Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM): In-House Training Is your team treading water using waterfall? Do you feel trapped in an agile framework? Would you like to find solutions to the problems you've been wrestling with? Are you looking for ways to enhance your team's agility? Break free from your old ways by choosing a way of working that fits your team's context. Find strategies to improve your processes and strengthen your team with the Disciplined Agile® tool kit. Disciplined Agile Scrum Master is a nine-lesson, instructor-led course that shows you how to use Disciplined Agile (DA™) to improve your team's way of working. In just two days, you will become familiar with foundational agile and lean practices that DA supports, practice using the tool kit to solve problems, and learn how to build high-performance teams. Filled with activities, animations, supplemental reading, and more, this course will prepare you to take the Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) exam and, equally important, start using Disciplined Agile immediately. #BBD0E0 » What You Will Learn After the completion of this course, you will be able to: Apply foundational agile and lean practices in your own team setting Describe what business agility is and how it is core to value proposition of Disciplined Agile® Describe the significance of the Disciplined Agile mindset Define the DA™ principles, promises, and guidelines and how they set Disciplined Agile apart from other frameworks Explain how people are organized into DA teams Define the primary DA roles and how they each are key to the success of a self-organizing agile team Explain how to help your team work well together using the Lean principle of 'respect people' Analyze your team's context to make better process-related decisions Select the best-fit DA life cycles for your teams Apply the five DA steps of choosing your team's way of working (WoW) Apply the relevant agile and lean techniques to successfully initiate your team Apply the relevant agile and lean techniques to support your team producing business value Apply the relevant agile and lean techniques to support your team releasing their work into production Apply the relevant agile and lean techniques to support your team on an ongoing basis Recognize when to be resilient List and define the principles of Lean Significance of the Disciplined Agile® Mindset Business agility and how it is core to value proposition of Disciplined Agile Eight DA principles and how they are core to what sets Disciplined Agile apart from other agile frameworks Which situations each of the DA™ life cycles is best applied DA Practice of choosing a team's way of working (WoW) Foundations of Agile How people are organized into DA teams Primary DA roles and how they each are key to the success of a self-organizing agile team Help your team work well together (Lean principle 'Respect people') Inception phase and why it is important DA tool kit to tailor your way of working within a select phase according to context Agile techniques and ceremonies relevant to Inception Construction phase and why it is important Agile techniques and ceremonies that take place during Construction Eliminate Waste and Build Quality (Lean principles) Deliver Value Quickly (Lean principle) Transition phase and why it is important Ongoing phase and why it is important Learn Pragmatically (Lean principle) Elements of the process blade (onion) diagram Principles of Lean When to be resilient Benefits of explicit workflow Kaizen loops and PDSA techniques for continuous improvement Options for cross-team learning: "community of practice" and "center of excellence"
Agile Sprint Planning: 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?
