Math Skills for the Workplace

Course Duration:  6 1/2 days for 18 hours

 

Maximum Class Size: 12

 

Description of Target Population:  All Staff 

 

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Use basic math skills in the performance of the job duties. 

• Know how to solve problems using prime factorization, operations with rational numbers, operations with integers, equations, properties of real numbers and basic statistics.

• How to use these as tools in everyday work.

Introduction to Project Management

Course Duration:  2 days – 12 hours

 

Maximum Class Size:  12 with a minimum of 6

 

Description of Target Population:  Project managers, team members, service industry professionals, information technology professionals, production engineers, staff members and other managers who affect project success

 

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Use standard software to facilitate project planning and tracking.

• Create and edit Gantt Charts.

• Work with critical path, WBS and standard reports.

• Estimate project cost, schedule and resource allocation.

• Optimizing schedule, scope and resources.

• Managing multiple projects.

• Examining resource allocations over time.

Microsoft Project Standard 2003 Workshop

Course Duration:  2 days – 12 hours

 

Maximum Class Size:  12 with a minimum of 6

 

Description of Target Population:

 

Program Results

Participants will be able to:

• Use standard software to facilitate project planning and tracking.

• Create and edit Gantt Charts.

• Work with critical path, WBS and standard reports.

• Estimate project cost, schedule and resource allocation.

• Optimizing schedule, scope and resources.

• Managing multiple projects.

• Examining resource allocations over time.

Project Management Certificate Program

 

Course Duration:  35 hours or 5 days

 

Maximum Class Size:  24 with a minimum of 8

 

Description of Target Population:  Project managers who wish to become a PMP through PMI and must have a minimum of 35 contact hours of project management education.  Staff managers, service professionals, finance managers, sales and customer service representatives, human resource professionals, IT professionals, Project managers and project team members.  

 

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Use templates to quickly and effectively document a project.

• Create deliverables that meet the expectations of stakeholders.

• Complete a project according to project parameters.

• Work effectively with sponsors and project team members using communications and interpersonal skills and techniques.

• Prepare a Work Breakdown Structure and Network Diagram that effectively defines the project.

• Anticipate and respond effectively at each phase of the project to the information needs of sponsors, senior management and stakeholders.

• Determine the critical path, calculate slack, resolve over-allocated resources and accelerate schedules.

• In a Microsoft Project Standard 2003 computer lab, create and edit a Gantt Chart, work with tasks and resources, optimize costs and schedule, and produce reports.

• Understand the concerns of senior managers as related to quality, costing and managing multiple projects.

Project Risk Management

 

Course Duration:  1 day – 6 hours

 

Maximum Class Size:  24 with a minimum of 8

 

Description of Target Population: Project managers, team members, service industry professionals, information technology professionals, production engineers, staff members and other managers who affect project success and have familiarity with project management concepts and a standard approach (PMBOK) to project management processes, Microsoft Windows ’98 environment (Word, and Excel)

 

Program Results

• Participants will be able to:

• Define risk as it applies to project management.

• Apply two process models for identifying, qualifying, quantifying, preparing risk response, and risk control.

• Understand Expected Monetary Value, Failure Mode Effects Analysis, use of Monte Carlo Simulations, Decision Trees, and Wideband Delphi Estimation techniques.

• Able to define four types of risk response techniques.

• Understand how to set risk triggers.

• Understand the link between project risk management and Six Sigma.

• Integrate risk management tasks into a project.

Smart Project Management

 

Course Duration:  2 days – 12 hours

 

Maximum Class Size:  24 with a minimum of 6

 

Description of Target Population:  Project managers, team members, service industry professionals, information technology professionals, production engineers, staff members and other managers who affect project success

 

Program Results

Participants will be able to:

• Describe a project in terms of its phases and parameters.

• Calculate cash flow using Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return.

• Define a project in terms of Project Overview, deliverables, resources requirements and parameters.

• Define the roles and responsibilities of positions related to the effective communication and management of projects: sr. management, sponsor, project manager, project team member, and stakeholder.

• Understand the allocation of scarce resources.

• Describe a project in terms of Work Breakdown Structure and Network Diagram.

• Understand and apply the Critical Path Method.

• Apply standard procurement techniques.

• Apply risk management techniques.

• Track and manage a project during implementation using variance analysis, control charts, dash-boards.

• Set project baselines for schedule, scope and resources.

• Learn techniques for optimizing the project and collecting project status.

• Close a project out a project and create historic records for future use.

• Document projects.

Hardball Planning and Budgeting

Course Duration:  2 days – 12 hours

 

Maximum Class Size:  24 with a minimum of 6

 

Description of Target Population:  Cost center managers and supervisors who will be held accountable for planning, budgeting and managing day-to-day expenses predictably.

 

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Understand planning models: Strategic Planning, Operational Planning and budgeting.

• Use the planning format to create, discuss and present their ideas to senior managers.

• Prepare an operating plan to guide their department’s activities.

• Translate their operating plan into an operating budget for their resources and assets.

• Track and monitor their expenses on a monthly basis.

• Understand financial roles and responsibilities.

• Provide a framework for decision making.

• Forecast year-end-actuals.

• Respond effectively to monthly variance reports.

• Set a baseline for future discussions and learning about fiscal responsibilities.

Multiple Project Management

 

Course Duration:  1 day – 6 hours

 

Maximum Class Size:  24 with a minimum of 6

 

Description of Target Population:  Senior managers who authorize projects and commit company resources and project managers.

 

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Use project software to create resource pools and to “stack” multiple projects on one Gantt chart for examination.

• Determine over-allocations across the portfolio.

