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Class
Abstracts
Project
Management and RUP - Bert Sandler, PMP
Course Description:
Have you considered how IBM’s Rational
Unified Process (RUP) will change the way you manage your project?
Can RUP and the PMBOK coexist? Does the RUP Project Management
discipline meet PMBOK standards?
This course is designed to discuss and identify
ways that project managers can manage and control projects using
the RUP and PMBOK. Software development projects have unique
characteristics and many organizations are taking advantage
of the RUP methodology. Project managers need to able to develop
project schedules, deliverables, project plans, risk plans,
iteration assessment plans and the other artifacts to deliver
successful product. This course will provide project managers
with the knowledge and tactical documentation needed to work
in a RUP environment.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
- Understand the Rational Unified Process,
Iterative development, the goals and deliverables of each
phase.
- Define the Project Management discipline.
- Understand the differences and similarities
between RUP and PMBOK.
- Understand the RUP project management artifacts.
- Develop a Software Development Plan.
- Develop Iteration plans.
- Use the RUP Planning Guide Tool.
- Build Iteration project schedules.
Biography:
Bert Sandler, PMP, is currently a Sr. Project Manager and project
scheduler. He has more than 20 years of Information Technology
experience. He has been employed as a Project Manager for 11
years, working at Cap Gemini America, Ceridian Employer Services,
GTE, Coca-Cola and Scientific-Atlanta. He was on the Rational
implementation team at the Georgia Department of Transportation.
As the tool was implemented, he managed the first project using
the Rational suite of tools and the Team Unifying Process (TUP).
He is currently employed at Affiliated Computer Services (ACS),
in the Government Healthcare Systems PMO. ACS specializes in
IT and BP Outsourcing. ACS has modified the iterative approach
to software development as its SDLC. Bert has mentored many
of his colleagues in the use of Rational and PMI principles.
He developed most of the project artifacts and the project schedules
for many RUP projects. He has a BS and MS in Computer Science
from LaSalle University in Louisiana.
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Problem
Solving for Project Managers- John Kailey, PMP
Course Description:
Do you sometimes wonder why your solutions to
problems don’t seem to solve the problem? Have you ever
been confronted by a problem with several apparent solutions,
only to discover that none of them actually solved the problem?
Have you ever been confronted by a customer with the statement
“Your application doesn’t work fast enough for my
users”, and wondered how you were going to define the
problem, let alone solve it?
This course will give you tools to identify the real problem,
the root causes, potential solutions, and ultimately the solution
that answers the concerns of all stakeholders. It will give
you a process that will reduce, if not eliminate, the “sharpshooting”
that Project Managers can encounter when attempting to solve
problems.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
· Formulate a solution to a problem
· Discuss a problem-solving technique
· Use a problem solving technique to determine the best
solution to a business problem
Biography:
John Kailey is an experienced Project Manager in infrastructure
and development projects. John has managed commercial and government
projects for over 15 years. He has worked at HP, the CDC, and
on the Future Combat Systems Program. In addition, he has over
26 years Active Duty and Reserve service.
John lives in Kennesaw with his family and is active in the
Atlanta PMI Chapter.
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Advanced
Quality Management
This class is co-sponsored with TenStep, Inc.
"We are pleased to collaborate with TenStep, Inc. (www.TenStep.com)
on the delivery of this quality management class. TenStep is
a local Kennesaw company that has a number of products, classes
and consulting services that complement our own products and
services. This quality management class is just one of over
60 classes in their curriculum. We look forward to working with
them on this class and others in the future."
Course Description:
This course recaps the fundamentals of quality
management and proceeds through a discussion of more advanced
quality management techniques. Students will learn how to apply
quality management techniques on their projects and how to initiate
quality management techniques throughout their organization.
Topics include a discussion of the basics of quality, the founders
of the modern quality movement, control charts, cause-and-effect
diagrams, quality metrics, Pareto charts and much more. This
class also covers the basics of using quality assurance techniques
to monitor outsourced projects. An optional section at the end
highlights different quality management techniques used in the
USA and around the world.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
· Explain the definition of quality and basic
quality concepts
· Build a Quality Management Plan, including quality
control and quality assurance activities
· Understand a number of advanced quality management
techniques for your project
· Use quality assurance techniques to manage outsourced
work
· Understand the organizational characteristics needed
to support an overall quality program
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Process
Flowchart and Documentation - Chuck Spencer, PMP
Course Description:
Do your flow charts look like they belong in
a can with sauce, meatballs and a picture of Chef Boyardee on
the label? Do you suffer from dangling activities, unresolvable
decision trees, or intangible outputs? In this webinar, you
will learn valuable techniques for creating simple to detailed
process flow charts that will provide the level of detail and
clarity your project needs. But wait, there’s more! You
will also learn:
· The use of common process flow symbols
and key terminology
· How to identify the ‘right’ level to document
a process
· How to develop and document a process by interviewing
process participants
· How to expand your flowchart with process narratives
and activity dictionaries
So act today, and turn that useless spaghetti
into usable information. Sign up for this valuable course and
you will earn 5 valuable PDUs plus have some fun along the way.
