1 Educators providing Appraisal courses in Edinburgh

In some organisations appraisals are seen as an annual chore that has to be undertaken and neither the manager nor the staff gain any real benefit from it. This half day course is designed to help managers appraise their staff effectively so that both parties develop more insight, motivation and a better understanding of each other. It will help participants work with their staff to create work plans that are effective and realistic. This course can be run as a one-off session or as part of a series of sessions on staff management.

Many managers question the value of appraisal programmes and many line managers believe appraisals are unduly time-consuming and bureaucratic. Yet the appraisal is a vital starting point when it comes to managing performance effectively and it is vital that managers appreciate this. Handled well, the benefits of formal appraisals are enormous. This thoroughly practical workshop has been designed to give line managers the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver a well-structured appraisal - even in the most challenging circumstances. This course will help participants: Appreciate the benefits of the appraisal process Assess standards of performance objectively Plan and prepare for appraisals effectively Conduct a well-structured appraisal meeting Acquire the essential skills required for effective appraisals Improve their ability to discuss difficult issues more confidently Identify training and development requirements Agree clear and measurable development objectives Complete essential paperwork Understand the need to facilitate continual informal dialogue between appraisals 1 Introduction and course objectives 2 The appraisal process The aim of the appraisal process Understanding the bigger picture - the appraisal process as part of the employee development process The benefits of the appraisal process Common pitfalls Five steps to an effective performance appraisal 3 Step 1 - Assessment Using job standards as the basis for objective assessment Assessment of previous objectives 4 Step 2 - Preparation Documentation required Data on each appraisee Planning the meeting 5 Step 3 - The meeting The skills of appraisal interviewing The structure of the appraisal interview Dealing with poor performance and difficult situations Taking notes and completing documentation 6 Step 4 - Planning ahead and objective setting Identifying action to improve performance and enhance skills Establishing relevant training needs Agreeing SMART performance objectives Formulating a personal development plan 7 Step 5 - Action after the interview Essential paperwork Follow-up and action required between appraisal interviews Continuing informal dialogue 8 Video case study Bullets 9 Conclusion Course review / discussion Preparation of action plans for building on the skills learnt Close

Where should management effort be directed? In controlling costs and ensuring proper engineering in live projects? - yes, of course, but true cost control comes by understanding, eliminating and minimising risk prior to a business committing any funds. This course studies the stages required for practical financial and business appraisals of projects and capital expenditure. This course has two primary objectives: To impart the knowledge and skills required to ensure as risk-free as possible expenditure of that scarce resource, cash - the investors', governments' or shareholders' money must not be squandered To improve the quality of the appraisal process in the widest sense - demonstrating how the process of project and capital expenditure appraisal can be used to dramatically improve cost control and deliver as risk-free as possible expenditure As a result of the course, participants will be able to: Understand the economics of appraisal Be in control of their projects from the start Understand the economics of their projects - and devise the most appropriate mode Carry out sensitivity analysis and identify risk Improve their methods of appraisal and approach Focus on the risk areas and take out risk and control costs before they over-run The benefits of attending this course will be demonstrable from day one. Thorough appraisals and risk assessment follow through to success in project management and detailed cost control and project management. 1 Introduction Why appraise? Taking risk out of investment The short- and long-term results of not appraising business expenditure 2 Developing an appraisal process The process - overall and stage-by-stage objectives Understand business and technical risks Manage resources and time Do you invest enough time and effort at this stage? Take out the risks - control costs before you are committed to contracts and action Checklists 3 Appraisal arithmetic Review of the arithmetic of appraisalThe time value of moneyThe effects of different interest or required ratesThe effects of inflation (or deflation) in prices and costs Understanding the economics of appraisal is essential 4 Appraisal measures Meaning and use of appraisal measures Identifying the most appropriate measures for your particular business Payback Discounted cash flow measures - NPV and IRR Other measures - FW, AW, Profitability Index The meaning of the measures and their application in practice 5 Cost benefit analysis The effect on decision-making of more intangible benefits Cost benefit analysis Ensuring costs are genuine Measuring intangible benefits Environmental issues Consideration of intangible benefits in the appraisal decision-making process 6 Developing appropriate models Developing models - examples of spreadsheet models and measures for many different situations Modelling investment opportunities - summarising outcomes Sensitivity analysis - identifying, quantifying and taking out risk 7 Developing an appraisal process The process - managing risk from the outset Using the process in risk management, negotiating and project management Take out risk by thoroughly knowing your project - developing your own process

