1838 Concept courses delivered Live Online

Microsoft Project Orange Belt® 2013: Virtual In-House Training This workshop gives participants a full insight into creating effective schedules using Microsoft® Project 2013, allowing you to estimate, coordinate, budget, staff, and control projects and support other users. This workshop gives participants a full insight into creating effective schedules using Microsoft® Project 2013, allowing you to estimate, coordinate, budget, staff, and control projects and support other users. This workshop provides the eBook Dynamic Scheduling with Microsoft® Project 2013, and is kept up to date with the framework of knowledge outlined by the Project Management Institute's PMBOK® Guide and the Practice Standard for Scheduling. What you Will Learn You'll learn how to: Understand what's new in Project 2013 Explain where Project 2013 fits in the Microsoft® EPM solution Initialize Project 2013 to start project planning Create a well-formed project schedule Understand task types and the schedule formula Assign resources and costs to tasks Analyze resource utilization and optimize the schedule Set a baseline and track progress Create and manage project reports Customize views and fields Apply Earned Value Management Understand the basics of managing multiple projects Getting Started Introductions Course structure Course goals and objectives Enterprise Project Management Concepts and Framework Getting Started with Project 2013 Project 2013: What's New and General Overview Setting Up a New Project Schedule (templates, options, save, etc.) Setting the Project Calendar Entering Tasks The Planning Processes Importing Tasks (Word, Excel, SharePoint) Synchronizing with SharePoint Tasks List Creating and managing the WBS (include tasks, manually scheduled tasks, summary tasks and milestones, as well as custom WBS coding) Entering Estimates Tendencies in Estimating The Rolling Wave Approach Entering Duration and Work Estimates Types of Tasks Entering Dependencies The Principle of Dynamic Scheduling Choosing the Right Type of Dependency Entering Dependencies in Project 2013 Different Applications of Dependencies Entering Deadlines, Constraints, and Task Calendars Use of Deadlines and Constraints Entering Deadlines and Constraints in Project 2013 Entering Resources and Costs Types of Resources Entering Resources in Project 2013 Calendars and Resources Entering Costs in Project 2013 Entering Assignments Assignments in a Schedule Assignments and Task Types Entering Assignments in Project 2013 Assignments, Budgets, and Costs Optimizing the Schedule The Critical Path Method and the Resource Critical Path Resource Leveling Optimizing Time, Cost, and Resources in Project 2013 Updating the Schedule The Baseline Updating Strategies and Situations Prepare the Status and Forecast Report in Project 2013 Reporting Using Reports Using Visual Reports Formatting and Printing in Project 2013 Customizing Fields in Project 2013 Earned Value Management (EVM) Overview of EVM Applying EVM with Project 2013 Evaluating the Project Evaluating the Project Performance Project Benefits and Results Templates for Future Projects Summary Tools and Checklist Best Practices Checklist Consolidated Schedules Creating Consolidated Schedules Using a Resource Pool Links across Projects Solving common problems Analyzing the Critical Path across Projects

Building High-Performance Teams: In-House Training This course pulls together the most current and popular theories and writings on this complex topic and presents this amalgamated view in a highly interactive workshop and activity-based approach. Students will understand and have the skills required to build and participate in high-performance project teams and will possess the insight to proactively affect change within their respective organizations by guiding the existing culture to one that promotes high performance. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Define a team and describe the optimum team size for effective performance Describe characteristics and guiding behaviors of high-performance teams Describe the major elements of each development stage in two distinct models Recognize cultural barriers in achieving high performance List the attributes of a high-performing corporate culture Assess your own corporate culture Discuss corporate leadership as a factor in building high-performance project teams Describe the three A's of selecting team members State three leadership responsibilities Describe leadership responsibilities, styles, and roles List and describe the eight components of the team charter model for building high-performance teams Foundation Concepts The Nature of Teams Characteristics of High-Performance Teams Understanding Team Development Stages of Team Development - Model 1 Stages of Team Development - Model 2 Designing a High-Performance Culture Corporate Cultures Corporate Leadership Establishing the Attributes of High Performance Choosing the Right People Team Effectiveness Team Leadership The Team Charter Model

