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Workplace Innovation Are You A Leader Who Wants To Enhance Your Team’s Accountability, Adaptability, Resilience, And Well-Being? Consider joining our newly launched Growth Leadership Programme: Workplace Innovation, subsided by Scottish Enterprise, which offers a unique approach to leadership development and workplace Innovation, emphasising Motivational Intelligence (MQ). Our programme will help you build on your leadership capabilities and confidence while creating a more innovative, productive, and fair workplace for employee development and growth. Growth Leadership: Workplace Innovation Leading with Motivational Intelligence (MQ) You’ll learn to: Develop MQ leadership skills that encourage fair and innovative workplace practices and inclusive economic growth. Increase engagement, innovation, and productivity among your team. Enhance your strategic decision-making skills. Build a resilient, agile, and change-driven team culture. Identify and integrate organisational values into your workplace culture. Create a successful business that is also a fair place to work. Session Overview Our comprehensive programme, consisting of eight engaging and insightful sessions, is meticulously crafted to provide a world-class education in Leadership, Workplace Innovation and Motivational Intelligence (MQ). We combine some of the most potent, powerful and cutting-edge research in workplace innovation, neuroscience and the most promising discoveries in cognitive and social psychology of the 20th century. 01 Self-Leadership and The Secret to Personal Success Session 1: Self-Leadership and The Secret to Personal Success This comprehensive kick-off session delves into the foundations of self-leadership and personal success. Participants will explore various aspects, from setting course expectations and creating a conducive learning environment to understanding motivational intelligence and managing negative thoughts. Through essential resources like the Leadership Reference Manual and Roadmap Workbook, multi-sensory perception, and spaced repetition learning techniques, participants will solidify their learnings and enhance personal and professional growth. Key Learning Outcomes: Understand the critical role of self-leadership in personal and professional success and the impact of external and internal factors on performance Develop strategies to optimise motivation, communication, and effectiveness within teams and organisations, leveraging diverse learning styles and adult learning techniques Utilise essential resources like the Leadership Reference Manual and Roadmap Workbook for ongoing growth and development while implementing practical tools like the Start, Stop, Continue plan for self-reflection and improvement Explore the power of adaptability, self-awareness, and resilience in navigating through challenging times and maintaining a positive mindset Discover the importance of a positive mental diet, gratitude, and consistent small decisions that compound over time, leading to personal and professional growth 02 The Role of Intelligence in Leadership and Management Session 2: The Role of Intelligence in Leadership and Management It's time to delve into Motivational Intelligence and its role in our personal and professional lives. In this comprehensive and interactive session, participants will explore the multifaceted aspects of intelligence in Leadership and management, focusing on IQ, EQ, and MQ. Participants will learn how to cultivate a growth mindset and motivational intelligence within themselves and their teams, fostering a culture of learning and resilience. The session will also cover the importance of crafting a clear vision for the team or organisation and provide practical strategies for effectively communicating the vision to internal and external stakeholders. Key Learning Outcomes: Understand the roles of IQ, EQ, and MQ in Leadership and management and their impact on individual and team performance Develop strategies to improve your levels of intelligence and foster a growth mindset within individuals and teams Discover the importance of vision in Leadership and management and learn to craft it using the WHERE (performance), HOW (perception), and WHY (purpose) perspectives Gain insights into effectively communicating the vision to stakeholders, ensuring alignment, ownership, and motivation Reflect on the role of a growth mindset and motivational intelligence in achieving the team's vision and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability 03 The Pillars of Human Performance: Unlocking Potential Session 3: The Pillars of Human Performance: Unlocking Unlimited Potential Discover the keys to unlocking your unlimited potential and becoming a more effective leader in this interactive course. Through engaging discussions and self-reflection, participants will dive deep into unlimited potential, understand its significance in Leadership, and learn to overcome challenges in their teams or businesses. Participants will gain insights into the characteristics of influential leaders, the importance of asking the right questions, and the value of embracing failure as a part of success. With a focus on personal and professional growth, this session will equip you with the tools and techniques to become a better manager and leader. Key