Virtual Agile Teams: Virtual In-House Training Agile teams are a must in this world of intense competition, marketing demands, and changing expectations. Global virtual teaming has become a necessity as organizations become increasingly distributed, with suppliers and clients actively engaged in joint projects. Agile Teams now work across geographical, organizational, and cultural boundaries to deliver solutions and services to global users. Distance and differences may amplify the effect of issues and factors that are relatively straightforward for co-located Agile teams. This workshop delivers practical concepts and techniques that participants will start using immediately with their virtual Agile teams. The goal of the course is to enable you to successfully execute your preferred Agile or Scrum methods in a virtual project team environment. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Explain the characteristics of a virtual team and how they differ from a co-located team Build an effective virtual Agile team using a Team Charter approach Develop Release Plans, including prioritizing user stories, with a virtual Agile Team Construct a Sprint plan, including effective user story estimates, virtually Execute a Sprint, including essential Agile or Scrum ceremonies, virtually Conduct effective virtual meetings in an environment supportive of Agile and Scrum methods Foundation Concepts Agile Mindset and Values Agile Benefits and Methods Scrum Overview Co-located vs. Virtual Teams Forming Virtual Agile Teams Exploring Virtual Leadership Focusing on Virtual Agile Leaders Developing a Virtual Agile Team Charter Meeting Team Challenges in a Virtual Environment Planning Releases with a Virtual Agile Team Planning releases overview Estimating user stories Prioritizing user stories Setting release parameters Getting consensus on the release plan Planning a Sprint for a Virtual Project Sprint Planning Overview Confirming Sprint Scope with Virtual Agile Teams Developing a Sprint Delivery Plan for Virtual Agile Teams Running a Sprint in a Virtual Environment Self-organizing a Sprint for a Virtual Agile Team Using Scrum tools in a Virtual Environment Conducting End of Sprint Meetings in a Virtual Environment Iterating as a Virtual Agile Team Creating an Environment for Success Piloting a virtual Agile team Creating an Agile-friendly virtual environment
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
Conflict Resolution Skills (Virtual) Many organizations have assumed that workplace conflict is always destructive. So, they have often believed that conflict is best dealt with by managers or even via policies and procedures. After all, conflict creates workplace stress and leads to many performance problems, generating very real organizational costs! However, savvy organizations have embraced the fact that when conflict is understood and harnessed, it can be leveraged to add value to teams and even enhance performance. With the right knowledge, skills, training, and practice, conflict can be productive and make organizations better! In this highly interactive course, learners will discover the connection between individual conflict response and team-empowering conflict resolution skills. Participants will explore conflict's visceral dynamics and the nuanced behaviors we individually engage in to communicate and respond to conflict. Learners will apply techniques for transforming unproductive conflict responses into productive ones. Additionally, learners will use a systematic method that prepares them to objectively dissect real-world conflict, while practicing many strategies for resolving it. They will also develop proactive conflict approach plans, which they can transfer back to their own workplaces. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Recognize the organizational costs of conflict Explain our physical and mental responses to conflict Communicate proactively and effectively with different types of people during conflict Replace unproductive conflict responses with productive ones Use the Conflict Resolution Diagram (CRD) process and conflict resolution approaches Relate team stages of development to shifts in conflict Develop a proactive conflict approach for your organization Create a conflict resolution plan for a real-world scenario Getting Started Introductions and social agreements Course goal and objectives Opening activities Conflict Facilitation Readiness Conflict responses and perceptions Conflict basics Conflict and organizations Dynamics of conflict Conflict Styles and Communication A look at the color energies model Conflict through the color energies and DiSC® lens Communication with opposite color energies Individual Response to Conflict The anatomy of conflict Recognizing unproductive conflict responses 4 steps to productive conflict Choosing productive conflict responses Team Performance and Conflict High-performing team relationships Conflict and project team performance Conflict Resolution Diagram (CRD) and process Conflict Facilitation - Preparation Recognizing context and stakeholder needs Using team conflict resolution approaches Preparing for Crucial Conversations® Conflict Facilitation - Clarity Exposing assumptions and biases Defining the conflict and using the CRD Conflict Facilitation - Action Proactive conflict management Conflict facilitation practice Summary and Next Steps Review Personal action plans
Managing Multiple Projects: Virtual In-House Training Succeeding in today's competitive marketplace often requires cycle time reduction - reducing the duration of projects and getting results faster. This workshop will address managing multiple projects within the context of program or product management. Are your projects taking longer and longer to complete? Are results less than optimal because of time pressures on resources? Would you like to increase project 'throughout'? Succeeding in today's competitive marketplace often requires cycle time reduction - reducing the duration of projects and getting results faster. This workshop will address managing multiple projects within the context of program or product management. Planning and managing individual projects is challenging. When introducing the real-life limitation of resources and other outside influences into the multi-project environment, those challenges are magnified, and new challenges are introduced. This interactive workshop will position you for immediate action. The goal of this course is to equip you with the necessary knowledge, skills, and techniques so that you can effectively and productively manage multiple projects. What you Will Learn You'll learn how to: Manage stakeholder relationships and expectations Prioritize and sequence multiple projects Manage time and stress within a multiple project environment Effectively manage logical dependencies among projects Optimize the use of resources across multiple projects using concepts from Critical Chain methods Manage risk and communications in a multiple project environment Getting Started Introductions Course structure Course goals and objectives Foundation Concepts Portfolio, program, and project management principles The multiple project environment The MMP Process Model Developing the Multiple Project List Multiple project portfolio management Project selection Project categories and types The multiple project list Multiple Project Logical Dependencies Project dependencies Types of multiple project