Leading People through Change: In-House Training Research shows that 70% of change initiatives fail in large organizations. The largest factor contributing to this failure rate is leadership - the inability to plan and lead people through change. In many change situations, tremendous focus is put on strategy, processes, and systems, while the issue of changing people's behavior is assumed it will 'just happen'. In this interactive course, you will learn why the people side of change is crucial. We will begin by understanding why and how people resist change, and how important it is to become strong and effective change champions. Next, we will focus on critical change management practices - creating our vision of the future state, planning for acceptance in our change audience and stakeholders, mitigating threats, and capitalizing on opportunities. We will use metrics to plan, show progress, and confirm success. Lastly, we will focus on the need to reinforce and sustain change, and to prevent relapse to old ways and methods. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Realize the nature of change and describe how resistance manifests in people Compare prevalent change models and categorize their similarities Identify and rate the skills, traits, and behaviors of effective change champions Envision the future state and assess stakeholders Plan for change communication, training, and risks Evaluate change effectiveness using feedback and metrics Develop reinforcement practices for benefits and communication Foundation Concepts What is Change? Resistance to Change Common Change Management Theories Becoming a Change Champion Plan Envisioning the future state Planning for people Change management plan Do Change communication Training Piloting Risks Study Feedback Metrics Variance analysis Act Benefits realization Change sustainment Reinforcement messaging and communications

Decision Making and Problem Solving: In-House Training We may live in an era of fast technology and increasing reliance upon automation, but our human abilities to think critically, make careful decisions, and solve nuanced problems are more important than ever. Our personal lives depend on those things, and so do the lives of our organizations. Since business is now conducted at remarkable speeds, we put our organizations at great risk daily when we have weak competencies with decision-making and problem-solving. Decisions and solutions that are executed impulsively and without structured approaches can create more problems or make existing ones worse! This course aims to help participants improve their skills so they can execute well and add value to the workplace. Learners will experience multiple decision-making and problem-solving models, tools, and techniques meant for the real world. They will learn how to align their growing toolboxes with the right situational contexts so that they can transfer that skill to the workplace. They will also discover how indecision, cognitive bias, and default thought processes can create obstacles to effective decision-making and problem-solving. What you will Learn Recognize the importance of making a sound decision in a timely manner Infer types of cognitive biases and obstacles that impact decision-making Separate facts, requirements, ideas, and perceptions when making a decision or solving problems Apply structured decision-making and problem-solving approaches Conduct cause and effect and Force Field analyses Evaluate alternative solution methods using various techniques Analyze real world situations to determine the best aligned decision-making and problem-solving models, tools, and techniques Implement decision-making and problem-solving models, tools, and techniques Foundation Concepts Contextualizing decisiveness and problem-solving Discriminating between decisiveness and problem-solving Understanding Decision-Making Decision-making challenges and impacts Key drivers of good decision-making Thought processes and obstacles Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) Decision-Making Models and Supporting Tools Decision-making models, tools, and guidelines Tools to evaluate alternatives Translating requirements into action Problem-Solving Defining the problem Problem-solving models Cause and effect analysis Quick hit vs. innovative problem-solving Summary and Next Steps Course summary Personal action plan

Emotional Intelligence: In-House Training Emotional Intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that collectively establish how well we: Perceive and express ourselves Develop and maintain social relationships Cope with challenges Use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way It is a skill set that transfers across all categories of relationships. It is also a predictor of success - both in life and at work. This highly-interactive course delivers a practical approach to developing, improving, and sustaining effective and mutually beneficial relationships. The design of the course involves individual reflection and paired activities, interwoven with small and large group interactions. The EQ-i 2.0® assessment reports will be debriefed over the course of the two days. In addition, participants will delve into their personal strengths and blind spots, and will explore topics including: the neuroscience of emotion, the connection between empathy and performance, and how communication styles impact our perceptions of self and other. Role-play activities give participants the opportunity to try out new behaviors and techniques. The program includes: A personal behavioral profile, the results of which you will bring to your training 2-day highly interactive workshop and experiential learning Optional professional coaching activities initiated in class that can continue over the four months after class ends What you will Learn Recognize your interpersonal strengths and potential blind spots regarding Emotional Intelligence Identify the five domains within the EQ-i 2.0 assessment model Summarize what neuroscience research has discovered about emotions and actions Recognize ways that human beings are physiologically impacted by stress Articulate ways to develop and maintain strong working relationships Describe how emotional intelligence translates into high performance Make use of the EI model and associated competencies Employ strategies for enhancing leadership through Emotional Intelligence Foundation Concepts The biology of emotion Why Emotional Intelligence matters The impact of EI on performance The EQ-I 2.0 Model Overview of the EQ-i 2.0 framework Exploring your report Balancing your EI domains Self: Awareness and Sensitivity Self-awareness and empathy Perception vs. reality Acting by choice, not impulse Other: Communication and Relationship-Building Elements of effective communication Communication styles Communication techniques Neuroscience and Behavioral Change Insights from social neuroscience Making a change