And remember: only you can prevent unterminated flows!
While the actual amount of knowledge gained varies by participant,
and is governed not just by intake, but by exercising the techniques
learned in this class, we are confident that you and your team
members will be amazed at how much better your process charts
look and how much more usable detail they provide after taking
this class.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
· Understand how to develop simple to detailed flow charts
· Understand the use of common flowchart symbols
· Determine the “right level” to document
a process
· Interview process participants to collect the information
required to develop process documentation
· Expand the detail depicted in the flowchart through
the use of process narratives and activity dictionaries
Biography:
Chuck Spencer is a seasoned veteran with both a PMP certification
and EXIN certification as an IT Service Management Expert. He
has extensive IT process improvement and project management
experience working with or for companies such as ATT, EDS, MCI
Systemhouse, Diamond Technologies, Cambridge, ACS and FNIS.
He has spent considerable time “in the trenches”
doing process analysis and developing process documentation
and is highly regarded as a process expert.
Chuck lives in Dallas with his wife Shirley and his best friend
Willie, the three-legged dachshund. Chuck is a member of PMI,
ITSMF, and active in the Dallas ITSMF Local Interest Group.
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Managing
Self Organizing Teams, What is a Project Manager to do?- Jann
Thomas
Course Description:
Agile software development methodology is sweeping
the IT Industry. Many organizations are experimenting with Agility.
Often the change in the development process is either a change
initiated by the development team, or a change mandated by upper
management. In changes initiated by developers, the interactions
with other teams, development metrics, progress reports and
planning can suffer. In changes mandated by management, new
process acceptance, merging Agile into the organizational knowledge,
and communicating in all directions can be significant challenges.
Most importantly, empowering the delivery team changes the role
of the Project Manager.
This course is designed to ease the transition
from waterfall project management practices to Agile project
management practices. Participants will learn key practices
that will focus teams on delivery. Hands-on session will present
the difference in approach to Agile project management and deliver
tools for tracking project progress in a low-tech Agile way.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
• Identify core Agile development practices
• Identify differences between waterfall and Agile project
management
• Understanding the “sweet spot” for Agile
projects
• Understand Agile project metrics
• Hold release and iteration planning sessions
• Hold release and iteration review sessions
Biography:
Jann Thomas is a 15-year veteran of the software industry.
She has worked as a developer, team lead and development manager
leading teams to deliver great software. Jann has been practicing
Agile development techniques since 1998 and implemented her
first Agile Project in 2000. She holds a Master’s in Computer
Science and a Bachelor’s in Engineering. She has a Project
Manager Professional certification from the Project Management
Institute. In June 2004, she spoke at the International Conference
on Software Process Improvement and in April 2008, she spoke
at Software and System Quality Conference International. Jann
is currently working as a Project Manager for ThoughtWorks in
Atlanta, Georgia.
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Baby
Steps to Agility- Jann Thomas
Course Description:
Agile software development methodology is sweeping
the IT Industry. Many organizations are experimenting with Agility
and there are many “brands” of Agile, including
Scrum, XP, Lean, Crystal Clear and DSDM. Adoption of one of
these methodologies could be wholesale in the case of a small,
well-defined project that has no dependencies on other projects
and can be completely delivered by a trained and motivated team.
As these types of adoptions are rare, organizations are looking
for ways to ease into Agile practices without losing productivity.
This course is designed to discuss and identify
ways that project managers can facilitate the transition to
Agile practices. Participants learn basic Agile practices as
well as techniques for introducing them to the software delivery
team. Hands-on session will present common software delivery
problems and the Agile path to solutions.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
• Identify core Agile development practices
• Identify delivery pain points and Agile solutions
• Team focus and “buy-in” exercises
• Understand Agile project metrics
• Hold an iteration review focused on process changes
Biography:
Jann Thomas is a 15-year veteran of the software industry.
She has worked as a developer, team lead and development manager
leading teams to deliver great software. Jann has been practicing
Agile development techniques since 1998 and implemented her
first Agile Project in 2000. She holds a Master’s in Computer
Science and a Bachelor’s in Engineering. She has a Project
Manager Professional certification from the Project Management
Institute. In June 2004, she spoke at the International Conference
on Software Process Improvement and in April 2008, she spoke
at Software and System Quality Conference International. Jann
is currently working as a Project Manager for ThoughtWorks in
Atlanta, Georgia.