portfolios Categories of logical dependencies across multiple projects Project priorities in the multiple project schedule Multiple Project Resource Management Multiple project resources and resource management concepts Multiple project resource loading Resource pool and resource database Multiple project resource issues and outsourcing Critical chain resource management, including drum resources and multi-tasking Managing Risk Across Multiple Projects Multiple project risk management process Identifying, assessing, and responding to multiple project risks Critical chain and multiple project risks Risk interrelationship management methods Creating and Executing the Multiple Project Plan The multiple project plan Multiple project scheduling Multiple project budgeting Executing and maintaining the multiple project plan Controlling in the multiple project environment Tools in multiple project management Multiple Project Communications Effective communication in the multiple project environment Common communication barriers Multiple project communications plan Resolving multiple project conflicts Summary and Next Steps What did we learn, and how can we implement this in our work environments?
Project Leadership Skills (Virtual) To be effective within an organization, project managers need to have a wide variety of skills and abilities. Included among these are: creating and executing on a vision; motivating others; influencing without authority; networking; communicating up, down and laterally; negotiating; managing stakeholders; and managing conflict. This highly interactive workshop focuses on building the soft skills that are critical to leading a team and creating sustainable business change. Participants will gain insight into the social science as well as the brain science behind motivating and empowering others. They will learn and experiment with a variety of influencing strategies and tactics. Working in pairs as well as small groups, they will collaborate with others to brainstorm, share experiences, and apply concepts to everyday challenges. Participants will also discover their personal communication preferences, strengths, and blind spots and will gain insight into how best to communicate with others they find 'difficult.' They will gain insight into managing the people side of change, learning strategies for dealing with each step in the process. Hands-on negotiation and conflict management activities enhance the theoretical learning, grounding it in real life and making it actionable. Interweaving role play with experiential learning and group activities, this course will help participants refine a skill set that is invaluable to their organization, and one that transfers easily across their professional and personal lives. What you will Learn At the end of this course, you will be able to: Explain the importance of vision in driving motivation and engagement Apply science-based research to better motivate those around you Strategically leverage both personal and positional power to achieve positive project results Determine influencing and networking strategies needed for personal growth Identify ways to problem solve communication challenges when others have different personality styles Connect stakeholder expectations to project success criteria Assess key stakeholders across various dimensions of complexity Apply the four rules of principled negotiation to a real-life conflict situation Recognize key aspects of a physiological response to conflict Utilize selected tools and techniques to 'defuse' an emotional situation Leverage various strategies and tactics to successfully deal with ambiguity at work Getting Started / Foundation Concepts Introductions Course structure, goals, and objectives Beginning a personal action plan Managing Vision and Purpose / Motivating Others Communicating and aligning around vision Tying the present to the future The importance of purpose The art and science of motivation Networking and Influencing Positive politics and project success Types of power within organizations Power and influence Networking best practices Communication The medium and the message Personality and communication styles Communication challenges Stakeholder Management and Negotiation Identifying stakeholders Analyzing stakeholders Negotiation basics Principled negotiation Conflict Management Dynamics of conflict The anatomy of conflict Conflict management approaches and tools Dealing with ambiguity
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification Program: Virtual In-House Training This course is designed to instill an in-depth understanding of Lean Six Sigma and a clear sense of what is required to define high-impact improvement projects, establish Lean Six Sigma measurements, and complete Lean Six Sigma projects using the systematic and proven Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) methodology. This course is designed to instill an in-depth understanding of Lean Six Sigma and a clear sense of what is required to define high-impact improvement projects, establish Lean Six Sigma measurements, and complete Lean Six Sigma projects using the systematic and proven Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) methodology. Participants will learn basic tools and techniques of Lean Six Sigma and those who pass a thirty-question exam (70% or above) will become a Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. This course is delivered through four 3-hour online sessions. What you Will Learn You'll learn how to: Establish the structure that supports and sustains Lean Six Sigma Quality Identify and calculate key Lean Six Sigma Measurements (Sigma, DPMO, and Yield) Select successful, high-impact projects that match strategic objectives Document, measure, and improve key processes using the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) Methodology Utilize data-based thinking to make key business decisions Introduction to the Fundamentals and Vision of Lean Six Sigma Lean Six Sigma's focus on the customer, on quality, and on results The costs of poor quality Critical factors to consider when deploying Lean Six Sigma Lean Six Sigma as a process improvement methodology Lean Six Sigma metrics Why do it - ROI and payback for Lean Six Sigma Business Process Management Critical Lean Six Sigma roles and responsibilities Main aspects of managing the organizational change Project selection Metrics of Lean Six Sigma and the DMAIC Model How to strategically align business metrics and projects within an organization How to identify and measure quality characteristics which are critical to customers What does the customer (internal or external) really want from our products and services? Establishing appropriate teams and setting those teams up to be successful What defines a good measurement system? How are we doing (learning the secret to measuring the right things, right)? How to improve output measures by understanding and measuring the process Where are there defects (how to properly select and scope high-impact projects)? Where is the process broken (the Lean Six Sigma version of root cause analysis)? How to determine the process efficiency, or value add, of a process The appropriate use of quality tools Understanding the concept of variation and how to reduce knee-jerk reactions How to achieve breakthrough results for any key measure How can we ensure the identified improvements will be sustainable (the basics of process control)?
