Kaiser Permanente Sales Video Library Project Plan

Background For the Sales Department at Kaiser Permanente, the State of Colorado is a huge client. Their main competitor is United Healthcare. Open enrollment starts on April 1 each year and winning new members during the open enrollment process is critical to the continued success of Kaiser Permanent Colorado (KPCO). In early 2015, Leslie Teegarden, a who is responsible for Integrated Communications and Brand Management in the KPCO Sales Department, wanted to give the salespeople a tool that would help them convince employees at the State of Colorado to choose Kaiser Permanente as their healthcare provider. She decided that a series of short videos telling about the various aspects of Kaiser Permanente would help. She wants the videos to be engaging, informative and concise.

JSL Creative Learning (also known as simply JSL), a small business based in Golden, Colorado, had spent the majority of 2014 creating Take Two, a series of 2-minute instructional videos for KPCO staff on various topics ranging from welcoming new members, to expressing empathy to patients. Leslie Teegarden decided that she wanted her sales videos to have the same style as the Take Two series. She contacted Su Niedringhaus, Co-owner of JSL Creative Learning, to discuss creation of the Sales Video Library.

The Opportunity During an open enrollment meeting, the providers meet in person with the employees of the State of Colorado in a conference room in small groups 10-20 people at a time. They present the most compelling case about why the employees should choose Kaiser Permanente as their healthcare provider. The State of Colorado Human Resources Department (SoCHR) needs to approve all content presented to their employees prior to open enrollment. Leslie Teegarden has about two month to get the content approved and produced. So the time to produce the videos is extremely limited.

JSL Creative Learning consists of two owners, Susan Niedringhaus and Joe Schultz. They work consistently for Kaiser Permanente and use subcontractors to help them produce eLearning courses, instructor-lead presentations, and ancillary materials. The company was operating at about 50% capacity when Leslie approached them with her request.

KPCO Sales Department is convinced of the need for the videos and the funds are available. JSL Creative Learning will need to expand their capacity to complete the project on time, but the owners believe it is possible.

Audience Employees of the State of Colorado are the intended audience for the videos. The employees will be deciding between Kaiser Permanente and Untied Healthcare during the open enrollment period starting April 1, 2015. However, the videos may be used for other clients in the future, so attention will be given to making them generic enough for a larger audience. Since the State of Colorado employs a wide variety of people, the videos should address a diverse demographic. JSL will rely on the KPCO Sales Department to provide feedback regarding the content and its appropriateness for the target audience.

Scope of Work

Deliverables The library will consist of five two-minute videos:

1. DHMO - how KPCO's Deductible HMO plan works 2. HDHP - how KPCO's High Deductible Health Plan work 3. Why Choose KPCO - the main reason to choose Kaiser Permanente 4. Integrated Care - detailing the integrated system unique to KPCO 5. HDHMO - how KPCO's High-deductible HMO plan works

The fifth video, HDHMO, describes a new type of plan Kaiser Permanente is creating, but it's not currently available. So this video will be produced after April 1. This leaves four videos to be produced by April 1.

The deliverables for each video are:

1. Script - text only script of the audio narration for the video 2. Storyboard - detailed description of each scene in the video with a rough sketch of the visuals 3. Video - supplied to KPCO as digital video files

Requirements • The videos need to be high definition (HD720p or higher) so they will look good when projected

onto a large screen • The videos will also be published on YouTube and embedded on a website designed specifically

for State of Colorado employees • The videos will be of similar quality to the Take Two series • The scripts need to be approved by the HR Department at the State of Colorado • Videos 1-4 must be ready for use by April 1, 2015

Constraints • Time - to complete the project on time, deadlines and due dates must be met • Production Capacity - JSL Creative Learning will need to hire an additional video editor to

complete the work on schedule

• The scripts need to be approved by the HR Department at the State of Colorado • The main decision-makers at JSL , Su and Joe, will be out of town on vacation from March 20 to