Introduction to Agile and Scrum: In-House Training This half-day course provides an overview of Agile principles and mindset, and the Scrum framework as a key Agile approach. It will provide you with the key benefits of an Agile approach, and its differences with the traditional Waterfall method. Lastly, as Agile is looked upon more frequently as an alternative delivery method, you will review situations where Agile can be adapted outside of software development, where it is most commonly used. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Explain the basics and benefits of using an Agile approach Describe the Scrum framework, its events, artifacts and roles and responsibilities Illustrate Agile approaches outside of Software Development Getting Started Introduction Course structure Course goals and objectives Agile Introduction What is Agile? Agile Benefits Agile Methods Overview of Scrum Scrum Overview Scrum Events Scrum Artifacts Scrum Roles Definition of Done Agile Approaches Outside of Software Development Agile in other environments Product Development Course Development Marketing Agile Project Candidates Summary What Agile is not... Concerns and Pitfalls
The leadership role of the project manager is increasingly recognised as a key determinant in delivering success. These skills can often be critical in project situations, where tight budgets and deadlines demand the highest levels of team performance and where the working environment presents fresh challenges on a daily basis. This programme focuses on the leadership skills required of project managers and will benefit anyone involved in managing projects large or small wishing to extend or enhance those skills. The objectives of this programme are to help the participants: Understand the significance of leadership skills to the project manager and the impact of these skills on project performance Review the key skills needed to be an effective 'multi-dimensional' project leader and learn how to develop, adapt and apply them in practice Learn how to identify the preferred leadership style for the context and organisational culture of a project and how to develop personal style versatility Understand the role of the project leader in building an effective team and the skills required to promote and sustain team performance Gain a better understanding of the interpersonal skills needed to motivate individual team members and harness the full potential of the team DAY ONE 1 Introduction Aims and objectives Personal objectives 2 Project management and leadership What is a leader? How much can leadership be learned? The project environment and the impact of leadership skills The characteristics of high performance project teams and their leaders 3 Principles of effective leadership Some useful models and theories of leadership explored Types of leadership; choosing how to use leadership power Evaluating personal leadership style; how to develop style flexibility 4 Syndicate case study: Leadership in action Review of the role of leadership in a contemporary project Feedback and plenary discussion: effective project leadership 5 Team exercise: Leadership skills of the project manager Teams compete in performing a project simulation Project review and feedback Discussion of the outcome: role and skills of the project leader 6 Leadership skills for project managers The 3 dimensions of project leadership: inwards, outwards, and upwards The vital role of communication skills and how to develop them Developing a 'project vision': strategic thinking skills Understanding others; emotional intelligence skills Being a visible leader; behavioural and influencing skills Building effective relationships; the importance of trust and respect DAY TWO 7 Leading the project team The role of leadership in developing team performance Understanding individual strengths; recognising team role preferences Managing conflict and promoting positive team dynamics Setting standards, maintaining discipline and rewarding performance Harnessing team potential: building motivation within the team Promoting team learning; the team leader as coach / mentor 8 Leading through the organisation Gaining the support others; developing effective influencing skills Getting empowerment from key stakeholders Knowing when and how to take the initiative and lead Building and maintaining rapport with key partners Becoming an effective team player in leadership teams Becoming a business leader; leading colleagues and co-workers 9 Team exercise: Leadership and negotiation Teams engage in a negotiation exercise Exercise review and feedback Discussion of the outcome: negotiation skills of the project leader 10 Negotiation skills for project leaders Characteristics of effective negotiators Classic problem behaviours and mind-sets to avoid Getting to win-win; building partnership and trust 11 Leading more senior stakeholders The challenges and skills of leading and managing upwards Communicating with more senior stakeholders; building credibility Negotiating upwards: knowing when and how The role of networking skills; building and maintaining rapport Handling disagreements; the art of diplomacy Handling personality and style conflicts with more senior people
