417 Courses in Edinburgh

PMI-PBA® Exam Prep: In-House Training The course provides targeted exam preparation support for PMI®'s Professional in Business Analysis exam candidates, including a content review of The PMI Guide to Business Analysis, a review of the PMI-PBA® reference books, and an exam preparation tutorial. You will be given a Study Guide that you can re-use to assess your knowledge gaps as part of your Personal Action Plan. Your score on this for each Knowledge Area can be compared to your results on the quiz at the end of each course module to guide your study efforts. What you will Learn Upon completion, participants will be able to: Demonstrate familiarity with the structure, content and framework of The PMI Guide to Business Analysis Explain the six Knowledge Areas of The PMI Guide to Business Analysis, as well as, their inter-relationships with each other and the six Process Groups Differentiate among the five business analysis domains in the project life cycle Create a personal action plan to study and prepare for the PMI-PBA® Exam Getting Started PMI-PBA Examination Certification Process The Credential Examination Foundation Concepts for PMI-PBA® Prep Business analysis terminology and definitions Business analysis project, program, and portfolio management Product and project life cycles Skills and qualities of a business analyst Introduction to Business Analysis in Projects Business analysis overview How organizations implement business analysis Business analyst and project manager relationships Requirements definitions and types Practice quiz On-Demand Segment A: Define the Business Problem (Pre-work for Needs Assessment) Needs Assessment Review Needs Assessment knowledge area Identify problem or opportunity Assess current and future state Determine options and provide recommendations Facilitate product roadmap development Assemble business case Practice quiz Stakeholder Engagement Review Stakeholder Engagement knowledge area Identify Stakeholders and conduct analysis Determine Stakeholder engagement and communication approach Conduct business analysis planning Practice quiz On-Demand Segment B: The Elicitation Plan (Pre-work for Elicitation) Elicitation Review Elicitation knowledge area Determine Elicitation approach Preparing for Elicitation Conducting Elicitation Confirming Elicitation results Practice quiz On-Demand Segment C: Overview of Requirements Analysis (Pre-work for Analysis) Analysis Review Analysis knowledge area Determine Analysis approach Create and analyze models Define requirements and acceptance criteria Verify, validate, and prioritize requirements Identify and analyze product risks Assess product design options Practice quiz Traceability and Monitoring Review Traceability and Monitoring knowledge area Determine Traceability and Monitoring approach Establish relationships and dependencies Select and approve requirements Make changes to requirements and other product information Practice quiz Solution Evaluation Review Solution Evaluation knowledge area Evaluate solution performance Determine solution evaluation approach Evaluate acceptance results and address defects Obtain solution acceptance for release Practice quiz Exam Application and Preparation Process Applying for the Exam Studying for the Exam Sitting for the Exam Reviewing your Knowledge Gap Practice Exam Study Guide - a reliable learning aid Summary and Next Steps Crystallizing the Business Analysis Domains Developing a Personal Action Plan for Exam Study

This two day programme is designed to support participants to work through the technical steps and stages as well as the more practical realities of project management.