March 30, so it will be best if the videos are produced by March 20

Assumptions • The staff at KPCO Sales will return their feedback on schedule • The State of Colorado will approve the scripts on schedule • Requests for revisions will be made all at one time with no additional requests after a

deliverable is approved • Official tasks will be completed Monday through Friday with no due dates for critical tasks

occurring place on Saturday or Sunday • JSL's newly hired freelance video editor will perform his work on time and adhere to the quality

standards for JSL Creative Learning

Exclusions • Revision of video 1-4 after April 1, 2015 • Revision of a deliverable after it's approved • Ongoing hosting of the videos • Creation and maintenance of websites where the videos are embedded

Quality Assurance JSL is committed to maintaining a high level of quality established on previous projects. This project will have three points of evaluation to ensure the final product meet the expectations of JSL and KPCO.

1. Script Review 2. Storyboard Review 3. Video Review

Script Review The review of the script gives both parties a chance to collaborate on the messages contained in the videos. This is the first opportunity to make sure the messaging is in alignment with the business goals. It also gives the State of Colorado an opportunity to make requests early in the process, if the content does not meet the requirements of SoCHR.

Storyboard Review The storyboard is a much more detailed document describing what will happen during every moment of the video. In fact, the storyboard is the deliverable that created foresight for the project. Ferraro (2012) states, "A solid project plan allows ... you ... to work in the present with a plan for the future" (p.30). It gives KPCO and JSL staff an opportunity to comment on the detailed content and synchronization of audio with the visual content. It also guides the production process. Even though there might be slight changes to the content during production, there will be no surprises once the video is produced.

Video Review The review is of the video will be the first time the client and the production staff will see all the elements working together in the finished video format. Since no significant content changes will are allowed during this review, the quality and integrity of the message can be honed to meet the standards of JSL and KPCO.

Milestones Project Milestones Due Dates

Signed Contract between KPCO and JSL Feb. 9, 2015 Scripts written and ready for approval by State of Colorado HR Feb. 16, 2015 Script for video 1 fully approved by KPCO, Storyboard creation begins Feb. 18, 2015 Production schedule created in Basecamp Mar. 1, 2015 Storyboard for video 1 approved, Production begins Mar. 2, 2015 Videos 1-4 completed Mar. 20, 2015 Videos 1-4 deployed Mar. 30, 2015

Stakeholders and Communication Communication between Kaiser Permanente Staff and JSL Creative Learning (Leslie Teegarden and Su Niedringhaus) will happen via email, telephone calls, and text messaging. Communication between the JSL principles (Su Niedringhaus and Joe Schultz) will happen via email, in-person conversations, and text messages. Communication among the JSL production staff (Joe Schultz, Steve Holley, and Andre Roman) will primarily be through Basecamp - an online project management tool. the storyboard will be the primary point of reference for communication and feedback about the videos before they are produced.

Stakeholder Communication KPCO Sales - Leslie Teegarden needs the video library to help her team successfully recruit members from the State of Colorado.

Leslie Teegarden communicates with Su Niedringhaus of JSL regularly regarding the video content and approval of deliverables. Leslie will communicate with the KPCO Sales Team regarding the video content and consolidate feedback.

Su Niedringhaus - JSL Creative Learning wants videos to be successful to increase exposure of JSL's work and to satisfy the client.

As the Project Manager and Client Liaison, Su is the primary point of contact for Leslie Teegarden. She negotiates conflicts regarding the content of the videos. Su also sets the for the deliverables and feedback and communicates the due dates to the client. Su regularly communicates with Joe Schultz regarding the production of the videos.

Joe Schultz - JSL Creative Learning wants videos to be successful to increase exposure of JSL's work and to satisfy the client

Joe is the primary communicator with the production staff (Illustrator and Video Editor). Joe communicates with Leslie Teegarden and other KPCO staff regarding the technical requirements of the videos. He helps troubleshoot video playback

and delivery problems. As the Operations Manager for JSL, Joe communicates with Leslie Teegarden and the KPCO Staffing agency, Rose International, regarding billing.