This two-day programme gives the key insights and understanding of contracting principles and the impact they have on business and operations. The course is designed for individuals involved in or supporting contracting who want to improve their commercial management skills; individuals in functions such as project management, business development, finance, operations who need practical training in commercial management; general audiences wanting to gain a basic understanding of commercial management. This is an assessed programme, leading to the International Association for Contracts & Commercial Management (IACCM)'s coveted Contract and Commercial Management Associate (CCMA) qualification. The programme addresses 31 different subject areas, across the five stages of the contracting process. By the end of the course the participants will be able, among other things, to: Develop robust contract plans, including scope of work and award strategies Conduct effective contracting activities, including ITT, RFP, negotiated outcomes Negotiate effectively with key stakeholders, making use of the key skills of persuading and influencing and to work with stakeholders to improve outcomes Set up and maintain contract management systems Take a proactive approach to managing contracts Make effective use of lessons learned to promote improvements from less than optimal outcomes, using appropriate templates Develop and monitor appropriate and robust Key Performance Indicators to manage the contractor and facilitate improved performance Understand the approvals process and how to develop and present robust propositions Make appropriate use of best practice contract management tools, techniques and templates DAY ONE 1 Introductions Aims Objectives Plan for the day 2 Commercial context Explaining the contracting context Define the key objective The importance of contact management Impact upon the business 3 Stakeholders How to undertake stakeholder mapping and analysis Shared vision concept, How to engage with HSE, Finance, Operations 4 Roles and responsibilities Exploring the key roles and responsibilities of contract administrators, HSE, Finance, Divisional managers, etc 5 Initiating the contract cycle Overview of the contracting cycle Requirement to tender Methods Rationale and exceptions 6 Specifications Developing robust scope of works Use of performance specifications Output based SOW 7 Strategy and award criteria Developing a robust contract strategy Award submissions/criteria 8 Managing the tender process Review the pre-qualification process Vendor registration rules and processes Creation of bidder lists Evaluation, short listing, and how to use of the 10Cs© model template and app 9 Types of contract Classify the different types of contracts Call-offs Framework agreement Price agreements Supply agreements 10 The contract I: price Understanding contract terms Methods of compensation Lump sum, unit price, cost plus, time and materials, alternative methods Cost plus a fee, target cost, gain share contracts Advanced payments Price escalation clauses DAY TWO 11 Risk How to manage risks Risk classification Mitigation of contractual risks 12 Contractor relationship management session Effectively managing relationships with contractors, Types of relationships Driving forces? Link between type of contract and style of relationship 13 Disputes Dealing with disputes Conflict resolution Negotiation Mediation Arbitration 14 Contract management Measuring and improving contract performance Using KPIs and SLAs Benchmarking Cost controls 15 The contract II: terms and conditions Contract terms and conditions Legal aspects Drafting special terms 16 Managing claims and variations How to manage contract and works variations orders Identifying the causes of variations Contractor claims process 17 Completion Contract close-out process Acceptance/completion Capture the learning/HSE Final payments, evaluation of performance 18 Close Review Final assessment
Introduction to Agile for Executives: In-House Training This session provides executives with an overview of Agile values and principles, the key benefits of an Agile approach, and its differences with the traditional Waterfall method. During the session, we compare and contrast the major Agile methods, with an emphasis on Scrum, as the most popular in the market. And most importantly, we present some criteria for Agile Transformation, possible certifications to pursue, and what is needed at the senior leadership level to achieve the best business results. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Explain the basics and benefits of using an Agile approach Describe the Scrum framework, its events, artifacts, and roles and responsibilities Illustrate an Agile approach outside of Software Development Define Scaled Agile Determine how to support an Agile transformation for your organization Getting Started Introduction Course structure Course goals and objectives Agile Introduction What is Agile? Agile benefits Agile myths and realities Overview of Agile Methods Overview of Agile methods Scrum method Lean and Kanban methods Criteria and certifications What Executives Need to Know About Agile Agile is not just for IT Agile can be scaled Agile transformation needs your support Summary and Next Steps Review Personal Action Plan