Project Leadership Skills: Virtual In-House Training To be effective within an organization, project managers need to have a wide variety of skills and abilities. Included among these are: creating and executing on a vision; motivating others; influencing without authority; networking; communicating up, down and laterally; negotiating; managing stakeholders; and managing conflict. This highly interactive workshop focuses on building the soft skills that are critical to leading a team and creating sustainable business change. Participants will gain insight into the social science as well as the brain science behind motivating and empowering others. They will learn and experiment with a variety of influencing strategies and tactics. Working in pairs as well as small groups, they will collaborate with others to brainstorm, share experiences, and apply concepts to everyday challenges. Participants will also discover their personal communication preferences, strengths, and blind spots and will gain insight into how best to communicate with others they find 'difficult.' They will gain insight into managing the people side of change, learning strategies for dealing with each step in the process. Hands-on negotiation and conflict management activities enhance the theoretical learning, grounding it in real life and making it actionable. Interweaving role play with experiential learning and group activities, this course will help participants refine a skill set that is invaluable to their organization, and one that transfers easily across their professional and personal lives. What You Will Learn At the end of this course, you will be able to: Explain the importance of vision in driving motivation and engagement Apply science-based research to better motivate those around you Strategically leverage both personal and positional power to achieve positive project results Determine influencing and networking strategies needed for personal growth Identify ways to problem solve communication challenges when others have different personality styles Connect stakeholder expectations to project success criteria Assess key stakeholders across various dimensions of complexity Apply the four rules of principled negotiation to a real-life conflict situation Recognize key aspects of a physiological response to conflict Utilize selected tools and techniques to 'defuse' an emotional situation Leverage various strategies and tactics to successfully deal with ambiguity at work Getting Started / Foundation Concepts Introductions Course structure, goals, and objectives Beginning a personal action plan Managing Vision and Purpose / Motivating Others Communicating and aligning around vision Tying the present to the future The importance of purpose The art and science of motivation Networking and Influencing Positive politics and project success Types of power within organizations Power and influence Networking best practices Communication The medium and the message Personality and communication styles Communication challenges Stakeholder Management and Negotiation Identifying stakeholders Analyzing stakeholders Negotiation basics Principled negotiation Conflict Management Dynamics of conflict The anatomy of conflict Conflict management approaches and tools Dealing with ambiguity Summary and Next Steps Key concepts review Creating your personal action plan
Project Leadership Skills: In-House Training To be effective within an organization, project managers need to have a wide variety of skills and abilities. Included among these are: creating and executing on a vision; motivating others; influencing without authority; networking; communicating up, down and laterally; negotiating; managing stakeholders; and managing conflict. This highly interactive workshop focuses on building the soft skills that are critical to leading a team and creating sustainable business change. Participants will gain insight into the social science as well as the brain science behind motivating and empowering others. They will learn and experiment with a variety of influencing strategies and tactics. Working in pairs as well as small groups, they will collaborate with others to brainstorm, share experiences, and apply concepts to everyday challenges. Participants will also discover their personal communication preferences, strengths, and blind spots and will gain insight into how best to communicate with others they find 'difficult.' They will gain insight into managing the people side of change, learning strategies for dealing with each step in the process. Hands-on negotiation and conflict management activities enhance the theoretical learning, grounding it in real life and making it actionable. Interweaving role play with experiential learning and group activities, this course will help participants refine a skill set that is invaluable to their organization, and one that transfers easily across their professional and personal lives. What You Will Learn At the end of this course, you will be able to: Explain the importance of vision in driving motivation and engagement Apply science-based research to better motivate those around you Strategically leverage both personal and positional power to achieve positive project results Determine influencing and networking strategies needed for personal growth Identify ways to problem solve communication challenges when others have different personality styles Connect stakeholder expectations to project success criteria Assess key stakeholders across various dimensions of complexity Apply the four rules of principled negotiation to a real-life conflict situation Recognize key aspects of a physiological response to conflict Utilize selected tools and techniques to 'defuse' an emotional situation Leverage various strategies