Learning Outcomes: Understand the concept of unlimited potential and its importance in Leadership and personal growth Identify personal and team visions, challenges, and the role of asking the right questions in gaining insights Recognise the role of practice and reflection in transforming weaknesses into strengths Explore the characteristics and impact of great leaders and learn how to apply these traits in your leadership style Embrace the importance of failure as a crucial part of success and create a supportive environment for personal and team development 04 Defining Management and Vertical Alignment Session 4: Defining Management and Vertical Alignment In this engaging session, participants will delve into the essential differences between management and Leadership and discover how understanding these distinctions can significantly impact team culture and performance. We'll examine common management mistakes and their effects, uncover the best practices of excellent management, and discuss the development of management skills and the management hierarchy. This interactive session will provide valuable insights and actionable strategies that can be applied to personal and professional life, helping participants become more effective and successful managers and leaders. Key Learning Outcomes: Differentiating between management and Leadership: Gain a deeper understanding of how these concepts differ and their impact on team culture and performance Identifying common management mistakes: Learn about these pitfalls and their consequences on team culture and performance and develop strategies to avoid them Mastering the best practices of excellent management: Discover the five essential techniques to help you become a more effective manager Developing management skills and understanding the management hierarchy: Enhance your ability to grow as a leader and manager Embracing Ultimate Responsibility: Learn the importance of taking ownership and responsibility for your and your team's success and understand the role of motivational intelligence in achieving this 05 Workplace Innovation and High-Payoff Activities Session 5: Workplace Innovation and High-Payoff Activities n (Job Crafting) This session provides a comprehensive overview of the critical principles of workplace innovation, job crafting, people leadership, and coaching in the workplace. Participants will learn about job crafting, our MQ workplace innovation process, and the crucial role of Leadership in managing and monitoring performance in the workplace. By adopting a proactive and creative approach to their work, individuals can improve their job satisfaction, contribute to their organisation's success, and drive economic health for the nation. Key Learning Outcomes: Understanding of Leadership in the job crafting innovative process Skills in job crafting and workplace innovation Knowledge of the critical role of Leadership in performance management Techniques for effective coaching and positive feedback, through trust and mutual respect in the workplace Helping individuals reflect on their role in the success of the team and company and developing a written plan to achieve their goals 06 Defining and Exploring Leadership Session 6: Defining and Exploring Leadership In this session, we will define and explore the essence of Leadership, dispelling the myths and providing a definition that will guide you through the course. We will also explore the three-tier hierarchy of success and how leaders can influence MQ (motivational intelligence) by doing five things consistently. As a manager or leader, you may have found that your team's success is not guaranteed even with the best plans, processes, and strategies. This is because not all team members will adopt new ideas or changes unless they first believe they can achieve the desired outcome. Key Learning Outcomes: Understanding the essence of Leadership to provide an in-depth understanding of the essence of successful Leadership, dispelling the myths and providing a definition that will guide you through the course Psychology of your team: Leaders understand that to achieve their goals, they need to focus on the psychology of their team Power of questions in Leadership: Leaders can gain insight into the minds of their team members and unlock the key to motivating and developing them by asking the right questions Explore the three-tier hierarchy of success and the importance of each level in determining a person's likelihood of success Five things great leaders do each day to influence a culture of responsibility, consistently build esteem and confidence, and always work on coaching and mentoring employees 07 Building a Leadership Toolbox Session 7: Building a Leadership Toolbox: Trust & Inspiration Fostering Adaptability, Responsibility, Resilience, and Courage, this step focuses on leaders' tools and techniques to promote greater team accountability and ownership. It starts to delve into the critical role of self-esteem in a person's motivational intelligence and adaptability. We also explore how self-esteem is formed and influences a person's interpretation of feedback. We also look at self-esteem's critical role in a person's motivational intelligence and adaptability, examining how self-esteem is formed and influences a person's interpretation of feedback. Key Learning Outcomes: