Developing the Business Case: Virtual In-House Training Business analysts must be able to create business case documents that highlight project benefits, costs, and risks. The business case is based on the real business need to be solved. These become parts of proposals, feasibility studies, and other decision support documents. This course teaches the purpose, structure, and content of a business case. It presents the basic techniques for determining financial ROI, non-tangible benefits, and the probability of meeting expectations. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Perform feasibility studies Justify the business investment to solve the business problem Prepare an effective business case document Plan and implement a business case approval process Foundation Concepts The role of the BA An introduction to the BABOK® Guide The business analyst and the product / project life cycle (PLC) The business case deliverable Introducing the Business Case Process The BA and strategy analysis The BA and the business case process (BCP) The BA during the business case process (BCP) The BA after the business case process (BCP) Importance of defining solution performance metrics Defining the Business Need Overview of defining the business need Business needs: problem / opportunity statement Product vision Objectives and constraints Exploring Business Case Solutions Overview of exploring solutions Solution identification for feasibility Solution definition for analysis Assessing project risks Justifying the Business Case Overview of justifying the business case Qualitative justification Quantitative justification Approving the Business Case Overview of business case approval Developing recommendations Preparing the decision package - documents Preparing the decision package - presentations
Global Project Management: Virtual In-House Training In this course, you will dig deeper-and differently-into project management processes, tools, and techniques, developing the ability to see them through the lens of global and cultural project impacts. In today's increasingly global environment, managing a project with customers and support organizations spread across multiple countries and continents is a major challenge. From identifying stakeholders and gathering requirements, to planning, controlling, and executing the project, the basic logistics of a global project present their own standard challenges. However, with additional cultural, language-based, and regional elements, global projects involve more complexities than teams often realize. There are unique communication needs, cultural awareness elements, varying customs and work expectations, and critical legal differences to consider. In this course, you will dig deeper-and differently-into project management processes, tools, and techniques, developing the ability to see them through the lens of global and cultural project impacts. This will leverage you to problem solve differently on global projects, prevent problems, and ensure success. The goal is for you to effectively navigate the challenges of leading projects with multi-regional footprints and globally diverse sets of stakeholders. What you Will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Determine when a project meets the criteria of being a true global one Articulate global project needs based on the project grid and framework Identify and analyze global project stakeholders Recognize cultural differences and articulate how they impact project work Determine global project estimating, scheduling, and staffing challenges Assess global project risks and develop problem-solving responses Analyze complex cultural situations and align optimal project communication and negotiation tools and techniques Apply best practices for conducting virtual team work and mitigating virtual challenges Evaluate ways to control for global project scope, cost, and procurement Align customer management best practices with global customer needs Implement key global project closing activities Foundation Concepts What is a global project? What makes a global project different? A global project management framework Initiating the Global Project Launching a global project Respecting cultural differences Identifying and analyzing stakeholders Developing the communications plan Defining the ideal global project manager Crafting a global project charter Planning the Global Project Gathering requirements for a global project Defining the scope, region by region Estimating and scheduling for global projects Staffing the global project Developing the global risk management plan Executing the Global Project Managing global stakeholder expectations Embracing cultural diversity Honing global negotiation techniques Procuring goods and services on a global basis Managing global legal and regulatory issues at the micro and macro level Monitoring and Controlling the Global Project Status reporting Virtual communication Cost control Schedule control Scope control Customer satisfaction Closing the Global Project Contract closure at the macro and micro levels Administrative closure with global reach Lessons learned
Project Requirements Management: Virtual In-House Training Poor requirements definition and lack of adequate change control procedures to requirements and scope are the primary contributors to project difficulty and failure. This workshop will provide you with the knowledge, tools, and techniques required to minimize or avoid these pitfalls.