Work Breakdown Structures: In-House Training It's amazing how often project managers begin the project planning process by making an outlined list of every task they believe will be required to complete a project and then proclaim they have created the work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project. The result is a list of hundreds, or even thousands of tasks, many of them having durations of a few days or a few hours. Essentially, what they have done is create a 'to do' list, which they then use as a 'checklist' to measure progress. This approach leads to, and even encourages, micromanagement of the resources working on the project without consideration of more critical aspects of project management such as: requirements management, risk management, procurement management, estimating, scheduling, executing, and controlling. Further, it makes it impossible to see the big picture, at levels of detail, in keeping with the needs of sponsors, clients, project and functional managers, team leaders, and project performers. Join us for this exciting program and learn how to use the WBS to make better-informed business decisions. What You Will Learn You will learn how to: Describe the need for a project WBS Describe the WBS role in the project Gain practical experience in the development, decomposition, and use of the WBS Determine the appropriate level of detail in the WBS. Explain how the WBS integrates with project requirements, risk, procurement, estimating, scheduling, and overall project execution. Provide the basic tools to enhance efficient re-use of key information in your future projects Foundation Concepts Key definitions History of the WBS Importance of the WBS Overall structure Terminology Other breakdown structures WBS tools WBS & Scope Project scope management processes Specification of the project objectives WBS design based on project deliverable WBS decomposition process and 'The 100% rule' Work Packages and Control Accounts WBS & Risk Risk management planning and WBS Risk identification to enhance the WBS Risk analysis and the WBS Risk responses and updating the WBS Implementing risk response and Monitoring risks and the WBS WBS & Estimating Use of WBS in the estimating process Components and work packages Sizing and algorithmic estimates WBS & Scheduling Component Scheduling - High-Level Milestones WBS activity decomposition WBS elements dependencies Work Package Level Schedules Responsibility assignment matrix WBS & Execution and Control Earned Value Management and tracking of work performance Progress reports, forecasts, and corrective and preventive actions used to manage work performance Necessary information to close out a project

DevOps demystified training course description This course is an introduction to DevOps. The course emphasizes communication, collaboration , integration, and automation to improve the workflow between developers and IT operations professionals. Improved workflows lead to more opportunities to design software and services in a more agile fashion. This course is a basis for discovering the most important DevOps concepts and to understand the principles and methods behind this. The course will leave you with the inspiration to be the advocate of change. What will you learn Explain DevOps principles. Describe the relationship between Agile , Lean and IT Service Management ( ITSM). Describe methods for automation and technology factors. Describe considerations when changing. Describe challenges, risks and critical success factors. DevOps demystifieds training course details Who will benefit: Non-technical staff involved with DevOps. Prerequisites: None. Duration 1 day DevOps demystified training course contents Why DevOps? From a business perspective From an IT perspective Stereotypes of Dev and Ops: perception and reality What is DevOps? Introduction DevOps Goals DevOps Added value of DevOps Proven Results DevOps for businesses DevOps principles (The Three Ways) DevOps and other frameworks DevOps and Agile DevOps and Lean DevOps and IT Service Management DevOps culture Characteristics of a DevOps culture Organizational Considerations DevOps DevOps stakeholders DevOps roles DevOps teams DevOps organizational structures DevOps methods Continuous Integration Continuous delivery Continuous deployment Value stream mapping Kanban Theory of Constraints Improvement Kata Deming's quality circle ITSM processes DevOps and Automation Methods for DevOps automation Longevity and tools categories DevOps applications Transitioning to a DevOps culture Implementation Challenges, risks and critical success factors Measuring DevOps successes