Understanding the tools and techniques leaders can use to foster greater team accountability and ownership Delving into the critical role of self-esteem in a person's motivational intelligence and adaptability Exploring how self-esteem is formed and influences a person's interpretation of feedback Examining the levels of self-esteem and associated behaviours of each group Understanding the influence of comfort zones and tools leaders can use to help people overcome the fear of change 08 Developing a Healthy Perspective and Resilient Attitude Session 8: Developing a Healthy Perspective and Resilient Attitude This step explores how developing a healthy perspective and resilient attitude is crucial for success as a leader. In this session, we will explore the critical role of self-reflection in building motivation and adaptability. We will examine how self-esteem is formed and how it influences a person's interpretation of feedback. We will also delve into the levels of self-esteem and the associated behaviours of each class. We will provide practical strategies for cultivating resilience and adaptability in facing challenges and setbacks. Through reflection and analysis of your moments of surprise, frustration, and failure, you will develop a growth mindset that fosters continuous learning and improvement. Key Learning Outcomes: The critical role of self-reflection in building motivation and adaptability How self-esteem is formed and influences a person's interpretation of feedback The levels of self-esteem and the associated behaviours of each class Strategies for cultivating resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges and setbacks The influence of affirmations and tools leaders can use to help people overcome the fear of change

Theoretical and practical media interview skills training conducted online through home study and zoom based roleplay exercises.

An M&A specialist is a senior CFO with a proven track record of overseeing and implementing mergers and acquisitions. An M&A specialist is a senior CFO with a proven track record of overseeing and implementing mergers and acquisitions. They may be hired on a full-time basis and carry a full CFO workload or can be recruited on a part-time or interim basis to focus on a specific merger or acquisition. This flexibility is ideal for start-ups and SMEs who don’t have the budget to recruit a full external team to oversee an M&A or to hire a full-time CFO. The CFO is a link between both companies engaged in the M&A, acting as the eyes and ears for both the board and CEO. Their financial skills enable them to identify potential M&A opportunities and incorporate risk management into their strategy to get the most value out of their deal. Most companies evolve their approach to mergers and acquisitions organically, especially those who rely on an M&A specialist instead of having a dedicated team that works solely on M&A. The CFO is responsible for considering any potential acquisitions, crunching the numbers involved, and ensuring due diligence. They’ll be responsible for determining the value of a potential M&A and presenting it to the company’s board and leadership team to determine whether to make the purchase. An M&A specialist is responsible for gathering the data – including both positive and negative factors – to present an objective look at the other organisation and the potential value the acquisition could bring. CFOs will spend most of their time getting to grips with the numbers involved, long before presenting the M&A proposal to the board. This exercise also requires them to have real-time insight into their own company’s performance, value, and finances to paint a wider picture. An M&A specialist will take the critical steps of ensuring that the numbers presented to them are correct. CFOs who don’t specialise in M&As will still have the skill set required to oversee the process but may lack the efficiency and unique insight of an M&A specialist. Companies that are exploring the option of a merger or being acquired by another company may also decide to recruit an M&A specialist to prepare their accounting. The organisation will want to ensure they present the correct numbers to get the correct valuation and prevent any delays further in the process if incorrect numbers pop up. Getting on top of the data early can enable CFOs to plan accordingly. Most will want to provide extra time within their strategy for any potential hiccups along the way. Spending more time on the data early on can speed up the process while still ensuring due diligence is met. Visit our website to learn more https://www.fdcapital.co.uk/mergers-and-acquistions-specialist/ Tags Online Events Things To Do Online Online Networking Online Business Networking #finance #insights #cfo #mergers #acquisitions