This programme concentrates on the core planning skills needed to develop sound practical project plans in a team environment. This enables the plan to be modified should requirements change or difficulties arise. The programme also gives participants the confidence to practise those skills and apply them in the work environment and deliver their projects more successfully in the future. Participants learn fundamental project management concepts and terminology, demystifying the project management process, and, in particular, how to: Break a project down into manageable sections and ensure nothing is left out Understand and apply estimating techniques to develop realistic estimates Sequence work effectively and carry out critical path analysis to determine project duration and which tasks to pay closest attention to Manage project risk effectively to protect project value Monitor, control and re-plan the project to best keep it on track Close out the project and ensure the project comes to an orderly end 1 Introduction Self-introductions and personal objectives Course objectives Sharing of project issues 2 Project management concepts Characteristics of a project and what should be kept as operational responsibilities Understanding the triple and quadruple constraints - and their limitations Prioritising requirements through the MOSCOW technique Product v project life cycle Key project roles and responsibilities - the importance of sponsorship and clarity of roles 3 Starting a project, and the importance of the terms of reference / project brief Avoiding the pressure to 'just do it'! The importance and benefits of planning The best time to learn! Initial project documentation - the BOSCARDI approach 4 Breaking the work down Understanding alternative breakdown structures such as the product breakdown structure and work breakdown structure Guidelines for creating a work breakdown structure to ensure the full work scope is identified 5 Estimating Alternative estimating techniques and associated confidence levels Further considerations - loss and resource factors 6 Organising the work Use of network diagrams to develop a clear sequence of work Critical path analysis and calculating the project duration and task float - and usage 7 The management of project risk Understanding the nature of project risk The risk analysis and risk management processes How to best manage threats and opportunities Running a risk workshop Using the risk register 8 Scheduling the work The importance of the Gantt chart and understanding its limitations The Gantt chart layout and using alternative views such as the tracking Gantt Using alternative dependencies 9 Resource issues Assigning resources and resolving resource overloads Crashing and fast-tracking your project and potential issues to look out for 10 Controlling the project The control cycle and alternative feedback mechanisms Alternative progress reporting Assessing the impact The importance of re-planning The benefits of control Change control - the importance of impact analysis The steps of change control and the use of the issue register 11 Closing the project The project closure checklist Reviewing the project - things to avoid Developing meaningful lessons and ensuring they are applied effectively The post-project review - its importance to the organisation

This programme provides an intensive, one-day overview of the key concepts and techniques of project management. The project management methods presented can be applied to a wide range of projects and the course emphasises both the task and the team-related aspects of project management. The aims of the programme are to: Present the key concepts of project management Provide a structured approach for managing projects Demonstrate tools and techniques for planning and controlling project work Enable participants to apply the techniques to their own projects At the end of the programme, participants will: Recognise the benefits of a structured approach to project work Be able to apply a range of practical tools and techniques to improve their personal effectiveness in project work Have a means of determining the status of current projects and know what actions are needed to ensure success 1 Introduction Why this programme has been developed Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 Key concepts The characteristics of projects and project work The four key phases of a project Essential lessons from past projects Key success factors Achieving success through the 'Team-Action Model' Challenges of the multi-project situation 3 Setting project goals Understanding 'customer' requirements Managing project stakeholders and gaining commitment Using questioning skills to define goals and success criteria Defining and documenting the scope of the project 4 Project planning Defining what has to be done Creating a work breakdown Agreeing roles and responsibilities for the work Developing a programme using networks and bar charts Estimating timescales, costs and resource requirements Planning exercise: participants develop a project plan Identifying and managing project risks Using project planning software Managing and updating the plan 5 Project implementation and control Creating a pro-active monitoring and control process Techniques for monitoring progress Using latest estimates Managing project meetings Resolving problems effectively Managing multiple projects Personal time management 6 Course review and action planning Identify actions Sponsor-led review and discussion of proposals Conclusion