• Determine the point at which critical projects may be delayed.

• Deal with the resulting effects of over-allocation of resources, schedule delays or cost over-runs, negative impact on revenue, reduced customer satisfaction or quality. 

• Allocate scarce resources and match workload to organizational capacity.

• Assess the value of individual and portfolio project and maximize the return on investment.

Project Management Executive Overview

Course Duration:  4 hours

 

Maximum Class Size:  15 with a minimum of 6

 

Description of Target Population:  Executive managers who participate in decisions that impact strategic initiatives and operational planning

 

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Understand the basics of project management terminology and concepts.

• Understand how to integrate strategic and operational planning process with the management of projects.

• Understand the necessity to estimate project return on investment.

• Understand their current and planned Competency Maturity Model levels.

• Create an environment for the successful management of projects.

• Understand the roles and responsibilities of sr. managers, sponsors, project managers, team members and stakeholders.

• Understand the critical nature of senior managers and project teams working together to reach the expected results, project ROI and strategic goals.

• Create requirements for project reporting.

• Understand portfolio management and resource allocation.

Integrated Project Management

Course Duration:  3 days – 18 hours

Maximum Class Size:  24 with a minimum of 8

Description of Target Population:  Project and HR managers who authorize projects and commit company resources and project managers.

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Integrate “soft skills” involved with team management, interpersonal and communication with basic project management techniques needed to manage a project.

• Learn to manage a project in a normal corporate business context.

• Learn “best practices” for tollgate reviews - critical business conversations up, down and across the organization.

• Learn project management process and concepts and be able to describe a project in terms of its phases and parameters.

• Define a project in terms of Project Overview, deliverables, resources requirements and parameters.

• Learn the roles and responsibilities of positions related to the effective communication and management of projects.

• Understand the allocation of scarce resources.

• Describe a project in terms of Work Breakdown Structure and Network Diagram.

• Understand and apply the Critical Path Method.

• Apply risk management techniques.

• Learn to track and manage a project during implementation.

• Set project baselines for schedule, scope and resources.

• Participate in role play discussions to learn techniques for collecting project status.

Project Procurement Management

Course Duration:  1 day – 6 hours

Maximum Class Size:  12 with a minimum of 6

Description of Target Population:  Project managers, team members, industry and procurement professionals, staff members and other managers who impact project success and cost reduction.

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Formulate ‘Make or buy’ decision.

• Understand buyer / seller relationships.

• Understand contract types.

• Make source selection decisions: evaluation criteria, weighting and screening.

• Follow the 6-step process for managing the procurement process: Procurement Planning, Solicitation Planning, Solicitation, Source Selection, Contract Administration and Contract Close-out.

• Extend the skill mix requirements beyond the performing organization.

• Understand new techniques in outsourcing the procurement department that will reduce procurement expenses by at least 15%.

• Use of the three most popular web-based vendor search engines to find the best suppliers to send RFPs as part of their procurement process.

• Conduct contract closeout decisions: change control, performance reporting and formal acceptance.

Help Me Help You!  How to Proactively Educate Your Business Stakeholders for Greater Project Success 

Course Duration:  1 day - 6 hrs

Maximum Class Size: 30

Description of Target Population: Project Managers, Program Managers, Business Analysts, IT Directors/Managers, Functional Business Managers

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

As an IT Project Manager or Business Analyst are your projects plagued by problems such as unresponsive business stakeholders, unclear expectations, pointing fingers, missed deadlines? Do project critical business decisions seem to take forever? These common issues can cause high stress and frustration, repeated mistakes, wasted time and rework. Do your stakeholders then wonder why “IT didn’t get it right”? 

Business stakeholders sometimes see IT work as the “black box”, the unknown. Coupled with their own work demands, there can be a tendency to hang back and think “IT will make it happen”. Whether you’re a PM or BA, there are ways to increase the level of business engagement and ownership on your projects.

Learn how to proactively design more successful outcomes, while building credibility and enhancing relationships with your business community. Gain tips on how to educate them about working with IT teams in partnership to create a more positive overall project experience.

• Improve project success through proactively educating business stakeholders on how to work effectively with IT.

• Enhance your relationship and credibility with stakeholders for immediate and longer term project success.

• Learn to minimize stress, miscommunications, missed deadlines, and rework, while clearly setting expectations and accountability.

Sustainable Business Advantage

Course Duration:  (2) 7 hour days with 45 minute lunch

Maximum Class Size: 20

Description of Target Population:
Executives, Managers, PMs, team members who want to gain valuable knowledge, skills, tools and techniques in order to successfully incorporate sustainability into their organization's strategic planning.

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Discuss the strategic advantages of sustainability.

• Apply a systems approach to sustainability.

• Utilize the Natural Step Framework.

• Explain the science underlying the Framework.

• Use the framework for strategic planning.

• Incorporate the step by step process within your own methodology.

Introduction to Green IT

Course Duration:  Two 7 hour days with 45 minute lunch

Maximum Class Size:  20

Description of Target Population:  CIOs, Managers, PMs, team members who want to understand Green IT in order to impact IT strategies and realize cost savings.

Program Results
Participants will be able to:

• Understand Green IT Terminology

• List Green IT Standards

• Identify Green IT Cost Saving Opportunities

• Assess your IT footprint

• Implement a Green IT Plan

• Present Green IT initiatives

Every organization with a data center has enormous opportunity to realize cost savings and increased efficiency. IT energy consumption can represent from 10% to 50% of an organization’s energy use. 

Understanding and embracing Green IT practices will translate into real savings. This two day fast paced course will show you how to begin to achieve both cost saving and environmental sustainability goals.