Duration 2 Days 12 CPD hours This course is intended for Executives, Project Managers, Business Analysts, Business and IT stakeholders working with analysts, Quality and process engineers, technicians, managers; supervisors, team leaders, and process operators; anyone who wants to improve their Business Analysis skills. Overview After completing this course, students will know how to: Plan, manage and close requirements for software development project in reduced time using Agile Scrum practices Minimize project uncertainty and risk by applying Agile principles through the Scrum method Ensure your project delivers required functionality and adds value to the business Create an environment of self-management for your software development team that will be able to continuously align the delivered software with desired business needs, easily adapting to changing requirements throughout the process. Learn how to apply Agile Scrum by measuring and evaluating status based on the undeniable truth of working, testing software, creating a more accurate visibility into the actual progress of projects. Many of today?s Project Management and Business Analyst Professionals are finding themselves leading, managing and analyzing on Agile development teams - only to find that many of the tools and techniques applied when using a traditional project management approach no longer work as effectively or at all. In order to do more than survive in this iterative development environment, today?s Project Manager and Business Analyst must employ additional project management and business analysis tools and techniques to effectively lead their teams and deliver their projects. Introduction - Fundamentals of Agile Why Agile? Exercise 1a: Waterfall-Lean-Agile Simulation History & Mindset: Understand how the agile approach arose. The Agile Lifecycle Introducing Agile to the organization Roles and Responsibilities on an Agile project team. Understand the purpose, the concepts, the theory, and some applications around the importance of people as individuals providing value through working in teams. Establishing core hours - How will the team work during a day? How to build end-to-end systems in early iterations Exercise 1b: How to build end-to-end systems in early iterations Planning and Managing Business Analysis Communication and Performance Agile and CMMI Exercise 1c: Case Study Project Assembling the team ? Scrum Roles Value-Driven Development: Understand why agile development focuses so heavily on working products, its more general casting as 'value-driven' development, with incremental, iterative and risk-driven approaches. Themes, theory and applications. Exercise 2a: Identify the ?Product Owner? Identify Project Success Criteria Exercise 2b: Review the Scrum Cheat Sheet Establish your Agile team using RACI Exercise 2c: Build the Scrum Team Define the Product and Project Vision Envision the Product and Project outcomes Exercise 3a: Review Agile Checklist Project Chartering (Project Planning) Assemble the Agile project team ? what are their responsibilities? Compile the Product Backlog (Coarse-Grain Requirements) Discuss how to Plan Sprints and Releases Exercise 3b: Product Vision ? Goals and Strategies Establish the Project ?time-box? Exercise 3c: Create a Release Plan Embrace the High-Level (Coarse-Grain) Plan Managing different types of Personas on an Agile Project Identifying and managing ?Information Radiators? Planning in Agile Projects ? Common practices that work Determine how the team will tracking and monitoring activities Exercise 3c: Establish the Project Time-box Tools and Techniques ? Building the Scrum Task board Communications Exercise 4a: Discussion ? Tools and Techniques for Scrum Planning, Monitoring and Adapting Scrum Task Board Exercise 4c: Create a Scrum Task board ? Identify work streams Agile Estimating Agile Analysis and Design Burndown Chart Team Velocity Soft Skills Negotiation Estimating ad Prioritizing Effort Planning Releases. Understand the value, the concepts, the theory and some applications for learning and adapting at all levels and on all topics (the product, the process, the team, and the organization). Exercise 5a: Brainstorm Business Functionality Establishing decision and acceptance criteria for user stories Planning Poker Exercise 5b: Estimate Effort (Coarse-Grain) Prioritize themes and releases Prioritize user stories Exercise 5c: Confirm the Estimated Effort (Fine Grain) Estimating team velocity Preparing for change ? Is the organization ready? Exercise 5d: Hold a daily Scrum and update the Scrum Task Board Exercise 5e: Conduct a Scrum or Scrums Plan the Iteration (Sprint) Sprint Zero activities Elements of a successful Sprint Planning meeting Create a Sprint Backlog How to create a task board Exercise 6a: Using the case study ? Review Iteration Planning Checklist Create a Sprint plan ? Establishing Sprint success metrics Exercise 6b: Discussion Sprint ?Zero? Activities Define the vision and Iteration Requirements Estimating the level of effort (LOE) with the team Creating user Stories for the Product Backlog -Guidelines to consider The art of slicing user stories Exercise 6c: Review the Sprint Plan Managing the Solution Scope and Requirements using 2-4 week Sprints Exercise 6d: Adapting a change-driven Project plan that works Adapting a change-driven (Agile) Project plan that works ? what are the key differences from traditional (waterfall) project plans? Finalize the Iteration Plan and how the team will operate Running the Sprint - from Planning to Review and Retrospective Managing your Scrums and setting expectations with your team Exercise 7a: Using the case study ? Review the Review Planning checklist Using Burndown charts to track progress Exercise 7b: Using the case study ? Review the Review Retrospective checklist Manage changes during the Sprint ? What questions to ask Prepare for the Sprint Review Exercise 7c: Review of roles - Quiz Obtain Customer Acceptance of the Product Increment Hold a Sprint Retrospective - What is working and what needs to be improved upon during the Sprints Update the product backlog - Rework the High-Level (Coarse-Grain) Plan Plan and Execute the next Sprint Create an environment for continuous improvement ? Product, Process and People Additional Information Useful books and links on Agile