Project Communication Skills: In-House Training Communication is the single most critical project success factor. When effective, projects get executed on time, within budget, and with objectives being met. But that isn't all. Strong communication also nurtures healthy team relationships. And in today's highly diverse world, where projects are often fast-paced, complex, and virtual, that is more important than ever. Strong communication skills foster cultural awareness, trust, and empathy. Together, they contribute greatly to project success-and ultimately, to future project success. In this course, participants will actively explore best communication practices from a variety of perspectives: in-person, virtual, electronic, and via formal project documentation. In order to be transformative, however, those perspectives will be filtered further through the lens of their formal, personalized assessment. It is a powerful tool which identifies individuals' internal needs and priorities. It translates those into descriptive profiles and reports, gifting users with valuable information about themselves and others. Paired with the course's real-world activities, it will provide uniquely strategic opportunities for communicating effectively and meaningfully-and with less conflict, both personally and professionally. What You Will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Identify basic elements of communication and explain how they affect teams Explore how your assessment style impacts you and how you communicate with people of other styles Infer how your style impacts the way(s) you send and interpret emails and instant messages Analyze real world email and instant messaging practices to determine how they affect communication and relationships Explore best practices for formal project communications and presentations Analyze how your assessment style and global diversity can contribute to both strong team communication and conflict Identify solutions for virtual team work communication challenges Getting Started Foundation Concepts Communication as a foundation skill Elements of communication Communicating across media Targeting your audience How communication impacts team performance The Assessment Framework Overview of the assessment's approach Exploring assessment report Increasing your effectiveness with other assessment styles Email and Instant Messages Preferred communications and assessment styles The email brands we create Assessment styles and email Emotion and email Email guidelines and best practices Anatomy of an email The seven deadly email sins Instant messages and other interfaces Project Communications and Presentations Communicating across the project lifecycle Project templates Structuring a presentation Delivering a presentation Interpersonal and Team Communication Skills Communication styles and techniques Managing conflict in a project environment Styles and conflict Communication and global team leadership Virtual Communication Leading global virtual teams Virtual processes and technology Virtual team leadership

PRINCE2® Foundation: In-House Training Projects fail for a variety of reasons including poor planning, lack of defined quality criteria, poor understanding of the business drivers, inadequate control, and lack of senior management involvement in other words, lack of a structured best practice approach to project delivery. PRINCE2® (6th Edition is the current version) is a structured, process-based approach to project management providing a methodology which can be easily tailored and scaled to suit all types of projects. It is the de facto standard for project management in the UK Government and is used extensively in more than 150 countries worldwide with in excess of 20,000 organizations already benefiting from its powerful approach. It can be used easily in combination with PMI®'s PMBOK® Guideto provide a robust project management methodology, or to augment an existing PMBOK®-based methodology with additional rigor around areas such as Quality, Organization, and Benefits Realization. The goals of this course are to provide participants with a thorough grounding in PRINCE2® and its benefits and to prepare them to sit the Foundation exam. What you will Learn You'll learn how to: Identify the benefits and principles underlying a structured approach to project management Define the PRINCE2® method in depth, including the principles, themes, and processes Prepare and practice for the Foundation exam Getting Started Introductions Course structure Course goals and objectives Overview of the PRINCE2® Foundation exam PRINCE2® Introduction Introducing PRINCE2® The structure of PRINCE2® What PRINCE2® does not provide What makes a project a 'PRINCE2® project'? Project Management with PRINCE2® Defining a project Managing a project Controlling the variables The Project Manager's work PRINCE2 Principles PRINCE2® Principles The Seven Principles Tailoring and Adopting PRINCE2® Defining tailoring Defining embedding What can be tailored? Who is responsible for tailoring? Introduction to the PRINCE2® Themes What is a PRINCE2® Theme? What are the PRINCE2® Themes? Tailoring the themes Format of the theme chapters Business Case Need for a business case Elements of a business case How a business case is developed Managing Benefits Organization Need for a special type of organization PRINCE2® organization structure Roles in a PRINCE2® project Combining roles Quality Relevance of quality to project work Quality, quality control, and quality assurance Quality management approach and the quality register Who is responsible for quality? Plans Need for plans and their hierarchy Approach to planning Content of a PRINCE2® plan Product-based planning Risk The need to manage risks What is a risk? Risk and continued business justification A risk management option Change Change is inevitable Different types of change Baselines and configuration management Issue and change control in PRINCE2® Progress Controlling a PRINCE2® project The application of tolerance Types of control Raising exceptions Introduction to Processes Processes and the project lifecycle The PRINCE2® journey Structure of the process chapters Tailoring the processes Starting up a Project Appointing people to the PRINCE2® roles Establishing some baselines Should we go further with this work? Planning for initiation Directing a Project Should we start / continue the project? Responding to internal / external influences Should we close this project? Initiating a Project Establishing the project's approaches Creating the project plan Refining the business case Assembling the PID Controlling a Stage Authorizing and reviewing work Monitoring and reporting Handling non-planned situations Triggering the next process Managing Product Delivery Accepting work from the Project Manager Getting the work done by the team Routine and non-routine reporting Handing back the completed work Managing a Stage Boundary Taking stock of what we have done Updating the PID Consider the options for continuing / stopping Producing exception plans Closing a Project PRINCE2® at the end of a project Transition of product to operational use How well did we do? Tying up all the loose ends

