Seminars

Snapshot:

  • Start Date: CANCELLED
  • Cost: $599
  • Learning Format: Online
  • Program Duration: 2 days
  • Time Commitment: 7 hours (8:30am – 12:00pm each day)
  • Accreditation: No
  • VA Benefit Eligible: No
  • Scholarships: No
  • Discounts: No
  • CEUS: No

Earn: 7 PDUs

How often are your projects impacted by an unanticipated event? Do you find yourself constantly ‘putting out fires’ on your projects? Take this course and improve your ability to identify and manage the opportunities and threats on your projects.

  • Instructor: Joe Nuzzo
  • November 4 & 5, 2021

Become proactive rather than reactive by learning an effective risk management process including best practices for risk identification, risk analysis and risk response planning. This course will cover the elements of a successful risk management plan. Effective methods for identifying risks will be discussed. Qualitative risk analysis tools and techniques will be presented. Successful planning methods for responding to potential risk events will be reviewed. Application of risk management to project budgets, schedules and contracting strategies will be described using specific examples. This course includes exercises and sample problems to practice the tools and techniques presented during the course. Attend this course and become a skilled manager of risks on your projects!

Who Should Attend

This course will benefit project managers, project team members, functional managers, and individuals involved with the planning, implementation and control of projects who are looking to become more proficient in managing risks.

Course Features

This practical course emphasizes the fundamentals of effective risk management. This course mixes instruction, dialog and real-world examples and exercises drawing from the experience of our instructors. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain the elements of a good risk management plan
  • Utilize the cause-risk-effect method for identify in risks
  • Use a probability-impact risk rating matrix
  • Use risk response tools
  • Explain how to use risk analysis techniques to determine project contingencies

Course Outline Risk Management Overview

  • Definition & Nature of Risk
  • Risk Characteristics
  • Risk Management Processes
  • Risk Management Plan

Identifying Project Risks

  • Brainstorming and Checklists
  • Using Cause-Risk-Event-Impacts Method
  • Diagramming Techniques
  • Exercise 1: Identify Project Risks

Qualitative Risk Analysis Techniques

  • Risk Rating Method
  • Exercise 2: Conduct Project Level Risk Analysis
  • Project Risk Analysis Model (PRAM)
  • Scales for Probability and Impact
  • Probability – Impact Matrices
  • Exercise 3: Determine Risk Ratings

Risk Response Planning & Implementation

  • Risk Response Techniques
  • Contingency and Reserves
  • Contractual Agreements
  • Contingency Plans
  • Exercise 5: Prepare Risk Response Plan

Risk Monitoring

  • Reporting Risk Status
  • Risk Review at Team Meetings
  • Exercise 6: Respond to Unexpected Risk

Knowledge Areas Addressed

This course addresses the Risk Management knowledge area of the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide).

Snapshot:

  • Start Date: CANCELLED
  • Cost: $599
  • Learning Format: Online
  • Program Duration: 2 days
  • Time Commitment: 7 hours (8:30am – 12:00pm each day)
  • Accreditation: No
  • VA Benefit Eligible: No
  • Scholarships: No
  • Discounts: No
  • CEUS: No

Earn: 7 CDUs, PDUs

This 7-hour course covers the necessary skills needed to create and maintain a correct project schedule that contains tasks and resources. Topics include a brief review of schedule types, typical formats, critical path method calculations and interpretation of float values. Scheduling best practices will be explained including correct use of task relationships, how to handle task duration uncertainty, check for network logic breaks, and correct use of constraints, summary tasks and contingency. Effective methods for adding resources to tasks, reporting progress, handling changes and compressing the schedule will also be discussed. This course includes practical scheduling exercises to reinforce course concepts.

  • Instructor: Joe Nuzzo
  • November 11 & 12, 2021

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for Project Managers, IT Managers, Business Analysts and anybody else with some experience preparing
schedules and who wants to develop knowledge in creating and modifying project schedules.