Gain the insights, tools, and frameworks to make impactful decisions that steer your organisation towards success. Elevate your strategic thinking and drive results Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) Strategic decision making is messy, complex and full of uncertainty. These are factors which work against the human mind when it comes to making effective decisions. This course provides delegates with insights into the factors influencing strategic decision making. Using psychometric profiles delegates will learn about their own preferences when making decisions, how to influence others and how to create the ideal conditions for successful strategic decision making. Objectives By the end of the course you will be able to: Explain the challenges of VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguous Use models of Strategic Thinking Understand the impact of perception, bias and judgement in decision making Understand personal preferences and approaches to decision making Speed read other people’s approach to decision making Use decision making models for strategic thinking Apply Mindsets, Skillsets and Toolsets for decision making Content The decision lifestyle - personal preferences Understand the human facts that influence decision making Understanding personal preferences and approaches to decision making Understand the impact of Perception, Bias and judgement in decision making Speed reading others’ approach to decision making Frameworks to provide context for decision making Understand the business factors that influence decision making – VUCA The Cynefin Framework – decision making in complex situations Understanding which business context you operate in – simple, complicated, complex or chaotic Models to improve strategic thinking How to understand yourself better How to improve your decision making How to understand others better How to improve other’s decision making Human centred decision making How to put humans at the centre of your decision making The art of Creative Problem Solving Using Design Thinking to reduce human complexity in decision making

Learn the skills of being more confident and assertive in the workplace plus be able to influence people to do the things you would like them to do. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) This ‘Assertiveness and Influencing Techniques’ workshop is interactive and practical and facilitated by a subject matter expert via a virtual platform. Exercises and breakout rooms will be used during this training. Delegates are encouraged to login from a location where they feel safe to turn on their camera, use their microphones and engage in conversations as required. Objectives  The aim of this course is to introduce delegates to a variety of influencing skills and techniques to deal with aggression and challenging situations. These skills and techniques will improve confidence and personal effectiveness when working in groups / meetings. By the end of the course delegates will be able to recognise and define what assertive behaviour is and its benefits, the impact of non-verbal communication and how to use it to enhance influencing behaviours. Content What is influencing and assertiveness? Sources of power Influencing skills and choosing the right approach When to be assertive and alternative behaviours Assertive behaviour Behavioural styles and their impact on working relationships Identifying different behaviour types; assertive, aggressive, passive Building confidence and negotiating a win/win result Developing Skills Communication skills – the language of influence and communication dynamics Different influencing techniques and when to use them The art of saying ‘No’ - having the confidence to challenge Receiving criticism assertively and assertiveness behaviour analysis The language of assertion Meeting skills Giving and receiving feedback Dealing with confrontation, aggression and challenges in a confident manner Practical Exercises and Action Planning Practical exercises will be used throughout the training and the training will culminate with the creation of a personal action plan

Duration 5 Days 30 CPD hours This course is intended for This introductory-level Python course is geared for experienced users who want to use Python in web development projects, or system administrators and web site administrators who want to use Python to support their server installations, as well as anyone else who wants to automate or simplify common tasks with the use of Python scripts. Basic familiarity with any programming or scripting language would be helpful, along with a working, user-level knowledge of Unix/Linux, Mac, or Windows. Overview This course is approximately 50% hands-on, combining expert lecture, real-world demonstrations and group discussions with machine-based practical labs and exercises. Our engaging instructors and mentors are highly experienced practitioners who bring years