Scrum Product Owner Exam Prep: In-House Training: Virtual In-House Training This workshop prepares you for the Scrum.org PSPO™ I certification. A voucher for the exam and the access information you will need to take the exam will be provided to you via email after you have completed the course. NOTE: If you have participated in any of IIL's other Scrum workshops, you can bypass this program and focus on reading/studying the Scrum Guide and taking practice exams from Scrum.org The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. The Product Owner must be knowledgeable, available, and empowered to make decisions quickly in order for an Agile project to be successful. The Product Owner's key accountability is the Product Backlog. Managing, maintaining, and evolving the Product Backlog involves: Establishing a clear vision that engages the Development Team and stakeholders Clearly expressing Product Backlog items Ordering the items in the Product Backlog to best achieve the vision and goals Ensuring that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all Working with the Development Team throughout the project to create a product that fits the customer's need The Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I (PSPO I) certificate is a Scrum.org credential that enables successful candidates to demonstrate a fundamental level of Scrum mastery. PSPO I credential holders demonstrate an intermediate understanding of the Scrum framework, and how to apply it to maximize the value delivered with a product. They will exhibit a dedication to continued professional development, and a high level of commitment to their field of practice. Scrum.org does not require that you take their own sponsored or any preparatory training. However, training can facilitate your preparation for this credential. And this course is based on IIL's Scrum Product Owner Workshop, which is aligned with The Scrum Guide™. It will provide you with the information you need to pass the exam and IIL will make the arrangements for your online exam. You will be provided with an exam code and instructions, so that you can take the exam at your convenience, any time you are ready after the course. Passwords have no expiration date, but they are valid for one attempt only. See additional exam details on the next page. What you will Learn You'll learn how to: Successfully prepare for the Scrum.org PSPO I exam Identify the characteristics of a successful Product Owner Create a powerful vision statement Apply techniques to understand your customers and the market Manage and engage stakeholders Write effective user stories with acceptance criteria Utilize techniques to visualize and prioritize the Product Backlog Participate in the 5 Scrum events as the Product Owner Understand the Product Owner's role in closing a Scrum project Getting Started Introductions Workshop orientation Exam prep preview Fundamentals Recap Agile Manifesto, values, and mindset Product Owner characteristics Good vs. great Product Owner Product Ownership Product ownership Project vision Understand your customers and market Personas Stakeholder management and engagement The Product Backlog User Stories and Acceptance Criteria Preparing User Stories for a Sprint The Product Backlog Visualizing the Product Backlog Product Backlog Prioritization Technical Debt Sprint Planning and Daily Standups Sprint Planning Planning Poker Team Engagement Daily Standups Sprint Review, Retrospectives, and Closing Sprint Reviews Key Agile Patterns Retrospectives Closing the Project Summary and Next Steps Review of course goals, objectives, and content Exam prep next steps
Scrum Product Owner Exam Prep: Virtual In-House Training This workshop prepares you for the Scrum.org PSPO™ I certification. A voucher for the exam and the access information you will need to take the exam will be provided to you via email after you have completed the course. NOTE: If you have participated in any of IIL's other Scrum workshops, you can bypass this program and focus on reading/studying the Scrum Guide and taking practice exams from Scrum.org The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. The Product Owner must be knowledgeable, available, and empowered to make decisions quickly in order for an Agile project to be successful. The Product Owner's key accountability is the Product Backlog. Managing, maintaining, and evolving the Product Backlog involves: Establishing a clear vision that engages the Development Team and stakeholders Clearly expressing Product Backlog items Ordering the items in the Product Backlog to best achieve the vision and goals Ensuring that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all Working with the Development Team throughout the project to create a product that fits the customer's need What you will Learn You'll learn how to: Successfully prepare for the Scrum.org PSPO I exam Identify the characteristics of a successful Product Owner Create a powerful vision statement Apply techniques to understand your customers and the market Manage and engage stakeholders Write effective user stories with acceptance criteria Utilize techniques to visualize and prioritize the Product Backlog Participate in the 5 Scrum events as the Product Owner Understand the Product Owner's role in closing a Scrum project Getting Started Introductions Workshop orientation Exam prep preview Fundamentals Recap Agile Manifesto, values, and mindset Product Owner characteristics Good vs. great Product Owner Product Ownership Product ownership Project vision Understand your customers and market Personas Stakeholder management and engagement The Product Backlog User Stories and Acceptance Criteria Preparing User Stories for a Sprint The Product Backlog Visualizing the Product Backlog Product Backlog Prioritization Technical Debt Sprint Planning and Daily Standups Sprint Planning Planning Poker Team Engagement Daily Standups Sprint Review, Retrospectives, and Closing Sprint Reviews Key Agile Patterns Retrospectives Closing the Project
Agile Sprint Planning: Virtual In-House Training The goal of the course is to provide you and your team with the ability to develop effective and realistic Sprint plans. Without effective Sprint Plans, iterations are set up for failure. But Sprint Planning cannot be improved on its own, in isolation. The Scrum processes are highly intertwined and influence each other. The surrounding artifacts, events, and roles must be examined closely, and enhanced, in order to improve Sprint Planning. This course will remind you of the theory to reinforce the principles, but will concentrate on next-level skills, so that you and the team are able to create realistic and usable Sprint Plans. This course is not introductory. You are already aware of the Scrum framework and have been implementing Scrum on your projects. Now is the time to improve efficiency and effectiveness, to facilitate successful Agile projects. What you will Learn You'll learn how to: Identify and correlate the key symptoms and root causes of ineffective sprint plans Improve key Product Backlog elements Evaluate Agile roles in sprint planning Appraise key product practices Enhance project transparency The Product Backlog User stories Acceptance Criteria Backlog Refinement Supporting Roles Product Owner (the Backlog) Development Team Stakeholders and SMEs Supporting Product Practices Roadmaps and release plans and story maps Definition of Done Technical Debt Transparency Daily Scrums Information radiators Retrospectives Sprint Planning Capacity and Velocity Sprint Planning Meetings The Sprint Backlog Summary What did we learn, and how can we implement this in our work environments?