Project management can seem scary and rather intimidating. The whole aim of this programme is to give people a simple and straightforward way of dealing with projects without having to use complex and confusing systems. This two-day course is designed to introduce the apparently complex world of project management in a simple and practical manner. The programme is for anybody who has to run a project of any nature. It has been attended by people from as diverse fields as events management, fashion, charities, oil companies and so on. The programme is run without using any IT project management systems although an introduction can be given if required. At the end of the programme participants will leave understanding: What a project is and why projects are so important today The roles of a project manager Some key language and concepts A simple 5-step model for organising projects How to make sure you understand what your 'client' really wants A set of three simple tools to plan the project How to make decisions What to monitor when the project is running How to close the project 1 Introduction What is the aim of this programme? 2 Background thinking What is a project? The project manager's eternal triangle (cost-quality-time) What are the characteristics of successful projects? Who are the key characters in a project? What are the roles of a project manager? 3 The project process Why have one? 4 Project initiation What is the aim? Identifying key information Key skill: mission analysis Initial risk analysis Document and sign-off 5 Decision-making - 'Stop, Think, Act!' The 'Stop, Think, Act!' technique Recognise the opportunity to make a decision The 3 Cs - making sure we understand the decisions we have to make Identifying options Making your decision Taking it to action 6 Creativity 7 The planning stage Identify all discrete tasks Sequence and dependencies Time line - critical path Resources Project base-line 8 Execution stage - delivering the result Monitor Evaluate Adapt Control Review 9 The project close Review Documentation Have we delivered? What have we learned?

Project Stakeholder Relationship Skills: In-House Training This course is designed to provide project managers with the ability to: Analyze the complexities of major stakeholder relationship categories Apply the most appropriate interpersonal relationship skills to the different categories of relationships Align the dynamic needs of the stakeholders with a project's objective throughout the project life cycle What you Will Learn Examine traditional and non-traditional ways to identify and assess stakeholders Explain how competence, character, and trust lead to project success and strong relationships with stakeholders Utilize 'Embodied Leadership' skills to build stakeholder relationships Apply stakeholder engagement best practices to case study and real-life scenarios Getting Started Stakeholders and project success Stakeholder management research Managing stakeholder relationships Identifying Stakeholders Stakeholder categories Stakeholder relationships across the project life cycle Tools and techniques for identifying stakeholders Assessing Stakeholders Assessing stakeholder relationships Recognizing stakeholder attitudes toward the project Analyzing stakeholders Using other types of stakeholder assessments Building Stakeholder Relationships The importance of psychological safety Building trust and getting results The anatomy of trust Navigating Challenging Situations Dynamics of conflict Responding to conflict Managing difficult conversations