Gain practical skills in influencing and decision-making, perfect for anyone working in team-based or project-focused environments, with interactive, hands-on learning. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) This is a highly interactive and practical course which will help you to use influencing and decision making techniques. This workshop has been specifically designed to give you an opportunity to learn and test a range of influencing and decision making models and techniques. The course is aimed at anyone who interacts with others on a regular basis, especially those in project management disciplines, multi disciplinary, matrix type organisations where healthy debate and challenge are key to achieving optimum resolutions. Objectives By the end of the course you will be able to: Utilise a variety of new techniques to enhance your influencing skills Recognise the impact of non-verbal communication and use it to enhance influencing behaviours Use language skills necessary to get your message across in an influential way Apply different techniques for dealing with aggression Understand VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguous Use Perception, Bias, Decision Making and Judgement Understand personal preferences and approaches to Decision Making Speed read others approach to decision making Apply Mindsets, Skillsets and Toolsets for decision making Content What is influencing? Sources of power Influencing skills Choosing the right approach Developing Skills Communication skills – the language of influence Different influencing techniques and when to use them Having the confidence to challenge Dealing with confrontation and challenges in a confident manner The Decision Lifecycle – 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 Understanding how to decide in complexity Practical Practical exercises Case studies Personal action planning
This five-day programme empowers participants with the skills and knowledge to understand and effectively apply best practice commercial and contracting principles and techniques, ensuring better contractor performance and greater value add. This is an assessed programme, leading to the International Association for Contracts & Commercial Management (IACCM)'s coveted Contract and Commercial Management Practitioner (CCMP) qualification. By the end of this comprehensive programme the participants will be able to: Develop robust contracting plans, including scopes of work and award strategies Undertake early market engagements to maximise competition Conduct effective contracting and commercial management activities, including ITT, RFP, negotiated outcomes Understand the legalities of contract and commercial management Negotiate effectively with key stakeholders and clients, making use of the key skills of persuading and influencing to optimise outcomes Undertake effective Supplier Relationship Management Appreciate the implications of national and organisational culture on contracting and commercial activities Appreciate professional contract management standards Set up and maintain contract and commercial management governance systems Take a proactive, collaborative, and agile approach to managing commercial contracts Develop and monitor appropriate and robust KPIs and SLAs to manage the contractor and facilitate improved contractor performance Appreciate the cross-functional nature of contract management Collaborate with clients to deliver sustainable performance and to manage and exceed client expectations Understand the roles and responsibilities of contract and commercial managers Use effective contractor selection and award methods and models (including the 10Cs model) and use these models to prepare robust propositions to clients Make effective use of lessons learned to promote improvements from less than optimal outcomes, using appropriate templates Effectively manage the process of change, claims, variations, and dispute resolution Develop and present robust propositions Make appropriate use of best practice contract and commercial management tools, techniques, and templates DAY ONE 1 Introduction Aims Objectives KPIs Learning strategies Plan for the programme 2 The contracting context Key objectives of contract management Importance and impact on the business 3 Critical success factors Essential features of professional commercial and contract management and administration The 6-step model 4 Putting the 'management' into commercial and contract management Traditional v 'new age' models The need for a commercial approach The added value generated 5 Definitions 'Commercial management' 'Contract management' 'Contracting' ... and why have formal contracts? 6 Stakeholders Stakeholder mapping and analysis The 'shared vision' concept Engaging with key functions, eg, HSE, finance, operations 7 Roles and responsibilities Contract administrators Stakeholders 8 Strategy and planning Developing effective contracting plans and strategies DAY TWO 1 Contract control Tools and techniques, including CPA and Gantt charts A project management approach Developing effective contract programmes 2 The contracting context Key objectives of contract management Importance and impact on the business 3 Tendering Overview of the contracting cycle Requirement to tender Methods Rationale Exceptions Steps Gateways Controls One and two package bids 4 Tender assessment and contract award I - framework Tender board procedures Role of the tender board (including minor and major tender boards) Membership Administration Developing robust contract award strategies and presentations DAY THREE 1 Tender assessment and contract award II - processes Pre-qualification processes CRS Vendor registration rules and processes Creating bidder lists Disqualification criteria Short-listing Using the 10Cs model Contract award and contract execution processes 2 Minor works orders Process Need for competition Role and purpose Controls Risks 3 Contract strategy Types of contract Call-offs Framework agreements Price agreements Supply agreements 4 Contract terms I: Pricing structures Lump sum Unit price Cost plus Time and materials Alternative methods Target cost Gain share contracts Advance payments Price escalation clauses 5 Contract terms II: Other financial clauses Insurance Currencies Parent body guarantees Tender bonds Performance bonds Retentions Sub-contracting Termination Invoicing 6 Contract terms III: Risk