The Interactive Multimedia Learning Laboratory here at Wollongong University under the direction of Barry Harper has always operated on the basis of a "whole team approach" to not only the design phase, but most other aspects of production. We have produced two major software packages to date, Investigating Lake Iluka and most recently, the EMMA award winning Exploring the Nardoo. Although there are definite roles for each member of the team be they ID, programmer, graduate assistant, etc., each has a "working knowledge" of the other members areas of expertise. The result is a speeded up development process. The graphic artists for example has an appreciation of what can and can't be done effectively in terms of the functionality so that the many iterations that must be gone through from the "rough working idea" up, can be shortened. In both of these projects, the chief programmer often provided a "fresh view" of an ID problem which often lead the team to a faster resolution of vexing ID questions. Likewise time and effort was not wasted by ID's requesting the impossible in terms of structure and function.
The size and scope of the Exploring the Nardoo package would have almost been an impossible task in terms of completion to budget (well not quite) and close on time (close) if each member of the team had operated within their own narrowly defined task description.
In my own case my main areas of responsibility were as a design team member and the development of a series on simulation models, however I also had a hand in text research, text editing, graphic design (the simulation interfaces, a filing cabinet database structure, and a presentation guide), building parts of the software into the "engine" framework, and the development of user support mechanisms (student and teacher notes). In each of these areas, the interplay between the whole team and myself was a key factor in the final outcome and a fantastic learning experience.