About this Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) This Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) course is designed with the aim of showing the degree of integration necessary in developing an offshore petroleum discovery, from field appraisal to development. The 5 half-day VILT course gives a comprehensive account of the methodology, processes and techniques utilised in developing an offshore oil or gas discovery. Technically, integration of expected reservoir behavior, well planning and design, and facilities concepts and selection are exemplified through detailed case histories, group discussions and exercises. Commercial aspects related to overall project evaluation are also covered. Training Objectives Course participants will obtain a comprehensive understanding of key aspects of offshore field development, from appraisal through to development planning and leading up to sanction. The VILT course covers the three key elements: reservoirs, wells and facilities, and covers the integration of these with commercial aspects, and the required management aspects, including uncertainty and risk. Target Audience This VILT course is designed for project managers, field development and planning engineers, asset managers, petroleum engineers, reservoir engineers as well as field geoscientists and managers who have an interest in or are involved in field development feasibility and planning. In particular, this VILT course would be of interest to managers leading multidisciplinary and diverse functional teams. Course Level Basic or Foundation Training Methods The VILT course will be delivered online in 5 half-day sessions comprising 4 hours per day, with 2 breaks of 10 minutes per day. Course Duration: 5 half-day sessions, 4 hours per session (20 hours in total). Trainer Trainer 1: Your first expert course leader is a specialist in reservoir engineering, field development planning and petroleum management. Having worked for over 40 years in the petroleum industry, his most recent full-time position was Chief Operating Officer and Project Director for AED Oil and East Puffin (2007-09) for the Puffin offshore development, Timor Sea. Prior to his academic career (2001-2006), commencing in 2001 as head of the new School of Petroleum Engineering and Management at the UA, he worked for 16 years for BHP Petroleum (now BHP Billiton), most recently as Chief Reservoir Engineer for their worldwide operations. Other positions with BHP Billiton involved mainly technical and project management, and general management positions, including member of the BHP Board. He was project manager (feasibility) for two FPSO projects, the Skua and Griffin area fields, offshore Australia. He was also the Technical Manager for the Dai Hung project, offshore Vietnam where first oil was achieved in just 18 months from sanction. Before that time, he worked for Shell International (8 years) in the Netherlands, including two years as Senior Lecturer Reservoir Engineering at Shell's training centre and in Australia, seconded to Woodside Energy, with a key role in Australia's largest capital project (at the time), the Northwest Shelf Gas development. He started his career in Calgary, Canada, first with Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas and subsequently with the US consulting company, Scientific Software Corporation. He holds a BSc degree in Physics from the University of British Columbia and a MS degree in Nuclear Engineering from Stanford University. He has been an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, including Director for the Asia-Pacific region (1996-98) and as a member of the Board. He was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer during 2001-02 and a PESA Distinguished Lecturer during 2002. He has lectured at many institutions and was a visiting professor at Stanford University in 2000. He has published over 50 papers on both technical and managerial topics. His professional interests are in optimal planning and project management of offshore petroleum discoveries. His primary research interests are in the area of special core analysis and the development of predictive models for reservoir characterisation. Trainer 2: Your other course leader is currently an independent consultant and trainer after 37 years in the upstream petroleum industry. His previous roles included Chief Geologist for GALP Energy, Consultant/ Head of Exploration for Qatar Petroleum, Technical/ Asset Manager for SASOL, and various technical and technical management roles in BHP Billiton Petroleum and Chevron. He managed/ executed many projects in diverse locations: West Grimes gas field development - California; Port Arguello heavy oil development - offshore California; exploration & development projects - Nigeria; Tengiz field early development, Korolev appraisal - Kazakhstan; Nkossa field development, Moho/ Bilondo exploration - offshore Congo; PNG divestment, Bayu-Undan LNG development - Australia; Ohanet acquisition, appraisal & development - Algeria; Pande development, Pande/ Temane gas plant expansion & near field exploration - Mozambique; Pre-Khuff (HP/HT) exploration, multiple blocks & operators - Qatar; Coral/ Mamba appraisal - Mozambique; Blocks 14/32 exploration & development - Angola; exploration & appraisal - onshore & offshore Brazil. He has an MSc in Geophysics from Stanford, an MBA from St. Mary's College of California, and a BSc in Geology (Honors) from Western Illinois University. He is a member of SEG, AAPG, SPE, PESGB, and PESA and is a Fellow of the Energy Institute (UK). His professional interests centre around deploying this extensive and international experience base to add value to future projects via training and consultancy, and to provide the leadership needed to execute, deliver, and ensure profitability of new projects. POST TRAINING COACHING SUPPORT (OPTIONAL) To further optimise your learning experience from our courses, we also offer individualized 'One to One' coaching support for 2 hours post training. We can help improve your competence in your chosen area of interest, based on your learning needs and available hours. This is a great opportunity to improve your capability and confidence in a particular area of expertise. It will be delivered over a secure video conference call by one of our senior trainers. They will work with you to create a tailor-made coaching program that will help you achieve your goals faster. Request for further information about post training coaching support and fees applicable for this. Accreditions And Affliations