and tactics to successfully deal with ambiguity at work Getting Started / Foundation Concepts Introductions Course structure, goals, and objectives Beginning a personal action plan Managing Vision and Purpose / Motivating Others Communicating and aligning around vision Tying the present to the future The importance of purpose The art and science of motivation Networking and Influencing Positive politics and project success Types of power within organizations Power and influence Networking best practices Communication The medium and the message Personality and communication styles Communication challenges Stakeholder Management and Negotiation Identifying stakeholders Analyzing stakeholders Negotiation basics Principled negotiation Conflict Management Dynamics of conflict The anatomy of conflict Conflict management approaches and tools Dealing with ambiguity Summary and Next Steps Key concepts review Creating your personal action plan
Use Cases for Business Analysis: Virtual In-House Training The use case is a method for documenting the interactions between the user of a system and the system itself. Use cases have been in the software development lexicon for over twenty years, ever since it was introduced by Ivar Jacobson in the late 1980s. They were originally intended as aids to software design in object-oriented approaches. However, the method is now used throughout the Solution Development Life Cycle from elicitation through to specifying test cases, and is even applied to software development that is not object oriented. This course identifies how business analysts can apply use cases to the processes of defining the problem domain through elicitation, analyzing the problem, defining the solution, and confirming the validity and usability of the solution. What you will Learn You'll learn how to: Apply the use case method to define the problem domain and discover the conditions that need improvement in a business process Employ use cases in the analysis of requirements and information to create a solution to the business problem Translate use cases into requirements Getting Started Introductions Course structure Course goals and objectives Foundation Concepts Overview of use case modeling What is a use case model? The 'how and why' of use cases When to perform use case modeling Where use cases fit into the solution life cycle Use cases in the problem domain Use cases in the solution domain Use case strengths and weaknesses Use case variations Use case driven development Use case lexicon Use cases Actors and roles Associations Goals Boundaries Use cases though the life cycle Use cases in the life cycle Managing requirements with use cases The life cycle is use case driven Elicitation with Use Cases Overview of the basic mechanics and vocabulary of use cases Apply methods of use case elicitation to define the problem domain, or 'as is' process Use case diagrams Why diagram? Partitioning the domain Use case diagramming guidelines How to employ use case diagrams in elicitation Guidelines for use case elicitation sessions Eliciting the problem domain Use case descriptions Use case generic description template Alternative templates Elements Pre and post conditions Main Success Scenario The conversation Alternate paths Exception paths Writing good use case descriptions Eliciting the detailed workflow with use case descriptions Additional information about use cases Analyzing Requirements with Use Cases Use case analysis on existing requirements Confirming and validating requirements with use cases Confirming and validating information with use cases Defining the actors and use cases in a set of requirements Creating the scenarios Essential (requirements) use case Use case level of detail Use Case Analysis Techniques Generalization and Specialization When to use generalization or specialization Generalization and specialization of actors Generalization and specialization of use cases Examples Associating generalizations Subtleties and guidelines Use Case Extensions The <> association The <> association Applying the extensions Incorporating extension points into use case descriptions Why use these extensions? Extensions or separate use cases Guidelines for extensions Applying use case extensions Patterns and anomalies o Redundant actors Linking hierarchies Granularity issues Non-user interface use cases Quality considerations Use case modeling errors to avoid Evaluating use case descriptions Use case quality checklist Relationship between Use Cases and Business Requirements Creating a Requirements Specification from Use Cases Flowing the conversation into requirements Mapping to functional specifications Adding non-functional requirements Relating use cases to other artifacts Wire diagrams and user interface specifications Tying use cases to test cases and scenarios Project plans and project schedules Relationship between Use Cases and Functional Specifications System use cases Reviewing business use cases Balancing use cases Use case realizations Expanding and explaining complexity Activity diagrams State Machine diagrams Sequence diagrams Activity Diagrams Applying what we know Extension points Use case chaining Identifying decision points Use Case Good Practices The documentation trail for use cases Use case re-use Use case checklist Summary What did we learn, and how can we implement this in our work environment?
Thinking about learning more about Artificial Intelligence? The BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence is the advanced version of our Essentials Course Artificial Intelligence and includes more detail and insights about algebraic equations, vector calculus and schematics used in artificial intelligence and machine learning for you to learn how this new technology works.