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How to Manage an E-Learning Course Development Project

E-learning course development involves design, scripting, recording, and LMS integration. Here's the Gantt chart template that keeps your course project from running over schedule.

How to Manage an E-Learning Course Development Project

The Problem: E-Learning Projects Always Take Longer Than the Content Estimate Suggests

Online course development projects routinely exceed their planned timelines by 50–100%. The initial estimate is based on content hours: "We have 4 hours of training, so it'll take 8 weeks." What that estimate doesn't account for is the storyboarding review cycle, the narration script approval process, the recording retakes, the graphic design queue, the LMS configuration, the QA pass, the client or stakeholder review, and the revisions that inevitably follow.

Each of those steps has dependencies and involves people with other jobs. A subject matter expert who doesn't return the storyboard for 10 days doesn't just delay storyboard approval — they delay every downstream step: scripting, recording, development, and QA. Without a Gantt chart showing these dependencies, project managers can't see that a slow storyboard review will push the launch date until it's already two weeks late. gantt-chart.io maps all the dependencies so delays surface early, when there's still time to recover.

Prerequisites

  • Learning objectives defined and locked before any production work begins
  • Subject matter expert (SME) availability confirmed for each module's content development
  • Technology stack confirmed: authoring tool (Articulate, Lectora, Adobe Captivate), LMS (Moodle, Canvas, Cornerstone), video platform
  • Brand guidelines and visual style confirmed
  • Client or stakeholder review process defined: who reviews, how many rounds, response time expectations
  • Review feedback process established: centralized, not email threads

E-Learning Course Development Gantt Chart Template

Phase 1: Discovery and Design (Weeks 1–3)

  • [ ] Conduct content audit: what source material exists (PPTs, job aids, policies, prior training)?
  • [ ] Interview SME(s) to capture tacit knowledge not in existing materials
  • [ ] Define audience profile: experience level, technology comfort, learning context (desktop, mobile, on-the-job)
  • [ ] Determine course structure: module count, lesson types (video, scenario, simulation, quiz)
  • [ ] Create visual design mockup: slide template, color palette, typography, icon style
  • [ ] Get visual design approved before any module development begins

Phase 2: Storyboarding (Weeks 3–7)

  • [ ] Write detailed storyboard for Module 1: each slide's text, visual description, interactions, and narration script
  • [ ] Submit Module 1 storyboard to SME and stakeholder for review
  • [ ] Incorporate feedback; get formal sign-off before proceeding
  • [ ] Apply any structural lessons from Module 1 before writing remaining storyboards
  • [ ] Write storyboards for all remaining modules
  • [ ] Conduct final storyboard review; obtain written approval from SME and client

Phase 3: Media Production (Weeks 7–14)

  • [ ] Finalize narration scripts; send to voice talent or internal narrator
  • [ ] Record narration (professional studio or self-recorded with quality check)
  • [ ] Edit and process audio files; match to slide timing
  • [ ] Develop all graphic assets per storyboard visual descriptions
  • [ ] Record screen captures or demonstrations if course includes software training
  • [ ] Edit video segments if talking-head video is included

Phase 4: Course Development and Build (Weeks 12–18)

  • [ ] Build course in authoring tool using approved storyboard as spec
  • [ ] Assemble multimedia elements: narration, graphics, animations, interactions
  • [ ] Build all assessment items: questions, branching scenarios, feedback responses
  • [ ] Configure completion and scoring logic
  • [ ] Conduct internal QA review: functionality, media playback, spelling, link checking
  • [ ] Publish SCORM or xAPI package; upload to LMS for testing
  • [ ] Test course in LMS across target browsers and devices

Phase 5: Client Review and Launch (Weeks 18–22)

  • [ ] Share review link with client/stakeholder; set firm feedback deadline (5–7 business days)
  • [ ] Compile all review comments; identify revisions vs. new scope
  • [ ] Make approved revisions; conduct second QA pass
  • [ ] Obtain final sign-off from client
  • [ ] Publish final course version to LMS production environment
  • [ ] Configure enrollment, notifications, and completion tracking
  • [ ] Monitor first learner cohort for technical issues; address within 24 hours

Common Pitfalls

  • Open-ended review rounds: "Send it when it's ready and we'll look at it" produces feedback 3 weeks later. Establish a specific review window and a maximum of two structured review rounds.
  • SME unavailability during development: An SME who goes on vacation during storyboard review derails everything. Confirm availability for specific review windows before the project starts.
  • Recording before storyboard approval: Recording narration from a script that hasn't been approved leads to expensive re-records. Always get written storyboard approval before recording.
  • LMS testing as an afterthought: SCORM packages that work perfectly in the authoring tool preview can fail in specific LMS configurations. Build LMS testing into the project timeline, not the launch week.

What Good Looks Like

An e-learning project that follows this timeline launches on its committed date with zero broken elements in the LMS, a learner experience that matches the approved design, and completion and assessment data flowing correctly to reporting dashboards. The client signs off without surprises and returns for the next project.