and reward Incentive contracts Management and mitigation of contractual risk DAY FOUR 1 Contract terms IV: Jurisdiction and related matters Applicable laws and regulations Registration Commercial registry Commercial agencies 2 Managing the client-contractor relationship Types of relationship Driving forces Link between type of contract and style of relationships Motivation - use of incentives and remedies 3 Disputes Types of dispute Conflict resolution strategies Negotiation Mediation Arbitration DAY FIVE 1 Performance measurement KPIs Benchmarking Cost controls Validity of savings Balanced scorecards Using the KPI template 2 Personal qualities of the contract manager Negotiation Communication Persuasion and influencing Working in a matrix environment 3 Contract terms V: Drafting skills Drafting special terms 4 Variations Contract and works variation orders Causes of variations Risk management Controls Prevention Negotiation with contractors 5 Claims Claims management processes Controls Risk mitigation Schedules of rates 6 Close-out Contract close-out and acceptance / completion HSE Final payments Performance evaluation Capturing the learning 7 Close Review Final assessment Next steps
Management of Value (MoV®) Practitioner: In-House Training This interactive MoV® Practitioner course provides a modular and case-study-driven approach to learning Management of Value (MoV). The core knowledge is structured and comprehensive; and well-rounded modules cover the methodology and various techniques. A case study is used to help appreciate the relevance of MoV in its practical application. What you will Learn The MoV Practitioner Course prepares you for the MoV Practitioner exam. Individuals certified at the MoV Practitioner level will be able to: Apply Management of Value (MoV) principles, processes and techniques, and advocate the benefits of this application appropriately to the senior Management. Develop a plan of MoV activities for the whole lifecycle of small and large projects and programs. Plan an MoV study, tailoring it to particular projects or programs and developing practical study or workshop handbooks as required. Understand and articulate value in relation to organizational objectives. Prioritize value drivers using function analysis and use these to demonstrate how value might be improved. Quantify monetary and non-monetary value using the Value Index, Value Metrics and the Value for Money ratio. Describe and comment on the application of various techniques relevant to MoV. Monitor improvements in value realized throughout a project lifecycle and capture learning which can be transferred to future projects. Offer suggestions and guidance about embedding MoV into an organization, including policy issues, undertake a health check, assess maturity and competence, and provide guidance on typical roles and responsibilities. Understand and articulate the use of MoV within other Best Management Practice methods and its contributions to them Benefits of Taking This Course Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: Organise and contribute constructively to a Management of Value (MoV) Study Demonstrate a knowledge of MoV principles, processes, approach, and environment Analyse a company, programme or project to establish its organisational value includes identification and weighting of Value Drivers Pass the AXELOS Practitioner Examination Function Analysis Customer FAST Diagram Value Tree Development Weighting Attributes Paired Comparisons Developing a Value Profile Developing a Value Index Value for Money Ratio Stimulating Innovation Value Engineering Option Evaluation and Selection Evaluation Matrix Value and Value for Money Timing and Planning Teams and Stakeholders MoV in the Organization Integrating with Best Management Practice Relationship between Process and Approach
Learn how to use Microsoft Project to create and resource robust project plans and how to maintain and track throughout the project lifecycle. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) Our Project Planning and Control course gives you the essential skills to use Microsoft Project to build, resource and monitor project schedules. It looks at initial setup, building plans, using a work breakdown structure and managing resources through to baselining and progressing your schedule. This course is designed for new or existing users of Microsoft Project, and no previous experience of Project is required. Knowledge of planning techniques would be an advantage. Objectives By the end of the course you will be able to: Create project schedules Build a Work Breakdown Structure Create relationships Set baselines Manage resources Set deadlines and task properties Print and report on your project Update and track project schedules Content Creating a new project Project defaults Project start date Setting default hours per day/week Setting daily working times Project timeline Building a project Creating a work breakdown structure Adding tasks and durations Estimated durations Setting milestones Recurring tasks Linking, Baselining and Resourcing Setting start dates and dependencies Task Inspector Resourcing Assigning resources Filtering available resources Baseline Setting a baseline Removing a baseline Managing resources Resource properties Dealing with over allocations Tasking information Constraint dates Setting deadline Assigning task specific calendars Task types Updating your project Completing work Completing work per resource Updating tasks Updating the project Rescheduling work Change highlighting Printing and reporting Setup and Printing Visual reports Using the Timeline Creating Dashboard reports