Duration 1 Days 6 CPD hours This course is intended for This overview-level course is ideally suited for professionals seeking an introduction to microservices architecture and its application within a business context. Ideal attendee roles include software developers, system architects, technical managers, and IT professionals who are part of teams transitioning to a microservices approach. It's also an excellent starting point for non-technical roles such as product owners or business analysts who work closely with technical teams and want to better understand and become conversant in the language and principles of microservices. Overview This course combines engaging instructor-led presentations and useful demonstrations with engaging group activities. Throughout the course you'll explore: Understand the Basics of Microservices: Get to know the fundamental principles and characteristics of microservices and how they revolutionize traditional software development approaches. Explore the Design of Microservices: Gain an overview of how microservices are designed based on business requirements and what makes them unique in the software architecture world. Overview of Managing and Scaling Microservices: Get an introduction to how microservices are managed and scaled independently, and understand the significance of these features in your business operations. Familiarize with the Microservices Ecosystem: Learn about the typical patterns, best practices, and common pitfalls in the microservices world, setting a foundation for future learning and implementation. Introduction to Microservices in a Business Context: Acquire a basic understanding of how microservices can be aligned with specific business capabilities, and get a glimpse into how they can coexist with legacy systems in a business setting. Microservices have rapidly emerged as a popular architectural style, breaking down applications into small, independent services that can be developed, deployed, and scaled individually. Microservices offer a robust method to address a variety of projects, such as e-commerce platforms and content management systems, enhancing scalability and boosting productivity. This technology, when employed correctly, can greatly increase software delivery speed and system resilience, making it a crucial skill set for modern technology professionals.Understanding Microservices - A Technical Overview is a one-day course ideally suited for technical professionals seeking an introduction to microservices architecture and its application within a business context. Under the guidance of an industry expert, this engaging class combines lecture-style learning with lively demonstrations, case study review and group discussions.Throughout the course you?ll explore the principles and characteristics that define microservices, how to identify suitable projects for a microservices approach, the factors to consider when designing them, and the strategies to effectively manage and scale them within complex systems. You?ll also learn about the best practices, patterns, and anti-patterns, arming you with the knowledge to make the right architectural choices. This course also explores the real-world implementation of microservices in a business enterprise. We'll discuss how to align the application of microservices with your organization's specific business capabilities, and offer strategies for smoothly integrating this technology within existing legacy systems. Introduction to Microservices Understand what microservices are and their role in modern software development. Introduction to Microservices: what they are and why they matter. Monolithic vs Microservices: highlighting the shift and benefits. Key principles and characteristics of microservices. Identifying suitable applications for microservices transformation. Demo: Analyzing a sample application and identifying potential microservices Architecting and Managing Microservices Learn the basic strategies for scaling and managing microservices. Scaling Microservices: from a single service to hundreds. Key components of a microservices architecture. Introduction to resilience patterns: Circuit-Breakers and Bulkheads. Load management and provisioning in a microservices setup. Understanding the role of cloud services in microservices. Optional Demo: Illustrating how a microservice-based application scales in real-time Designing Microservices Learn the key aspects to consider when designing microservices. Defining microservice boundaries: Deciding the scope of a microservice. Communication patterns in microservices. Understanding Microservice endpoints. Exploring data stores and transaction boundaries in microservices. Overcoming challenges in Microservices design. Demo: Designing microservices for a hypothetical business requirement Implementing Microservices in a Business Enterprise Understand the process and considerations for implementing microservices in an enterprise context. Assessing enterprise readiness for microservices. Building the business case for microservices: strategic advantages and potential challenges. Aligning microservices with business capabilities. Organizational changes: Team structures and processes for microservices. Dealing with Legacy Systems: Strategies for microservices integration. Demo: Exploring a case study of successful microservices implementation in a business enterprise The Microservices Ecosystem Understand the key tools and best practices in the Microservices ecosystem. Understanding the typical Microservices Stack. Monitoring and Logging in Microservices. Introduction to Docker: Containerization of Microservices. Deployment strategies in a Microservices setup. Introduction to Orchestration in Microservices Demo: Containerizing and deploying a simple microservice Microservices Deployment Strategies Understand various ways to safely introduce changes in a microservices environment. The concept of Blue-Green Deployment: changing services without downtime. Canary Releases and Feature Toggles: slowly rolling out changes to users. Database changes in a microservices environment: keeping data consistent. Demo: Examining various deployment strategies Microservices Best Practices and DevOps Learn key strategies to ensure a smooth operation of your microservices setup. The DevOps culture in Microservices: collaboration for efficiency. Defining a Minimum Viable Product in a Microservices setup: building small, delivering fast. Dealing with data in a distributed setup: managing Data Islands. The importance of Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery in a microservices setup. Governance: Keeping track of your services and their consumers. Demo: Visualizing a simple continuous delivery pipeline Microservices Patterns and Anti-Patterns Learn about common do's and don'ts when working with microservices. Understanding patterns that help with efficient microservices operation. Recognizing and avoiding anti-patterns that can hinder performance. Dealing with common challenges: dependencies between services, managing service boundaries. Demo: Examples of real-world patterns and anti-patterns Simple Overview of OAuth and OpenID for Microservices Introduction to OAuth and OpenID: What they are and why they matter in Microservices. The role of tokens in OAuth 2.0: How they help in securing communications. A simplified look at OpenID Connect: Linking identities across services. Demo