Steve Holley - Freelance Illustrator / Animator wants to create compelling artwork for the videos in order to satisfy his client JSL Creative Learning. Steve is a long-term subcontractor with JSL and have supported many past projects. He wants to keep JSL satisfied.

Steve communicates with Joe on a regular basis during the production cycle regarding the video illustrations and animation.

Andre Roman - Freelance Video Editor wants to do a good job editing the videos for JSL. Andre is a new subcontractor and is looking forward to doing other projects with JSL. He wants to learn the quality standards of JSL and reduce the work burden on Joe Schultz (who has done the video editing in the past).

Andre communicates with Joe on a regular basis during the production cycle regarding the video editing.

State of Colorado - Human Resources Department wants to make ensure a level playing field with Kaiser Permanente and United Healthcare. They make sure that KPCO Sales is presenting accurate information to their state employees.

Leslie Teegarden and her team communicate with the State of Colorado. JSL does not have any communication with the State of Colorado.

Kaiser Permanente Executive Leadership Team Members want to increase membership and revenue so KPCO can continue to be a leader in healthcare in the Colorado Region and nationally.

The KPCO Sales Team executives communicate with the KPCO Executive Leadership Team Members regarding the strategic goals of the organization.

Resource Plan

Staffing JSL Creative Learning will need to expand its capacity for this project. On past projects, Joe Schultz performed the role of video editor, but due to the time constraints of this project and Joe's workload beyond this project, he will unable to perform this role for this project. An additional video editor will be hired to fill this role.

Role Responsibilities Project Manager - KPCO Sales - Leslie Teegarden

• Manage communication between KPCO Sales and JSL Creative Learning

• Communicate with stakeholders regarding the business goal of the project

• Negotiate the scope of the project and the terms of the contract • Obtain approval for the budget and payments to JSL Creative

Learning • Obtain feedback on the content from the Subject Mater Experts

at KPCO, resolve any conflicts regarding the feedback, report the feedback to JSL Creative Learning

• Communicate with other KPCO Departments regarding the deployment of the videos

Subject Matter Experts - KPCO • Provide information about what content should be included in the videos

• Give feedback on each deliveravble Project Manager - JSL Creative Learning - Su Niedringhaus

• Manage communication between KPCO Sales and JSL Creative Learning

• Negotiate the scope of the project and the terms of the contract • Oversee implementation of the project including: identifying

and resolving process problems, communicating with the production team, and keeping the project on schedule

• Quality assurance Production Manager - JSL Creative Learning - Joe Schultz

• Manage communication between the production team members (writer, storyboard artist, illustrator, video editor)

• Keep production tasks on schedule • Identify and resolve roadblocks • Allocate resources for production tasks • Finalize content including resolving any content problems • Deliver content to client • Manage revisions

Instructional Designer / Writer - Su Niedringhaus

• Conduct interviews with Subject Matter Experts • Write audio script for videos • Conceptualize flow and messaging of the video

Art Director / Designer - Joe Schultz

• Create storyboard including drawings and action descriptions • Ensure adherence to branding guidelines

Voice Artist - Su Niedringhaus • Perform the audio script Sound Engineer - Joe Schultz • Record the audio narration in digital format

• Edit audio narration • Provide audio files to Video Editor

Illustrator / Animator - Steve Holley

• Create original illustrations based on the storyboard • Convert illustrations into VideoScribe animations • Provide VideoScribe animations and illustrations to Video Editor • Maintain software licenses and computer equipment needed to

perform illustration tasks Video Editor - Andre Roman - Freelance

• Combine illustrations, animations, narration and music into a finished video

• Provide video and source files to Production Manager • Maintain software licenses and computer equipment needed to

perform video editing tasks Operations Manager - Joe Schultz

• Communicate with client regarding billing and payments • Obtain media and software licenses

• Maintain software and computer equipment owned by JSL Creative Learning

Equipment, Licenses and Ownership Equipment / Media Resource Licenses and Ownership

Basecamp - online collaboration tool • Project space on bacsecamp.com • Storage space for all project files

• JSL will maintain Basecamp license and provide storage space fro sharing digital media

