The aim of this programme is to help attendees create better quality technical documents in an organised and efficient manner. It will give those new to the topic an appreciation of how to approach the task professionally whilst those with more experience will be able to refresh and refine their skills. The programme comprises three complementary one-day modules: The programme presents a structured methodology for creating technical documents and provides a range of practical techniques that help delegates put principles into practice. Although not essential, it is strongly advised that delegates for modules 2 and 3 have already attended module 1, or another equivalent course. Note: the content of each module as shown here is purely indicative and can be adapted to suit your particular requirements. This course will: Explain the qualities and benefits of well written technical documents Present a structured approach for producing technical documents Review the essential skills of effective technical writing Demonstrate practical methods to help create better documents Provide tools and techniques for specification and report writing Review how technical documents should be issued and controlled Note: the content of each module as shown here is purely indicative and can be adapted to suit your particular requirements. Module 1: Essential skills for technical writers 1 Introduction to the programme Aims and objectives of the module Introductions and interests of participants 2 Creating effective technical documents What is technical writing? how does it differ from other writing? Key qualities of an effective technical document Communication essentials and the challenges faced by technical writers The lessons of experience: how the best writers write The five key steps : prepare - organise - write - edit - release (POWER) 3 Preparing to write Defining the document aims and objectives; choosing the title Understanding technical readers and their needs Getting organised; planning and managing the process Integrating technical and commercial elements The role of intellectual property rights (IPR), eg, copyright 4 Organising the content The vital role of structure in technical documents Deciding what to include and how to organise the information Categorising information: introductory, key and supporting Tools and techniques for scoping and structuring the document Creating and using document templates - pro's and con's 5 Writing the document Avoiding 'blinding them with science': the qualities of clear writing Problem words and words that confuse; building and using a glossary Using sentence structure and punctuation to best effect Understanding the impact of style, format and appearance Avoiding common causes of ambiguity; being concise and ensuring clarity Using diagrams and other graphics; avoiding potential pitfalls 6 Editing and releasing the document Why editing is difficult; developing a personal editing strategy Some useful editing tools and techniques Key requirements for document issue and control Module 2: Creating better specifications 1 Introduction Aims and objectives of the day Introductions and interests of participants The 'POWER' writing process for specifications 2 Creating better specifications The role and characteristics of an effective specification Specifications and contracts; the legal role of specifications Deciding how to specify; understanding functional and design requirements Developing the specification design; applying the principles of BS 7373 Getting organised: the key stages in compiling an effective specification 3 Preparing to write a specification Defining the scope of the specification; deciding what to include and what not Scoping techniques: scope maps, check lists, structured brainstorming The why/what/how pyramid; establishing and understanding requirements Clarifying priorities; separating needs and desires: the MoSCoW method Useful quantitative techniques: cost benefit analysis, QFD, Pareto analysis Dealing with requirements that are difficult to quantify 4 Organising the content The role of structure in specifications Typical contents and layout for a specification What goes where: introductory, key and supporting sections Creating and using model forms: the sections and sub sections Detailed contents of each sub-section Exercise: applying the tools and techniques 5 Writing the specification Identifying and understanding the specification reader Key words: will, shall, must; building and using a glossary Writing performance targets that are clear and unambiguous Choosing and using graphics Exercise: writing a specification 6 Editing and releasing the document Key editing issues for specifications Issue and control of specifications Module 3: Writing better reports 1 Introduction Aims and objectives of the day Introductions and interests of participants The 'POWER' technical writing process for technical reports 2 Creating better reports What is a technical report? types and formats of report The role and characteristics of an effective technical report Understanding technical report readers and their needs The commercial role and impact of technical reports Getting organised: the key stages in compiling a technical report 3 Preparing to write reports Agreeing the terms of reference; defining aims and objectives Being clear about constraints; defining what is not to be included Legal aspects and intellectual property rights (IPR) for reports Preparing the ground; gathering information and reference documents Keeping track of information: note making, cataloguing and cross referencing Tools and techniques for developing a valid and convincing argument 4 Organising the content The role of structure reviewed; some typical report structures Who needs what: identifying the varied needs of the readership What goes where: introductory, key and supporting sections Creating and using model forms: the sections and sub sections Detailed contents of each sub-section Exercise: applying the tools and techniques 5 Writing the report Planning the storyline: the report as a journey in understanding Recognising assumptions about the reader; what they do and don't know Converting complex concepts into understandable statements Presenting technical data and its analysis; the role of graphics Presenting the case simply whilst maintaining technical integrity Exercise: writing a technical report 6 Editing and releasing the report Key editing issues for technical reports Issue and control of technical reports