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The 'golden rule' of negotiation is simple - don't! But life's rarely that simple and very often we do have to negotiate, particularly if we want to win the business and especially if we want to win it on our terms. Such negotiations are crucial. We need to prepare for them. We need a strategy, and the skills to execute it. Does your team have a structured approach? Is it flawlessly executed, every time? Or is there room for improvement? This programme will help them master the six fundamentals of closing better business: Manage all these elements well and you will win more business, more profitably. This course will help participants: Negotiate from a position of partnership, not competition Deal more effectively and profitably with price objections Identify and practise successful sales negotiating skills Identify strengths and weaknesses as a sales negotiator Understand different types of buyer behaviour Learn to recognise negotiating tactics and stances Apply a new and proven structure to their business negotiations Identify and adapt for different behavioural styles Be alert to unconscious (non-verbal) communication Prepare and present a proposal at a final business negotiation stage Project confidence and exercise assertiveness in all sales negotiations 1 Planning for successful business negotiations This session introduces the concept of business negotiation and looks at its importance in the context of the participants' roles and activities. It briefly examines why we negotiate and the dynamics involved. Session highlights: What kind of a negotiator are you? Negotiation skills self-assessment and best practice How to establish roles and responsibilities for both parties How to identify and set objectives for both buyer and seller How to research and establish the other person's position (business negotiation stance) 2 How to structure your negotiations This module presents an eight-step framework or structure for use in negotiations and considers how best to prepare and plan your negotiations within the context of a supplier/customer relationship or business cycle. It also includes a brief review of legal responsibilities and what constitutes a 'deal'. Session highlights: Learn and apply a formal structure to use when negotiating How to establish short- and longer-term objectives and opportunities How best to plan, prepare and co-ordinate a major business negotiation meeting, or on-going negotiations Understanding of basic legal and organisational requirements 3 Verbal negotiation skills This session examines the human and communication dynamics inherent in any negotiation situation. It emphasises the importance of professional skills in preparing for a negotiation by identifying needs, wants and requirements accurately and by qualifying the competitive and organisational influences present. Session highlights: How to fully 'qualify' the other party's needs, requirements and constraints during the negotiation process by using advanced questioning and listening skills How to pre-empt negotiation objections by promoting and gaining commitment to options, benefits, value and solutions How best to propose and suggest ideas, using drawing-out skills 4 Non-verbal negotiation skills This module highlights how different personal styles, corporate cultures and organisation positions can influence events, and demonstrates practical methods for dealing with and controlling these factors. It also examines key principles of body language and non-verbal communication in a practical way. Session highlights: Gaining rapport and influencing unconsciously Understanding the importance of non-verbal communication; reading other people's meaning and communicating effectively as a result Ensure that non-verbal behaviour is fully utilised and observed to create maximum impact and monitor progress (eg, buying signals) Recognising that business negotiations are precisely structured and agreements gained incrementally 5 Proposing and 'packaging' This session highlights how best to present and package your proposal. It looks at how to pre-empt the need for negotiating by creating minor-options and 'bargaining' points, as well as how to manage the expectations and perceptions of the customer or buyer. Session highlights: How to identify the key variables that can be negotiated The power and use of 'authority' within your negotiations How to structure and present your proposal, ideas or quotation to best effect The importance of when and how to identify and influence buyer's objections 6 Dealing with price This module highlights how to best present and package price within your proposal or negotiation. In most cases, price has more to do with psychology than affordability and preparation and careful handling are essential. Session highlights: The three reasons that people will pay your asking price How to set price in a competitive market The key differences between selling and negotiating Ten ways to present price more effectively and persuasively 7 Getting to 'Yes': tactics and strategies There are many different tactics and strategies common to successful negotiators. This session looks at those that are most appropriate to the participants' own personal styles and situations. The importance of 'follow-through' is also explained and how to deal with protracted or 'stale-mate' business negotiations. Session highlights: How to negotiate price and reduce discounting early in the process How to recognise negotiating tactics and strategies in your customer or supplier Key strategies, techniques and tactics to use in negotiation The importance of follow-through and watching the details How to deal with stalled business negotiations or competitor 'lock-out' 8 Case studies and review This session examines a number of different situations and participants discuss ways to approach each. This will allow learning to be consolidated and applied in a very practical way. There will also be a chance to have individual points raised in a question and answer session. Session highlights: Case studies Question and answer Planning worksheet Negotiation 'toolkit' and check-list 9 Personal action plans Session highlights: Identify the most important personal learning points from the programme Highlight specific actions and goals Flag topics for future personal development and improvement