Vimeo - online video hosting • Video hosting space on vimeo.com for sharing

videos during review and revision cycles • Storage space for HD1080 videos during production

• JSL will maintain an account for hosting videos during production

• Kaiser Permanente will host the finished versions of the videos on their own hosting service

Stock Imagery and Music • media from iStocKPCOhotos.com • media from Envato.com

• JSL will provide media including licenses

Computer (PC or Mac) for Video Editing • capable of running Adobe Premiere (Release 8.2) • capable of editing HD1080p video • hard drive space to store rendered videos and

source files • latest version of: Adobe Premiere, Adobe

Illustrator, audio editing software (Adobe Audition)

• Video Editor will provide computer and software licenses needed for editing video and source files

• JSL will provide media including licenses • Video Editor will be responsible for

maintaining a broadband Internet connection capable of transferring finished media

• JSL will own all video draft versions and source files

• Kaiser Permanente will own finished version of videos

Computer (PC or Mac) for Illustration • latest version of: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe

Photoshop • VideoScribe version 1.3 (not version 2)

• Illustrator / Animator will provide computer and software licenses needed for creating illustrations and VideoScribe animation

• Illustrator will be responsible for maintaining a broadband Internet connection capable of transferring finished media

• JSL will own all illustrations animations and source files

Computer (PC or Mac ) for Storyboarding • Microsoft Word (2007 or later) • Adobe Acrobat Pro (latest version) iPad • Adobe Ideas (for drawings)

• Designer will provide computer and software licenses needed for creating storyboards and drawings

• Designer will be responsible for maintaining a broadband Internet connection capable of transferring finished media

• JSL will own all illustrations animations and source files

Computer (PC or Mac) for writing scripts • Microsoft Word (2007 or later) • Internet resources, books, articles

• Instructional Designer / Writer will provide computer, software licenses, books and articles needed for creating and researching scripts

• Writer / Designer will be responsible for maintaining a broadband Internet connection capable of transferring script documents

• JSL will own all scripts Computer (PC or Mac) and recording equipment for audio engineering • Audio recording and editing software (Adobe

Audition or equivalent) • Studio-quality microphone suitable for digital

recording • Monitor headphones for Voice Artist • Quiet recording environment with no background

noise and no echo or reverb

• Audio Engineer will provide computer, software licenses, microphone and recording environment needed for audio recordings

• Audio Engineer will be responsible for maintaining a broadband Internet connection capable of transferring finished media

• JSL will own all audio recordings and source files

Work Breakdown Structure (Design, Build and Implementation Stages only) Carroll (2012) describes the stages of a project as: Initiation, Strategy, Analysis, Design & Build, and Implementation (p. 158). Much of the early stages of the KP Sales project happened before JSL got involved. The staff at the KPCO Sales Department developed the business case, developed the strategy, and analyzed the business goals. They arrived at the solution of creating the short videos. Since the Initiation, Strategy and Analysis stages are mostly complete, JSL was primarily involved in the Design & Build and Implementation stages.

JSL uses Basecamp as a tool to coordinate all the work for the project. Each task is shown in the Basecamp "to-do" lists below - one for each video. The design actually starts earlier than the to-do lists shown. the first task, writing the script, begins a week before the due date (around February 9). Writing the contract and negotiating the terms of the project starts two weeks before the to-do lists starts (around February 2). So the Basecamp screen shots below only show tasks for the Design, Build and Implementation stages.

Task Dependencies and Critical Path Getting the scripts approved allows for the next major tasks to start - creating the storyboards. Getting the storyboard approved allows the next major ask to start - producing the videos. Once video production has started, the task dependencies are dependant on the people performing the tasks. Illustration and recording audio can happen at the same time because those tasks are done by different people. Likewise, illustrating the next video can start while the previous video is being edited because different people are doing those tasks. The schedule reflects these dependencies and keeps everyone working at full capacity.

