situation, including the project plan, to determine if, and how, this project could be completed in time for faculty to have the resources in early August. An early August delivery ensured time for course preparation so that learners had the resources on the first day of classes in September of 2020. Carter needed to re-evaluate whether the key deliverables could still be met and adjust the project plan based on situational factors. Background Conestoga College has campuses in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford, Stratford, and Ingersoll, Ontario. The college has over 20,000 students and a variety of programs that suit a diverse study body including degree, diploma, and certification programs.[1] Conestoga College School of Business is student-centric and prioritizes the use of OER materials in its programs because OER are free to use, so they reduce financial barriers for students. Carter was the curriculum guide and the faculty member responsible for designing the curriculum and choosing resources for healthcare terminology in the health office administration diploma program in the business school at Conestoga College. Curriculum guides at Conestoga played a key role within their programs, as they were responsible for course development and ensuring courses contained all required materials in preparation for the coming term. Carter became interested in developing OER for her courses after learning about the social justice implications for students who could not afford the high cost of commercial textbooks.[2] Students who cannot purchase textbooks are disadvantaged. Without access to the textbook information, they can fall behind or drop out of the courses, and the associated program. Health office administration textbooks are expensive as this program of study combines business and health, often requiring faculty to customize resources to suit course delivery. OER could be customized for courses, be made available to students at no cost, and are digital by design. These benefits matched Carter's values of equitable and affordable education for students. Carter embarked upon a quest to learn more about publishing platforms and open licenses, and to find like-minded faculty to assist her. A collaborator was found in Rutherford, a colleague from Georgian College, College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT). After some discussion and excitement at the annual Technology Enabled Seminar and Showcase (TESS) conference in November 2019, the multi-institutional collaboration project was formed. Carter and Rutherford left the meeting armed with a plan to advocate at their respective institutions for support to complete the MT OER project. Rutherford had previously authored a published textbook, and brought 22 years of subject matter expertise, teaching experience, and an instructional design lens to the project. She was the curriculum guide for an anatomy and physiology course in the office administration - health diploma program and faculty in the business school at Georgian. College, College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT). Rutherford had met Carter while participating in eCampus Ontario's Empowered Educator program, which included a curator module where they learned about developing OER. During this meeting, they discussed the lack of OER for Health Care Administration programs. Carter envisioned a medical terminology OER with content divided up by the eleven body systems, introductory chapters to medical terminology word breakdown, and an overview of how body systems work together, mental health, and chapter chapters focused on pathophysiology such as oncology. Her vision included interactives and videos throughout each of the 20 chapters. Carter demonstrated one chapter of completed content as an example of what could be possible. This was the launching pad for the MT OER multi-institutional collaboration project. Rutherford advocated and successfully gained support from Georgian College leadership to participate in this project. In a presentation to the chair and dean of the business school, Carter received approval and support to host a multi-institutional sprint at Conestoga College in the spring of 2020. The agile sprint approach plan was to have small groups of subject matter experts (SMEs) and student participants each review one chapter of content at a time, then a different small group would make additions and edits, and a final group of support people would copyedit and clean up the code. On day two, a similar approach was to be used to build interactives and additional resources like slide decks and test bank questions. Any work not completed during the two-day sprint would be divided up and completed within two weeks post-sprint. Rutherford received approval to participate in the project from Georgian. Carter and Rutherford knew a large amount of preparation was needed to be ready to sprint in the spring. Carter and Rutherford met weekly to prepare a project plan with the first phase set to start in early January. Phase 1 involved recruiting SMEs teaching in similar programs from nineteen out of twenty-two Ontario colleges. Phase 2 involved technical training for SMEs and logistical planning, such as hotel bookings. In phase 3, SMEs began writing content and logistical planning intensified, such as room booking, equipment booking, and meal planning as more support people joined the project (see Exhibit 1 -- MT OER Collaboration Project Plan and Schedule).

this is a case study.

Discuss the consideration of contingencies.

What are the critical decision points? Who makes those decisions?

What will you do if the decision or event does not go as planned?

What plans can you make to account for these contingencies?

Stakeholder

Communication During the Change

Communication After the Change

Note: Consider using a table or decision tree for this section