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Effective
SOW Development - Manny Rodriguez, PMP® , C.P.M
Course Description:
The Statement of Work (SOW) is the mechanism
used when purchasing products and/or services to satisfy organizational
needs. The SOW is read and interpreted by personnel with diverse
training, background, and experience in such fields as engineering,
science, accounting, law, contracting, and project management.
Careful drafting of the SOW is, therefore essential.
This course will provide guidance, instructions and references
for the preparation of statements of work for any environment
or project. Although it will provide coverage for statements
of work in general, the content also emphasizes the use of Performance
(Based) Work Statements (PWS). As a general policy many organizations
require that all contracts account for PWS and focus on outcomes
or results versus methods of performance or processes. Acquisition
reform is striving to reduce risk by using performance-based
specifications and standards, which make the contractor responsible
for providing the product/service requested, assuming the risk
for meeting performance requirements, and seeking innovations
to efficiently and effectively achieve performance objectives.
The course will also discuss the importance of giving the contractor
greater latitude for determining methods of performance, with
more responsibility for performance quality. Coupling the PWS
concept with a clear and concise SOW will lead to more cost-effective
acquisitions and better value for all types of customers.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to identify and document as part of the SOW:
• Generally required background information
• Objectives to be met
• Tasks and specific work
• Deliverables and delivery schedule
• Place of performance
• Period of performance
• Appropriate and unambiguous language
Biography:
Manny's
focus is the transformation of business needs into successful
ventures through the use of proven project management tools
and techniques. He is an experienced instructor, consultant
and advisor, having done work in the US, Mexico, Spain, Brazil,
Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico. His experience expands 20
plus years in the interralated disciplines of telecommunications
engineering, project management, procurement, organizational
design and development, process engineering, quality management
and project team facilitation. He has held numerous management
positions including Senior Director of Operations with responsibilities
ranging from multi-disciplilne, multi-million dollar projects
utilizing internal and external resources. Manny's accomplishments
include:
- Teaching
over 4,000 students, maintaining an overall satisfactory rating
greater than 90 percent
- Negotiating,
formulating and managing contracts with extraordinary requirements,
capital budget purchases and system enhancements
Manny
has a BS in Management from Barry University and a Master's
Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.
He is a Project Management Professional (PMP® ) and a Certified
Prchasing Manager (C.P.M).
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PMO
- Does My Organization Need One?– Peggy Joyner, MBA, PMP
A Program Management Office (PMO) is an effective
approach for organizations to enhance their ability to achieve
strategic and operational results. Understanding the fundamental
aspects of traditional PMOs and which compoents will fit given
the organizational context is a challenge. This course is designed
to give participants an overview of the basics of PMOs, their
functions, and implementation considerations. By the end of
the course, each participant will be able to:
- Discuss the functions and critical success
factors of a PMO
- Describe four PMO models
- Evaluate organizational factors for consideration
in selecting the appropriate model for an organization
- Develop a PMO implementation plan
- Identify upcoming trends from PMOs
Biography:
Peggy Joyner has completed a 34 year career with the State
of Georgia and begun a second career consulting on Project,
Program and Portfolio Management Offices and organizational
IT Governance. During her last 5 years with the Sate, she was
Director of the Office of Program Management for the Georgia
Technology Authority with the responsibility of providing oversight
and program management of all Georgia technology projects exceeding
$1 million. During this time, she spearheaded the development
of activities to implement IT Governance for the State along
with activities to increase project management competencies
for all State of Georgia project managers. Currently, Peggy
is on assignment at the Centers for Disease Control and is leading
a project team defining and implementing refinements to their
IT governance including the development of a project management
framework.
Peggy holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a BBA in
Computer Information Systems from Clayton College and State
University. She obtained her Project Management Professional
(PMP) certification in October 2001 and has been an active member
of the Project Management Institute since 2000. Peggy has her
own consulting company focusing on program and project management
services and training.
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IT
Governance - Peggy Joyner, MBA, PMP
Course Description:
Information, and the technology that supports
it, represents a very valuable asset for most organizations.
Industry best practices and research indicate that successful
organizations recognize the benefits of their information resources
and use them to drive the accomplishment of their missions.
In order for this to occur, there must be effective information
technology governance processes including the appropriate structures
and resources.