The critical path from the beginning of the contract negotiation (February 2) to delivery of the forth video is 6 weeks (ending March 20). This allows a full week for KPCO to work with the videos and fully integrate them into their sales presentations. This week can be considered "slack" if the project schedule gets delayed. Ferraro (2012) describes "project slack" as, "the total time the project can be

delayed without passing the customer expected completion date" (p. 54). One week of slack is a good amount, and ensures us that the project is possible in the time available.

Risk Management With the fast-paced nature of this project, the primary risk to this project is schedule delay. The team creating the videos, with the exception of the video editor, has been creating this type of video for more than a year, so the processes are well established. Communication will be critical to identifying problems early and preventing serious delays.

ID Risk Type Description Probability Impact Counter Measures 001 Schedule Due Dates are not

met delaying dependant tasks

Medium High Daily deadline monitoring especially on approval tasks will keep the team aware of possible schedule delays. JSL staff will adjust the schedule in the case of minor delays. In the case a major delay, the Project Mangers for KPCO and JSL will negotiate new due dates and/or final delivery dates.

002 Quality New video editor is unable to meet the due dates and or quality standards of JSL

Medium Medium Production Manager helps the Video Editor to accomplish the work on time and to the standards of JSL. Production manager finishes the editing.

003 Approval Unable to obtain approval on a deliverable

Low High Approval is essential for keeping the project on track. If KPCO or the State of Colorado is unable to grant approval for a deliverable, the Project Mangers will renegotiate the due dates or possibly renegotiate the contract terms.

004 Budget Subcontractors take longer than expected to complete a project task increasing the costs and causing the project to go over budget

Low Medium The negotiated fee for creating the videos includes contingency funds to mitigate the higher cost of performing work under time pressure. If the subcontractor is unable to complete the tasks, the Production Manager will either hire replacement contractors to do the work or do the work himself.

005 Technical KPCO is unable to play the videos reliably on their mobile devices

Medium Medium JSL Production Manager will troubleshoot playback problems and provide options to KPCO Sales staff for alternative ways to play the videos. KPCO IT Department and Video Communications Department may also assist in resolving playback problems.

006 Schedule Changes are requested after a deliverable is approved

High Low The process used to create the videos is dynamic and meant to accommodate frequent iteration. Even though each subsequent stage

depends of the previous stage, going back to a previous stage late in development does not necessarily involve significant time. Also given the extremely short life cycle of the project, the contract is written to allow for only one opportunity for change requests on each deliverable. If the change request threatens to delay project completion, a change in the contract may be negotiated.

007 Branding Guidelines

KPCO objects to content in the video on the basis that it does not meet the branding guidelines established by KPCO's Corporate Communication Department

Low Medium Early in the negotiations, JSL raised the topic of Branding Guidelines. The previous videos JSL created for KPCO were not meant to be member-facing, and thus did not adhere strictly to the KPCO branding guidelines. Non-compliance with the guidelines could be a point of contention with the Sales videos, since they are member-facing. JSL was assured it would not be a roadblock, and received the assurance of a senior video specialist at KPCO that they would argue on JSL's behalf if Branding Guidelines become an issue.

008 Production Schedule

Using Basecamp instead of Gantt chart to track dependencies in the production schedule tasks will make it difficult to understand how the other tasks will be affected if the due date for one task changes

Medium Medium The tasks will be closely monitored in Basecamp by the Production Manager. Due date changes will be manually adjusted in Basecamp as well as other affected tasks. The production staff will be aware that due dates may shift. The fluid nature of Basecamp can be adjusted quickly. If the production of any one video is delayed, the time can be absorbed by the one week period a prior ot the final delivery date.

Conclusion Due to previous projects produced by JSL Creative Learning for Kaiser Permanente, there is ample trust in the quality of the final product. JSL believes that the project can be accomplished in the amount of time available, while maintaining the standards of quality of past projects. JSL believes that KPCO Sales will be well-served by the video library and will be able to use this new tool to win new members from the State of Colorado and beyond.

References Carroll, John (2012). Effective Project Management in Easy Steps. Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK.

Ferraro, Jack (2012). Project Management for Non-Project Managers. New York, NY: Amacom.