Course Features

This 7-hour course on Effective Scheduling Techniques covers the necessary skills to create and maintain a correct project schedule that contains tasks and resources. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Effectively use Precedence Diagramming and the Critical Path Method
  • Explain the types of task relationships
  • Use constraints correctly
  • Use scheduling best practices to prepare a correct schedule
  • Check a schedule for mistakes

Course Outline

Type of Schedule and Level of Detail

  • Schedule Types & Formats
  • Appropriate Level of Detail for Schedules
  • Naming of Deliverables and Activities
  • Showing Activities in the Schedule

Scheduling Fundamentals Review

  • Task Sequencing & Relationship Types
  • Schedule Development using Critical Path Method
  • Understanding Critical Path and Float

Project Tasks Duration

  • Estimating Time Duration
  • Handling Uncertainty in Duration Calculations
  • Use of Buffers

Scheduling Best Practices

  • Checking the Network Logic
  • Schedule Contingency
  • Proper Use of Constraints
  • Task Type Impact on Schedule Calculations
  • Summary Tasks and Milestones
  • Project Resources
  • Using a Resource Pool
  • Adding Resources to Tasks
  • Resource Leveling Methods
  • Keeping Your Project on Track
  • Establishing & Entering Task Progress
  • Interrupting Task Work
  • Dealing with Changes
  • Methods for Compressing a Schedule

Knowledge Areas Addressed

This course addresses the following knowledge areas of the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge:

  • Project Scope Management
  • Project Time Management

Snapshot:

  • Start Date: CANCELLED
  • Cost: $599
  • Learning Format: Online
  • Program Duration: 2 days
  • Time Commitment: 7 hours (8:30am – 12:00pm each day)
  • Accreditation: No
  • VA Benefit Eligible: No
  • Scholarships: No
  • Discounts: No
  • CEUS: No

Earn 7 PDUs at the completion of this course.

  • Instructor: Rick Clare
  • November 18 & 19, 2021

Providing the Foundation for Agile Use on Your Projects

This course provides the basic knowledge for incorporating agile techniques on projects and will cover the Agile Manifesto and principles. The primary roles on an agile project and the five levels of agile planning will be explained. The use of user stories to define requirements will be described, along with the product backlog. Agile estimation techniques will also be reviewed including the use of story point scales and planning poker. Significant time will be spent explaining the elements of scrum — the most commonly used agile methodology. The scrum sprint framework will be reviewed, including the sprint planning meeting, daily scrum, sprint review and retrospective. Key scrum artifacts will also be described including the product and sprint backlog, burn charts and task board. Other agile methods will be

briefly reviewed, along with how to develop an effective agile team. Scaling agile to large projects and multiple teams will be explained, along with typical agile metrics.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for people who are new to agile, in the early stages of agile adoption or who are curious about how to get started with an agile approach. Business analysts, functional managers, project managers, developers, programmers, testers, IT manager/directors, software engineers, software architects and customers will find this course useful.

Course Features

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to agile. Upon completion of this course, the participant will be able to:

  • Describe the Agile Manifesto and agile methodologies
  • Define the primary roles and responsibilities on an agile project
  • Describe the five levels of agile planning from vision down to daily scrums
  • Write user stories to define requirements
  • Use agile estimation methods to size user stories
  • Describe agile artifacts such as the product and sprint backlog, burn charts and task board
  • Explain typical agile project metrics

Course Outline Understanding Agile

  • Simple vs. Complex Projects
  • Agile Defined
  • Agile Values and Principles
  • Agile vs. Waterfall Methodology
  • The Business Case for Agile
  • Risk Reduction with Agile

Agile Methodologies

  • Scrum
  • Extreme Programming
  • Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)
  • Feature Driven Development (FDD)
  • Lean Development
  • Kanban

Agile Teams & Planning

  • The Agile Project Team
  • Scaling Agile
  • Levels of Agile Planning

The Scrum Framework

  • Done in Scrum
  • The Product Backlog
  • User Stories & Prioritization
  • Agile Estimation Techniques
  • Scrum Sprints
  • Scrum Artifacts
  • Tracking the Agile Project

Tailoring Agile

  • Building the Team
  • Agile Metrics
  • Integrating Traditional with Agile

Snapshot:

  • Start Date: CANCELLED
  • Cost: $599
  • Learning Format: Online
  • Program Duration: 2 days
  • Time Commitment: 7 hours (8:30am – 12:00pm each day)
  • Accreditation: No
  • VA Benefit Eligible: No
  • Scholarships: No
  • Discounts: No
  • CEUS: No

Earn: 7 PDUs

  • Instructor: Joe Lukas
  • December 2 & 3, 2021

Do you have clients who ask for extras at no additional cost? Do you have problems getting the right resources for your projects? Do your team members consistently miss schedule dates or exceed budgets? Maybe the problem is that you are not an effective negotiator! Most experienced Project Managers typically have good hard skills such as the ability to define scope, budget or schedule, but lack critical soft skills like negotiating. This course will improve your negotiation skills. Why people win in negotiations will be explained along with the key traits of successful negotiators. In addition to explaining a proven process for preparing and conducting a negotiation, this course will cover the frequent mistakes made in negotiations as well as techniques to avoid these mistakes. This course will describe the most common tactics used in negotiations, along with effective countermeasures. Attendees will take part in negotiation exercises to practice the skills covered in this course.