Masterclasses? Refreshers? Introductions? It depends what you're looking for and where you want to pitch them, but here are six tried-and-tested highly focused sessions that organisations can take individually or as a series, to help develop their teams' project management capabilities one topic at a time. Objectives for each individual session are set out below, as part of the session outlines. Taken together, as a series, however, these modules are an ideal opportunity to develop your team's levels of project management capability maturity, whether that's by introducing them to the basic principles, refreshing them on best practice, or giving them the opportunity to really drill down into a specific area of challenge in your particular operating environment. Session outlines 1 Stakeholder management Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand why stakeholders matter to projects Be able to identify and engage stakeholders Be able to categorise stakeholders by their significance 1 Key principles What does 'stakeholder' mean - in theory? What does this mean in practice? Why stakeholders matter Consequences of missing stakeholders The stakeholder management process:IdentifyAssessPlanEngage 2 Identifying stakeholders Rapid listing CPIG analysis PESTLE analysis Drawing on the knowledge and experience of others Other ways to identify stakeholders 3 Assessing stakeholders Which stakeholders are significant? Stakeholder radar Power-interest maps Power-attitude maps 4 Planning The adoption curve Dealing with obstacles Who should engage which stakeholder? How should the project's organisation be structured? How will communication happen? 5 Engaging Seven principles of stakeholder engagement 2 Requirements and prioritisation Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand how clarity of requirements contributes to project success Use different techniques for prioritising requirements Agree requirements with stakeholders Manage changes to requirements 1 Understanding and managing stakeholder needs and expectations What are 'requirements'? What is 'requirements management'? Sources of requirements - and the role of stakeholders Are stakeholders sufficiently expert to specify their needs? Do they understand the detail of what they want, or do they need help to tease that out? What do stakeholders want to achieve? Working within constraints Prioritising requirements - three techniques 2 MoSCoW prioritisation 'Must have', should have', 'could have, 'won't have this time' When to use MoSCoW 3 The Kano Model Customer satisfaction - 'attractive' and 'must-be' qualities When to use Kano 4 Value-based prioritisation Understanding risk v value Using risk v value to prioritise features and schedules 5 Agreeing requirements Perfect v 'good enough' Establishing acceptance criteria Requirements traceability Agreeing project scope 6 Changing requirements Why requirements change Why change control matters Impact on projects A formal change control process Paying for change - managing change for different types of project 3 Estimating Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand the different purposes estimates satisfy Be able to use different estimating techniques Understand how to achieve different levels of accuracy 1 Key principles What's an estimate? Informed guesswork What needs to be estimated? Costs, resources, effort, duration Tolerances Precision v accuracy 2 Estimating through the lifecycle Start Plan Do 3 Early estimates Comparative ('analogous') estimating Parametric estimating Using multiple estimating techniques 4 Bottom-up estimating Bottom-up ('analytical') estimating Pros Cons 5 Three-point estimating Three-point ('PERT': Programme Evaluation and Review Technique) estimating Uncertainty and the range of estimates Calculating a weighted average Three-point with bottom-up 4 Scheduling Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand how to create a viable schedule Be able to use different forms of schedule Understand the concept of the critical path 1 Key principles The planning horizon Rolling wave planning Release planning 2 Viable scheduling Creating a viable schedule Define the scope Sequence the work Identify the risks and build in mitigations Identify the resources Estimate the effort and durations Check resource availability Refine until a workable schedule is produced 3 Critical path analysis The critical path Network diagrams Sequence logic Practical application:Network diagram with estimated durationsThe 'forward pass'The 'backward pass'Calculating total floatIdentifying the critical pathCalculating free float Gantt charts 5 Risk and issue management Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand the difference between risks and issues Be able to identify and assess risks Understand ways of mitigating risks Manage issues 1 Key principles Understanding risk Threats and opportunities The risk management processPreparation - proactive risk managementThe process - identify, assess, plan, implementStakeholder communication Roles and responsibilities Risk management strategy The risk register Risk appetite 2 Risk identification Brainstorming Interviews Assumption