Scrum Master Exam Prep: Virtual In-House Training This workshop prepares you for the Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master (PSM)™ I certification. A voucher for the exam and the access information you will need to take the exam will be provided to you via email after you have completed the course. NOTE: If you have participated in any of IIL's other Scrum workshops, you can bypass this program and focus on reading/studying the Scrum Guide and taking practice exams from Scrum.org. A Scrum Master helps project teams properly use the Scrum framework, increasing the likelihood of the project's overall success. Scrum Masters understand Scrum values, practices, and applications and provide a level of knowledge and expertise above and beyond that of typical project managers. Scrum Masters act as 'servant leaders', helping the rest of the Scrum Team work together and learn the Scrum framework. Scrum Masters also protect the team from both internal and external distractions. The Professional Scrum Master™ I (PSM I) certificate is a Scrum.org credential that enables successful candidates to demonstrate a fundamental level of Scrum mastery. PSM I credential holders will grasp Scrum as described in The Scrum Guide™1 and recognize how those concepts can be applied. They will also share a consistent terminology and approach to Scrum with other certified professionals. Scrum.org does not require that you take their own sponsored or any preparatory training. However, training can facilitate your preparation for this credential. And this course is based on IIL's Scrum Master Workshop, which is aligned with The Scrum Guide™ and was built based on PSM I credentialed expertise. It will provide you with the information you need to pass the exam and IIL will make the arrangements for your online exam. You will be provided with an exam code and instructions, so that you can take the exam at your convenience, any time you are ready after the course. Passwords have no expiration date, but they are valid for one attempt only. What you will Learn You'll learn how to: Successfully prepare for the Scrum.org PSM I exam Comprehend the Agile Manifesto and mindset Explain the fundamental principles of Scrum, including events, artifacts, and roles Guide the Scrum team in their responsibilities Define Ready and Done Write requirements in the form of user stories Estimate using planning poker and prioritize using MoSCoW Facilitate the team through the 5 Sprint events Fulfill the role of Scrum Master in a Scrum project Create Information Radiators to enable transparency Define the structure of the retrospective Getting Started Introductions Workshop orientation Exam prep preview Foundation Concepts Agile History, Values, and Mindset Introduction to Scrum Scrum events Scrum artifacts Scrum Roles and Responsibilities Product Owner responsibilities Scrum Master responsibilities The Team responsibilities Cross-functional teams Building effective teams The Product Backlog and User Stories The Product Backlog User Stories Definition of Done Backlog grooming Estimating User Stories Story points, planning poker Prioritizing User Stories The Sprint Team capacity and velocity The Sprint Planning Meeting The Sprint Backlog The Sprint Learning to self-manage, self-organize, self-improve Sprint Review and Retrospective Project Progress and Completion The Daily Scrum The Task Board and The Burndown Chart Information Radiators Closing a Scrum Project Summary and Next Steps Review of course goals, objectives, and content Exam prep next steps
Project Risk Management: Virtual In-House Training Have you been surprised by unplanned events during your projects? Are you and your project team frequently fighting fires? Well, you are not alone. Uncertainty exists in any project environment. While it's impossible to predict project outcomes with 100% certainty, you can influence the outcome, avoid potential risks, and be ready to respond to challenges that arise. In this course, you'll gain the proper knowledge needed to identify, assess, plan for, and monitor risk in your projects. You'll learn how to set up and implement risk management processes, helping you to minimize uncertainty and achieve more consistent, predictable outcomes as a result. What You Will Learn You'll learn how to: Demonstrate to others how the risk management processes in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) apply to your project's environment, especially for high-risk projects Adapt these processes for a particular high-risk project team's operating principles Explain the importance of using risk management best practices at single and enterprise project levels Lead an initiative to implement risk management best practices in your project environment Foundation Concepts Risk-related definitions The risk management process High-risk projects and project failures Classical failures in implementing risk management Plan Risk Management Project risk management and governance Risk management planning for high-risk projects High-risk variations on a risk management plan Identify Risk Adapting the risk identification process for high-risk projects Recognizing