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for portfolio, program and project managers; plus business analysts looking to be more effective in negotiation situations with project teams and stakeholders.

Course Features

This course will reference and discuss actual negotiations. Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

  • Explain the reasons people succeed in negotiations
  • Describe the types of negotiations
  • Utilize an effective negotiation process
  • Explain how communications and people needs influence negotiations
  • Deal with the most common negotiation tactics and countermeasures
  • Describe the application of negotiations to conflict situations

Course Outline
Exercise: Team Budget Negotiation

Successful Negotiator Traits

  • Aspiration level
  • Negotiating Skills
  • Cultural Understanding
  • Other Key Skills

Types of Negotiations

  • Personal Negotiation
  • Stakeholder Negotiation
  • Compromise Negotiation
  • Collaborative Negotiation
  • Exercise: Changing the Negotiation Type

Negotiation Process

  • Pre-meeting (strategic, administrative, tactical)
  • Negotiation meetings
  • Post-meeting
  • Exercise: Testing Assumptions

Top 10 Negotiation Mistakes & Avoidance Measures

  • Low Aspirations / Weak Negotiating Skills
  • Making Low Initial Demands
  • Making 1st and/or Large Concessions
  • Neglecting to Ask Questions
  • Providing Too Much Information
  • Not Verifying Assumptions
  • Reaching a Quick Settlement
  • Lacking a Plan
  • Losing Focus
  • Using Coercive Power
  • Exercise: Team Assignment Negotiation

Human Factors in Negotiations

  • Communication Influences
  • Needs and Goals Attitude
  • Personality Styles

Common Negotiation Tactics and Countermeasures

  • Maneuvers such as Timing, Pricing and Detours
  • Techniques such as Concessions, Threats and Deadlock

Snapshot:

  • Start Date: CANCELLED
  • Cost: $599
  • Learning Format: Online
  • Program Duration: 2 days
  • Time Commitment: 7 hours (8:30am – 12:00pm each day)
  • Accreditation: No
  • VA Benefit Eligible: No
  • Scholarships: No
  • Discounts: No
  • CEUS: No

Earn: 7 PDUs

  • Instructor: Joe Lukas
  • December 9 & 10, 2021

Knowledge of project management technical skills such as scheduling or budgeting is not sufficient to avoid project failure. Project Managers need well developed soft skills including leadership, conflict resolution and communications. However, Project Managers will not have good soft skills unless they possess emotional intelligence, which is the ability to recognize and manage your feelings and effectively deal with the feelings of other people. Emotional intelligence also includes recognizing how you deal with other people and how you react when under stress. This is your personality style. The successful Project Manager is able to recognize the styles of other project stakeholders. This course will explore how to better understand yourself and others and give you ideas on how to adapt your personality style to improve interactions with project stakeholders. This course will help you improve communications with your project stakeholders and lead to improved project team performance.

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for Program Managers, Project Managers, IT Managers, Business Analysts and anyone else looking to improve interactions and communications with Project Teams and stakeholders.

Course Features

This course will cover the critical skills necessary to better understand yourself and others and will give you ideas on how to adapt your personality style to improve interactions with project stakeholders. Topics include a brief review of behavior models, elements of emotional intelligence, the 4-quadrant behavior model, identifying and dealing with each style, how each style deals with stress, and flexing your style. This course includes practical exercises and a personal profile evaluation for each participant to determine their style. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Describe your personality style
  • Describe the strengths, weaknesses and reaction to stress for the four basic personality styles
  • Explain how to identify the four basic personality styles
  • Describe how to flex each style to effectively communicate with other people

Course Outline
Determine Personality Style of Course Participants

Review Key Elements of Emotional Intelligence

  • Key traits of effective leaders
  • Emotional Intelligence components
  • Personality styles defined
  • Emotional Intelligence and personality style ties

History of Behavior Models 4-Quadrant Model

  • Extrovert versus introvert
  • Thinkers versus feelers
  • Four basic personality styles defined
  • Successful people in each style
  • Personality styles – strengths
  • Personality styles – weaknesses

Identifying the Style of Other People’s Personality Styles under Stress

  • Back-up styles
  • Tips to avoid back-up styles
  • What to do when in back-up style
  • What to do when others are in back-up style

Dealing with Each Style

  • How to approach each style
  • How to flex your style

Knowledge Areas Addressed

This course addresses the following knowledge areas of the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge:

  • Project Communications Management
  • Project Human Resource Management