analysis Checklists 3 Risk assessment and prioritisation Probability, impact and proximity Triggers Qualitative risk assessment Qualitative impact assessment Qualitative probability assessment Probability / impact grid Bubble charts Risk tolerance 4 Planning countermeasures To mitigate or not to mitigate? Categories of risk response Avoid and exploit Reduce and enhance Transfer Share Accept Contingency Secondary risks 5 Issue management What is an issue? Tolerances Issues and tolerances The PRINCE2 view of issues Ownership of issues An issue management process Issue register 6 Budgeting and cost control Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand what to include in a budget - and why Choose - and use - the appropriate estimating technique Align the budget with the schedule Understand how to monitor spend and control costs Trouble-shoot effectively to get projects back within budget Session format Flexible. The session can be tailored to the participants' average level of project management maturity - a 60-minute session (delivered virtually) is an effective introduction. A 90-minute session allows for more in-depth treatment. A half-day session (face-to-face or virtual) gives time for a more challenging workshop, particularly to discuss specific cost control issues with any of the participants' current projects. 1 Where is the money coming from? Can we pay from revenue? Do we need to borrow? How long will the project take to pay back? The lifecycle of the budget Through-life costs Stakeholder involvement 2 Estimating costs Reminder: the relationship between estimates Reminder: possible estimating techniques What do we need to estimate?PeopleEquipmentMaterialsFacilities and operating costsWork package estimateEstimated project costs Estimating agile projects 3 Aligning budget and schedule Scheduling and financial periods Spreading the budget 4 Reserves and agreeing the budget Contingency reserve Management reserve Agreeing the budget 5 Cost control Planned spend over time Actual spend over time Work completed over time Evaluating different scenarios: delivery v spend 6 Trouble-shooting Why are we where we are? What has caused the project to spend at the rate it is? Why is it delivering at the rate it is? What are the root causes? What can we do about it?
Power BI is a powerful data visualisation program that allows businesses to monitor data, analyse trends, and make decisions. This course is designed to provide a solid understanding of the reporting side of Power BI, the dashboards, where administrators, and end users can interact with dynamic visuals that communicates information. This course focuses entirely on the creation and design of visualisations in dashboards, including a range of chart types, engaging maps, and different types of tables. Designing dashboards with KPI's (key performance indicators), heatmaps, flowcharts, sparklines, and compare multiple variables with trendlines. This one-day programme focuses entirely on creating dashboards, by using the many visualisation tools available in Power BI. You will learn to build dynamic, user-friendly interfaces in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service. 1 Introduction Power BI ecosystem Things to keep in mind Selecting dashboard colours Importing visuals into Power BI Data sources for your analysis Joining tables in Power BI 2 Working with data Utilising a report theme Table visuals Matrix visuals Drilling into hierarchies Applying static filters Group numbers with lists Group numbers with bins 3 Creating visuals Heatmaps in Power BI Visualising time-intelligence trends Ranking categorical totals Comparing proportions View trends with sparklines 4 Comparing variables Insert key performance indicators (KPI) Visualising trendlines as KPI Forecasting with trendlines Visualising flows with Sankey diagrams Creating a scatter plot 5 Mapping options Map visuals Using a filled map Mapping with latitude and longitude Mapping with ArcGIS or ESRI 6 Creating dashboards High-level dashboard Migration analysis dashboard Adding slicers for filtering Promote interaction with nudge prompts Searching the dashboard with a slicer Creating dynamic labels Highlighting key points on the dashboard Customised visualisation tooltips Syncing slicers across pages 7 Sharing dashboards Setting up and formatting phone views Exporting data Creating PDF files Uploading to the cloud Share dashboards in SharePoint online
The aim of this course is to expose the commercial context within which technical work is carried out. It is to allow technical staff to understand how they fit into a larger picture, why they may be asked to undertake tasks that may not appear to be technical and the impact their interactions have within the commercial context. The scope of the programme includes: The course emphasises the collaborative nature of delivery and the need to offer value to customers. The principal training objectives for this programme are to help participants: Understand why technical roles are broader than we might assume Appreciate the importance of, and the need to support, sales Value the idea of 'Good Enough' Recognise what can affect profitability Realise the future needs protecting 1 Introduction (Course sponsor) Why this programme has been developed Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 That's not my job! How we see our own role in work How other people see our role Stakeholders: who are they and why do they matter? The organisational backdrop What is my role really? 3 Sales and marketing Where does the money come from? Where do we find customers? The sales process One-off sales versus repeat business Customer/supplier relationships What something costs versus what the customer will pay The value chain 4 Estimating Purpose of estimates The problem with precision Five estimating techniques 5 Change control Can you just do this for me? When being helpful leads to bankruptcy How to deal with change requests 6 Risk management Risk in projects Risk in operations Categories of risk 7 The value of intellectual property Issues with sharing information Commercial in confidence Non-disclosure agreements 8 Course review and action planning (Course sponsor present) Identify actions to be implemented individually What actions should be implemented to improve working with non-technical people? Conclusion