of current 'on-the-job' experience into every classroom. Throughout the hands-on course students, will learn to write essential Python scripts using the most current and efficient skills and techniques. Working in a hands-on learning environment, guided by our expert team, attendees will learn to: Create working Python scripts following best practices Use python data types appropriately Read and write files with both text and binary data Search and replace text with regular expressions Get familiar with the standard library and its work-saving modules Use lesser known but powerful Python data types Create 'real-world', professional Python applications Work with dates, times, and calendars Know when to use collections such as lists, dictionaries, and sets Understand Pythonic features such as comprehensions and iterators Write robust code using exception handling Mastering Python Programming is an introductory and beyond-level practical, hands-on Python training course that leads the student from the basics of writing and running Python scripts to more advanced features such as file operations, regular expressions, working with binary data, and using the extensive functionality of Python modules. Extra emphasis is placed on features unique to Python, such as tuples, array slices, and output formatting. This comprehensive, practical course provides an in-depth exploration of working with the programming language, not an academic overview of syntax and grammar. Students will immediately be able to use Python to complete tasks in the real world. An overview of Python What is python? Python Timeline Advantages/Disadvantages of Python Getting help with pydoc The Python Environment Starting Python Using the interpreter Running a Python script Python scripts on Unix/Windows Editors and IDEs Getting Started Using variables Builtin functions Strings Numbers Converting among types Writing to the screen Command line parameters Flow Control About flow control White space Conditional expressions Relational and Boolean operators While loops Alternate loop exits Array types About array types (AKA sequences) Lists and list methods Tuples Indexing and slicing Iterating through a sequence Nested sequences Sequence functions, keywords, and operators List comprehensions Generator Expressions Working with files File overview Opening a text file Reading a text file Writing to a text file Reading and writing raw (binary) data Converting binary data with struct Dictionaries and Sets About dictionaries Creating dictionaries Iterating through a dictionary About sets Creating sets Working with sets Functions Defining functions Parameters Global and local scope Nested functions Returning values Sorting The sorted() function Alternate keys Lambda functions Sorting collections Using operator.itemgetter() Reverse sorting Errors and Exception Handling Syntax errors Exceptions Using try/catch/else/finally Handling multiple exceptions Ignoring exceptions Modules and Packages The import statement Module search path Creating Modules Using packages Function and Module aliases An Introduction to Python Classes About o-o programming Defining classes Constructors Methods Instance data Properties Class methods and data Regular Expressions RE syntax overview RE Objects Searching and matching Compilation flags Groups and special groups Replacing text Splitting strings Using the Standard Library The sys module Launching external programs Math functions Random numbers Reading CSV data Dates and Times Working with dates and times Translating timestamps Parsing dates from text Formatting dates Calendar data Working with the File System Paths, directories, and filenames Checking for existence Permissions and other file attributes Walking directory trees Creating filters with fileinput Using shutil for file operations Advanced Data Handling Defaultdict and Counter Prettyprinting data structures Compressed archives (zip, gzip, tar, etc.) Persistent data Network Programming Using requests Grabbing web content Sending email Using SSH for remote access Using FTP Writing real-life applications Reading input files a la Unix Parsing command-line options Detecting the current platform Implementing logging Additional course details: Nexus Humans Mastering Python Programming (TTPS4820) training program is a workshop that presents an invigorating mix of sessions, lessons, and masterclasses meticulously crafted to propel your learning expedition forward. This immersive bootcamp-style experience boasts interactive lectures, hands-on labs, and collaborative hackathons, all strategically designed to fortify fundamental concepts. Guided by seasoned coaches, each session offers priceless insights and practical skills crucial for honing your expertise. Whether you're stepping into the realm of professional skills or a seasoned professional, this comprehensive course ensures you're equipped with the knowledge and prowess necessary for success. While we feel this is the best course for the Mastering Python Programming (TTPS4820) course and one of our Top 10 we encourage you to read the course outline to make sure it is the right content for you. Additionally, private sessions, closed classes or dedicated events are available both live online and at our training centres in Dublin and London, as well as at your offices anywhere in the UK, Ireland or across EMEA.