Every employee needs to have their performance managed and it is equally important to 'catch people doing something right

Better Business Cases™ Foundation and Practitioner: In-House Training Using this best-practice approach will allow organizations to reduce unnecessary spending and improve the decision-making process which gives you a greater chance of securing necessary funding and support for initiatives. The goal of the combined foundation and practitioner course is to develop a candidate's ability to deliver a comprehensive business case through encouraging expanded knowledge to guide the practical application of theoretical foundations. Upon the completion of this course, a candidate will be able to start applying the model to a real business case development project. The outline presented in the course overview will be addressed in the first 2 days, with the Foundation exam conducted on the morning of Day 3. Then the topics will be revisited at a deeper level, for 2 more days, with the Practitioner exam conducted on the afternoon of Day 5. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Develop the lifecycle of a business case and establish the relationships between the five cases Apply the steps in the business case development framework, in order to support the production of a business case, using the Five Case Model, for a given scenario. Overview of Better Business Cases Alignment with the strategic planning process Importance of the Business Case using the Five Case Model Overview of the Five Case Model Purpose of the key stages in the development of a spending proposal Purpose of a Business Justification Case Business Case Development Process Purpose of project / programme assurance and assurance reviews Responsibility for producing the Business Case Determining the Strategic Context and Undertaking the Strategic Assessment Scoping the Scheme and Preparing the Strategic Outline Case Planning the Scheme and Preparing the Outline Business Case Procuring the Solution and Preparing the Full Business Case Implementation and monitoring Evaluation and feedback Making the Case for Change Agree on the strategic context Determine spending objectives, existing arrangements, and business needs Determine potential business scope and key service requirements Determine benefits, risks, constraints, and dependencies Exploring the Preferred Way Forward Agree on critical success factors Determine long list options and SWOT analysis Recommend a preferred way forward Determining Potential Value for Money Revisit the short list Prepare the economic appraisal for short-listed options Undertake benefits appraisal Undertake risk appraisal Select preferred option and undertake sensitivity analysis Preparing for the Potential Deal Determine the procurement strategy Determine service streams and required outputs Outline potential risk apportionment Outline potential payment mechanisms Ascertain contractual issues and accountancy treatment Ascertaining Affordability and Funding Requirement Prepare the financial model Prepare the financial appraisals Planning for Successful Delivery Plan programme / project management Plan change and contract management Plan benefits realization Plan risk management Plan programme / project assurance and post-project evaluation Procuring the Value for Money Solution Revisit the case for change Revisit the OBC options Detail procurement process and evaluation of best and final offers (BAFOs) Contracting for the Deal Set out the negotiated deal and contractual arrangements Set out the financial implications of the deal Ensuring Successful Delivery Finalize project management arrangements and plans Finalize change management arrangements and plans Finalize benefits realization arrangements and plans Finalize risk management arrangements and plans Finalize contract management arrangements and plans Finalize post-project evaluation arrangements and plans