This one-day introduction workshop is intended for users who need to get to grips with the essentials of Microsoft Outlook. It will provide you with the basic skills you need to effectively start using Outlook to manage your emails, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes. This course will help participants: Send messages with added email options applied Quickly file messages away for safe keeping Manage messages and attachments Organise calendar meetings and check other people's schedules Respond to a meeting request Create a contacts list Manage daily tasks Use reading and folder panes Create and manage folders Use auto reply Use notes Utilise Outlook's printing functionality 1 Getting started Using the reading pane Using the folder pane Changing inbox views Managing the to-do bar 2 Emailing messages Replying to and forwarding messages Adding message options Attaching files to an email message Opening and saving attachments 3 Outlook folders Creating and managing folders Moving messages into folders Adding folders to favourites Using search folder Always moving messages in conversation Automatically move messages with rules 4 Managing messages Using instant search Finding messages by criteria Grouping and sorting messages Categorising messages Adding message follow up flags Filtering messages with the people pane 5 Using auto reply Replying to messages whilst you are away Managing auto reply settings Applying rules to auto reply 6 Outlook calendars Adding and editing appointments Adding calendar reminders Moving and copying appointments Creating all day events Recurring appointments Sharing your calendar Opening another user's calendar 7 Planning a meeting Arranging meetings Inviting attendees to meetings Responding to meeting invites 8 Outlook contacts Creating and editing a contact Saving emails as contacts Finding contacts Sending messages to contacts Creating contact groups 9 Adding tasks Creating and editing tasks Completing tasks Assigning a task to another user Responding to a task request 10 Notes Creating and editing tasks Emailing notes Sticking notes on your desktop 11 Printing Printing messages Printing calendars Printing contacts
This course starts with the basics then moves seamlessly to an intermediate level. It includes a comprehensive yet balanced look at the four main components that make up Power BI Desktop: Report view, Data view, Model view, and the Power Query Editor. It also demonstrates how to use the online Power BI service. It looks at authoring tools that enables you to connect to and transform data from a variety of sources, allowing you to produce dynamic reports using a library of visualisations. Once you have those reports, the course looks at the seamless process of sharing those with your colleagues by publishing to the online Power BI service. The aim of this course is to provide a strong understanding of the Power BI analysis process, by working with real-world examples that will equip you with the necessary skills to start applying your knowledge straight away. 1 Getting started The Power BI process Launching Power BI Desktop The four views of Power BI Dashboard visuals 2 Connecting to files Connect to data sources Connect to an Excel file Connect to a CSV file Connect to a database Import vs. DirectQuery Connect to a web source Create a data table 3 Transforming data The process of cleaning data Column data types Remove rows with filters Add a custom column Append data to a table Fix error issues Basic maths operations 4 Build a data model Table relationships Manage table relationships 5 Merge queries Table join kinds Merging tables 6 Create report visualisations Creating map visuals Formatting maps Creating chart visuals Formatting chart Tables, matrixes, and cards Control formatting with themes Filter reports with slicers Reports for mobile devices Custom online visuals Export report data to Excel 7 The power query editor Fill data up and down Split columns by delimiter Add conditional columns Merging columns 8 The M formula Creating M functions Create an IF function Create a query group 9 Pivot and unpivot tables Pivot tables in the query editor Pivot and append tables Pivot but don't summarise Unpivot tables Append mismatched headers 10 Data modelling revisited Data model relationships Mark a calendar as a date table 11 Introduction to calculated columns New columns vs. measures Creating a new column calculation The SWITCH function 12 Introduction to DAX measures Common measure categories The SUM measure Adding measures to visuals COUNTROWS and DISINCTCOUNT functions DAX rules 13 The CALCULATE measure The syntax of CALCULATE Things of note about CALCULATE 14 The SUMX measure The SUMX measure X iterator functions Anatomy of SUMX 15 Introduction to time intelligence Importance of a calendar table A special lookup table The TOTALYTD measure Change year end in TOTALYTD 16 Hierarchy, groups and formatting Create a hierarchy to drill data Compare data in groups Add conditional formatting 17 Share reports on the web Publish to the BI online service Get quick insights Upload reports from BI service Exporting report data What is Q&A? Sharing your reports 18 Apply your learning Post training recap lesson
This course provides delegates with the information needed to assess the risk of pressure ulcers and Tissue Viability.