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High quality specifications are of paramount importance in achieving the right technical performance and value for money. This long-established training programme has been developed to help those involved in producing specifications to create high quality documents in an organised and effective way. It provides a sound foundation for those new to the topic whilst at the same time offering new insights to those with more experience. The programme emphasises the need for a clear definition of requirements combined with the ability to communicate those requirements effectively to third parties. A structured method of preparing specifications is provided, and a range of practical techniques is presented, to enable participants to put the principles into practice. The commercial and contractual role of specifications is also addressed. The objectives of the workshop are to: Provide a clear understanding of the role and purpose of specifications Present a framework for organising and producing specifications Define the key steps involved in creating effective specifications Demonstrate methods for assisting in defining requirements Provide tools and techniques for scoping and structuring specifications Show the role of specifications in managing variations and changes to scope Present methods to assist the writing and editing of specifications Review how specifications should be issued and controlled DAY ONE 1 Introduction Review of course objectives Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 Creating effective specifications The role of specifications in communicating requirements The costs, benefits and qualities of effective specifications Understanding the differences between verbal and written communication The five key steps of 'POWER' writing: prepare-organise-write-edit-release Exercise: qualities of an effective specification 3 Step 1: Preparing to write - defining readership and purpose; the specification and the contract Designing the specifications required; applying BS 7373 Defining the purpose, readership and title of each document Effective procedures for writing, issuing and controlling specifications The roles and responsibilities of the key players Understanding contracts; the contractual role of the specification Integrating and balancing the technical and commercial requirements Writing specifications to achieve the appropriate contract risk strategy Deciding how to specify: when to use functional and technical specifications The role of specifications in managing variations and changes to scope 4 Case study 1 Teams review a typical project scenario and identify the implications for the specification Feedback and discussion 5 Step 2: Organising the specification content Defining the need and establishing user requirements Deciding what issues the specification should cover Scoping techniques: scope maps, check lists, structured brainstorming Clarifying priorities: separating needs and desires Dealing with requirements that are difficult to quantify Useful techniques: cost benefit analysis, QFD, Pareto analysis 6 Case study 2 Teams apply the scoping techniques to develop the outline contents for a specification Feedback and discussion DAY TWO 7 Step 2: Organising the specification content (cont) Deciding what goes where; typical contents and layout for a specification The three main segments: introductory, key and supporting Creating and using model forms: the sections and sub-sections Detailed contents of each sub-section Tools and techniques for outlining and structuring specifications 8 Case study 3 Teams develop the detailed specification contents using a model form Feedback and discussion 9 Step 3: Writing the specification The challenges of written communication Identifying and understanding the readers needs Choosing and using the right words; dealing with jargon Problem words; will, shall, must, etc; building 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 Choosing and using graphics to best effect Exercises and examples 10 Step 4: Editing the specification Why editing is difficult; how to develop a personal editing strategy Key areas to review: structure, content, accuracy, clarity, style and grammar Editing tools and techniques 11 Step 5: Releasing and controlling the specification Key requirements for document issue and control Final formatting and publication issues; document approval Requirements management: managing revisions and changes 12 Course review and action planning What actions should be implemented to improve specifications? Conclusion

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