Overview This course highlights Overview of upstream asset management HSE issues and energy project investment analysis Exploration and appraisal well decisions Field development decisions Asset optimization

Better Business Cases™ Practitioner: In-House Training: In-House Training Better Business Cases™ is based on the Five Case Model - which is the UK government's best practice approach to structuring spending proposals and making effective business decisions. Using this best-practice approach will allow organizations to reduce unnecessary spending and improve the decision-making process which gives you a greater chance of securing necessary funding and support for initiatives. The goal of the practitioner course is to develop a candidate's ability to deliver a comprehensive business case, through encouraging expanded knowledge to guide the practical application of theoretical foundations. Upon the completion of this Practitioner course, a candidate will be able to start applying the model to a real business case development project. What You Will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Develop the lifecycle of a business case and to establish the relationships between the five cases Apply the steps in the business case development framework, in order to support the production of a business case, using the Five Case Model, for a given scenario Overview of Better Business Cases Alignment with the strategic planning process Importance of the Business Case using the Five Case Model Overview of the Five Case Model Purpose of the key stages in the development of a spending proposal Purpose of a Business Justification Case Business Case Development Process Purpose of project / programme assurance and assurance reviews Responsibility for producing the Business Case Determining the Strategic Context and Undertaking the Strategic Assessment Scoping the Scheme and Preparing the Strategic Outline Case Planning the Scheme and Preparing the Outline Business Case Procuring the Solution and Preparing the Full Business Case Implementation and monitoring Evaluation and feedback Making the Case for Change Agree on the strategic context Determine spending objectives, existing arrangements, and business needs Determine potential business scope and key service requirements Determine benefits, risks, constraint, and dependencies Exploring the Preferred Way Forward Agree on critical success factors Determine long list options and SWOT analysis Recommend a preferred way forward Determining Potential Value for Money Revisit the short list Prepare the economic appraisal for short-listed options Undertake benefits appraisal Undertake risk appraisal Select preferred option and undertake sensitivity analysis Preparing for the Potential Deal Determine the procurement strategy Determine service streams and required outputs Outline potential risk apportionment Outline potential payment mechanisms Ascertain contractual issues and accountancy treatment Ascertaining Affordability and Funding Requirement Prepare the financial model Prepare the financial appraisals Planning for Successful Delivery Plan programme / project management Plan change and contract management Plan benefits realization Plan risk management Plan programme / project assurance and post project evaluation Procuring the Value for Money Solution Revisit the case for change Revisit the OBC options Detail procurement process and evaluation of best and final offers (BAFOs) Contracting for the Deal Set out the negotiated deal and contractual arrangements Set out the financial implications of the deal Ensuring Successful Delivery Finalize project management arrangements and plans Finalize change management arrangements and plans Finalize benefits realization arrangements and plans Finalize risk management arrangements and plans Finalize contract management arrangements and plans Finalize post-project evaluation arrangements and plans

Overview Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are arrangements typified by joined-up working between the public and private sectors. In the broadest sense, PPPs can cover all types of collaboration across the interface between the public and the private sector to deliver services. This course will equip participants with a basic understanding of PPPs and why they are needed. It will walk delegates through a typical PPP process, from the identification of potential PPP projects to risk appraisal, tendering, and implementation.

Overview This course would be ideal for HR professionals who are looking to be more financially skilled. You will develop a deep understanding of the key financial concepts that are important in the boardroom. Learn how to break these concepts down to see what they mean for you in your role. Gain a deep understanding of the central areas of finance; how accountants think; how the numbers help you understand performance and set targets; budgeting and forecasting; and investment appraisal.