Our telephone training takes place in your normal working situation, using the actual telephones and software, and the programming software clients that trainees will use when fully trained. Our trainers will travel anywhere in the world to train you face to face, or if you prefer, we can offer our whole training catalogue remotely using Teams or Zoom. On-site and live remote telecoms training sessions have a general reputation as most effective for trainees to continue to efficiently carry out their telecoms usage, programming and own in-house training of future new employees. On-site training involves employees training at their place of work while they are doing their actual job, or in pre-organised classroom training sessions, based around hands-on interaction, trainer Q&A and all carried out using your own site telephone system. Our telephone trainers also offer consultations on your new or current telephone systems: looking into how you currently use your system, making suggestions on how programming could be tweaked and changed to improve your current usage, how to improve on call handling methods, and informing you of additional products which may be available on your system that you may not be aware of. This could help improve the level of communication across your company and interactions with your customers. We believe telephone handset and voicemail training sessions are essential to the smooth and efficient running of your company, making sure your staff are aware of all the features and benefits that the telephone handsets can offer, and ensuring calls are dealt with quickly and effectively. System administration training is available to teach new administrators how to manage and control a variety of system features. This type of training is especially important when new administrators have little or no previous telecom knowledge or experience, but it is equally important at all levels to ensure the new system is utilised to its maximum capability. Administration days or Call Centre Software training days take one full day to complete. Full Day Example: 9:30 - 16:00 Day Structure 09:30 - 10:45 Handset & VM session for up to 8 people 10:45 - 12:00 Handset & VM session for up to 8 people 12:00 - 12:45 Lunch 12:45 - 14:00 Handset & VM session for up to 8 people 14:00 - 15:15 Handset & VM session for up to 8 people 15:15 - 16:30 Handset & VM session for up to 8 people Half Day Example: 9:30 - 13:00 Switchboard training takes half a day (3-4 hours for up to 3 people). If you want to train more than 3 people, you may need to extend the day to a full day, to ensure everyone gets to have hands-on training on the switchboard. Super Users and Train the Trainer Sessions Super User sessions can also be organised to show advanced system features in order to provide an ongoing training service to their colleagues, once the trainers have left the site.
REFERENCE CODE 600/6511/4 COURSE LEVEL NVQ Level 2 THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE IN Course Overview This qualification is aimed at those who are involved in plastering activities in the workplace. It is not expected that candidates working in this industry all do the same activities so the qualification has been developed to allow opportunities for those carrying out work in any one of the following broad categories: solid basic plastering, solid full plastering, basic fibrous plastering and full fibrous plastering. Those taking the qualification must also prove knowledge and competence in working at heights, calculating quantities and wastage and the use of powered and hand tools and equipment. All work completed must be done in accordance with building regulations and industry recognised safe working practices, including the disposal of waste. The qualification is structured to ensure that there is a high degree of flexibility within the units available and will allow employees from companies of all sizes and specialisms equal opportunity to complete. To provide this opportunity in addition to the core skills above, candidates will also be able to select optional units recognising skills including, working with direct bond dry linings, laying sand and cement screeds, installing mechanically fixed plasterboard and carrying out repair work. The standards cover the most important aspects of the job. This qualification is at Level 2, although some units may be at different levels and should be taken by those who are fully trained to deal with routine assignments. Candidates should require minimum supervision in undertaking the job