risks spontaneously Confirming and structuring risk events for treatment Wrapping up risk identification for high-risk projects Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis Adapting qualitative risk analysis for high-risk projects Accelerating risk analysis Clearing risk action Wrapping up qualitative risk analysis for the next level Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis Adapting quantitative risk analysis for high-risk projects Ensuring effective risk analyses with data quality assessments Building a foundation for quantitative risk analysis Using discrete quantitative tools Using continuous quantitative tools Wrapping up quantitative risk analysis for high-risk projects Plan Risk Responses Adapting risk response planning for high-risk projects Optimizing active risk response strategies Leveraging contingencies for high project performance Wrapping up risk response planning for high-risk projects Implement Risk Responses Implementing Risk Responses Process Executing Risk Response Plans Tools and Techniques Best Practices Continuous Risk Management Monitor Risks Adapting risk monitoring for high-risk projects Optimizing risk plan maintenance Weaving risk reassessment into the project's progress Maintaining a continuous 'vigil' in high-risk project environments
Microsoft Excel® in Depth (Virtual) This practical course provides a solid background of the features of Excel and a deeper understanding of its features, benefits and uses.This is not a beginner's course in Excel. You will learn some advanced features such as Pivot Tables, Charting, Tables, Sorting, Filtering and Functions. The goal of this course is to provide a deeper understanding of Excel and its intricacies and a new ability to use it efficiently producing the best solutions for your projects. What you will Learn You'll learn how to: Use functions like IF, AVERAGE, SUMIF, SUMIFS, SUMPRODUCT, INDEX, MATCH, CHOOSE, DATE, and many more Create meaningful charts Use pivot tables Use Conditional Formatting, Data Validation Take advantage of using Named ranges, do sorting, filtering, tables
Business Intelligence: Virtual In-House Training Business Intelligence (BI) refers to a set of technology-based techniques, applications, and practices used to aggregate, analyze, and present business data. BI practices provide historical and current views of vast amounts of data and generate predictions for business operations. The purpose of Business Intelligence is the support of better business decision making. This course provides an overview of the technology and application of BI and how it can be used to improve corporate performance. What you will Learn You will learn how to: Specify a data warehouse schema Identify the data and visualization to be used for data mining and Business Intelligence Design a Business Intelligence user interface Getting Started Introductions Agenda Expectations Foundation Concepts The challenge of decision making What is Business Intelligence? The Business Intelligence value proposition Business Intelligence taxonomy Business Intelligence management issues Sources of Business Intelligence Data warehousing Data and information Information architecture Defining the data warehouse and its relationships Facts and dimensions Modeling, meta-modeling, and schemas Alternate architectures Building the data warehouse Extracting Transforming Loading Setting up the data and relationships Dimensions and the Fact Table Implementing many-to-many relationships in data warehouse Data marts Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) What is OLAP? OLAP and OLTP OLAP functionality Multi-dimensions Thinking in more than two dimensions What are the possibilities? OLAP architecture Cubism Tools OLAP variations - MOLAP, ROLAP, HOLAP BI using SOA Applications of Business Intelligence Applying BI through OLAP Enterprise Resource Planning and CRM Business Intelligence and financial information Business Intelligence User Interfaces and Presentations Data access Push-pull data access Types of decision support systems Designing the front end Presentation formats Dashboards Types of dashboards Common dashboard features Briefing books and scorecards Querying and Reporting Reporting emphasis Retrofitting Talking back Key Performance Indicators Report Definition and Visualization Typical reporting environment Forms of visualization Unconstrained views Data mining What is in the mine? Applications for data mining Data mining architecture Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CISP-DM) Data mining techniques Validation The Business Intelligence User Experience The business analyst role Business analysis and data analysis Five-step approach Cultural impact Identifying questions Gathering information Understand the goals The strategic Business Intelligence cycle Focus of Business Intelligence Design for the user Iterate the access Iterative solution development process Review and validation questions Basic approaches Building ad-hoc queries Building on-demand self-service reports Closed loop Business Intelligence Coming attractions - future of Business Intelligence Best practices in Business Intelligence