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

About this Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT)  This 4 half-day Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) course will address a variety of contract and loan structuring issues associated with geothermal energy projects as well as comparison with solar, wind and battery storage. The course is designed to investigate how various project finance techniques and contract structures can be used to achieve a competitive power prices while maintaining a satisfactory equity return. Distinctive project finance features of power facilities that depend on geothermal, wind, hydro or solar resources will be evaluated with financial models. The course will cover economic analysis of exploration and development of geothermal facilities and how to incorporate probability of failure and success into an IRR framework. Subsequent sessions will address the theory underlying liquidated damages for delay, and performance as well as design of other incentives that is inherent in different contract structures. Nuanced project finance issues associated with structuring debt for renewable projects will be discussed including under what conditions the DSCR drives debt capacity and when the debt to capital ratio is instrumental. The course will be taught with a combination of theoretical discussions, term sheet review and focused financial models. Training Objectives Evaluation of the economic risks that arise from uncertainty associated with drilling exploration wells and development wells for geothermal projects. Analyse the theoretical issues with computing LCOE for geothermal projects compared to other renewable and non-renewable resources and the importance of cost of capital for renewable projects; Understand differences in contract structures for renewable projects and dispatchable projects and how a single price structure can distort incentives for efficient construction and operation; Understand components of financing that influence the bid price required to meet a required rate of return on equity and can result in relatively low prices with reasonable returns. Understand the importance of debt sizing constraints and what strategies are relevant when the debt to capital constraint applies relative to when the debt service coverage ratio drives the debt size; Understand how to compute P50, P90 and P99 for different projects driven by resource risk; Understand the difference between mean reverting resource variation and estimation mistakes that do not correct as the basis for 1-year P90 and 10-year P90. Understand under what conditions debt sculpting can affect returns and how synthetic sculpting can be used to increase returns when the DSCR constraint applies. Understand the theory of credit spreads, variable rate debt and interest rates in different currencies and compute the implied probability of default that in inherent in credit spreads. Understand how to evaluate the costs to equity investors and the benefits to lenders for various credit enhancements including DSRA accounts, cash flow sweeps and covenants. Course Level Basic or Foundation Training Methods The VILT will be delivered online in 4 sessions comprising 4 hours per day, with 2 breaks of 10 minutes per day, including time for lectures, discussion, quizzes and short classroom exercises. Trainer Your expert course leader provides financial and economic consulting services to a variety of clients, he teaches professional development courses in an assortment of modelling topics (project finance, M&A, and energy). He is passionate about teaching in Africa, South America, Asia and Europe. Many of the unique analytical concepts and modelling techniques he has developed have arisen from discussion with participants in his courses. He has taught customized courses for MIT's Sloan Business School, Bank Paribas, Shell Oil, Society General, General Electric, HSBC, GDF Suez, Citibank, CIMB, Lind Lakers, Saudi Aramco and many other energy and industrial clients. His consulting activities include developing complex project finance, corporate and simulation models, providing expert testimony on financial and economic issues before energy regulatory agencies, and advisory services to support merger and acquisition projects. Our key course expert has written a textbook titled Corporate and Project Finance Modelling, Theory and Practice published by Wiley Finance. The book introduces unique modelling techniques that address many complex issues that are not typically used by even the most experienced financial analysts. For example, it describes how to build user-defined functions to solve circular logic without cumbersome copy and paste macros; how to write function that derives the ratio of EV/EBITDA accounting for asset life, historical growth, taxes, return on investment, and cost of capital; and how to efficiently solve many project finance issues related to debt structuring. He is in the process of writing a second book that describes a series of valuation and analytical mistakes made in finance. This book uses many case studies from Harvard Business School that were thought to represent effective business strategies and later turned into valuation nightmares. Over the course of his career our key course expert has been involved in formulating significant government policy related to electricity deregulation; he has prepared models and analyses for many clients around the world; he has evaluated energy purchasing decisions for many corporations; and, he has provided advice on corporate strategy. His projects include development of a biomass plant, analysis and advisory work for purchase of electricity generation, distribution and transmission assets by the City of Chicago, formulation of rate policy for major metro systems and street lighting networks, advocacy testimony on behalf of low income consumers, risk analysis for toll roads, and evaluation of solar and wind projects. He has constructed many advisory analyses for project finance and merger and acquisition transactions. Lastly, our key course expert was formerly Vice President at the First National Bank of Chicago where he directed analysis of energy loans and also created financial modelling techniques used in advisory projects. He received an MBA specializing in econometrics (with honours) from the University of Chicago and a BSc in Finance from the University of Illinois (with highest university honours). 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