There are many driving forces for organizations
to develop, refine, and implement effective governance for information
resources. Several of these drivers include:
· The need for systems to be interoperable within and
outside organizations
· Rapidly growing complexities in information systems
and technologies
· Budget pressures with greater information system needs
Research on the topic of IT governance suggests
that organizations that implement effective governance for their
information resources would have a greater ability to meet the
organization’s mission. Studies indicate effective governance
provides a decision making structure that focuses on ensuring
information resource strategies are aligned with the overall
organization’s strategy and that the appropriate balance
of investments are made. Specific benefits that may be derived
include:
· Greater information resources alignment with business
needs
· Broader strategic planning coordination
· Improved efficiency, effectiveness and interoperability
· Greater agility for meeting demands with a quicker
response
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
· Identify the 5 key components to IT Governance
· Identify IT governance functions
· Discuss the characteristics of successful IT Governance
· Understand the potential roles of a PMO in IT Governance
Biography:
Peggy Joyner has completed a 34 year career with the State
of Georgia and begun a second career consulting on Project,
Program and Portfolio Management Offices and organizational
IT Governance. During her last 5 years with the Sate, she was
Director of the Office of Program Management for the Georgia
Technology Authority with the responsibility of providing oversight
and program management of all Georgia technology projects exceeding
$1 million. During this time, she spearheaded the development
of activities to implement IT Governance for the State along
with activities to increase project management competencies
for all State of Georgia project managers. Currently, Peggy
is on assignment at the Centers for Disease Control and is leading
a project team defining and implementing refinements to their
IT governance including the development of a project management
framework.
Peggy holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a BBA in
Computer Information Systems from Clayton College and State
University. She obtained her Project Management Professional
(PMP) certification in October 2001 and has been an active member
of the Project Management Institute since 2000. Peggy has her
own consulting company focusing on program and project management
services and training.
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ITIL
V3, What It Means to PM– Chuck Spencer, PMP
Course
Description:
Have you wondered what ITIL V3 is all about
and more importantly, how it affects you as a project manager?
Should you pursue ITIL Certification? If so, what kind? This
course will provide you with an overview of ITIL V3 by explaining
the background behind ITIL, the current V3 ITIL books and the
area of knowledge they encompass, and the levels of ITIL certification
along with what it takes to achieve each level. The course will
also discuss the role of Project Management in the ITIL Service
Lifecycle.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
• Understand what ITIL V3 is and how it came to be.
• Understand and be able to explain the ITIL Service Lifecycle.
• Understand the role of Project Management within ITIL
V3.
• Understand how ITIL Certification is structured and
what is required to achieve certification at each level.
• Determine their course of action to gain ITIL Certification.
Biography:
Chuck Spencer is a PMP with
an ITIL Service Manager’s Certification in ITIL Version
2 and has completed the V3 Bridge to qualify him for ITIL Expert
Certification. Chuck has extensive IT process improvement and
project management experience and has worked for, or consulted
with, companies such as ATT, EDS, MCI Systemhouse, Diamond Technologies,
Cambridge, ACS and FNIS. Chuck is a member of ITSMF and very
active in the Dallas Local ITSMF Interest Group.
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Managing
Across Cultures– Andrew Gurbaxani, PMP
Projects in many industries are increasingly
being performed on a global basis by virtual teams. The lack
of direct personal contact between project team members, who
may or may not have the same employer and almost certainly operate
in different cultural and work environments, can lead to project
execution issues.
This situation emphasizes the criticality of sensitizing project
managers to the nuances of the various cultural environments
in which the project is being executed. For example, different
cultures place varying emphases on important factors such as
age and gender. While in an ideal world such factors would not
matter, in the real world they do, especially when managing
a culturally-diverse project team.
This class will address both the problems associated with managing
projects across cultures, as well as provide some insights into
how to address common issues that emerge when executing projects
globally.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the challenges
of “managing across cultures” and define the specific
parameters that lead to those challenges (e.g., age, gender,
language, customs, etc.)
- Present case studies regarding
specific situations commonly encountered by project managers
with global, virtual teams, and explore the various options
for resolving the situation in the most productive and amicable
manner.
- Summarize the learnings from
the case studies, and present some general “rules of
the road” for managing global, culturally-diverse project
teams.
Biography:
Andrew
has 20+ years of experience as a technology project manager
and consultant. He has worked for the past 10 years as a program
manager and consultant in the customer service / technical support
areas. He has worked with a number of Fortune 500 companies
in a wide variety of industries to help them implement state-of-the-art
contact center technologies and improve operational efficiencies.
His most recent experiences have been with customers in the
digital broadband (telecom/cable), consumer electronics, and
professional services industries.
His specialty is helping these managers measure their organization’s
baseline performance, use those measures to suggest tactical
and strategic improvement initiatives, implement new technologies
and processes aimed at realizing operational improvement, and
establish as well as achieve targeted improvement metrics. During
the past ten years working for leading customer service software
vendors, he has successfully delivered multiple implementations
making extensive use of offshore development resources (primarily
in India). He has written and presented numerous articles in
the technology and project management areas, most recently “Measuring
Global Project Performance and Value” at the Atlanta PMI
Professional Development Day meeting (August, 2007) and at the
4th International PMI SCC Conference held in Macoya, Trinidad
(September, 2007).
Andrew has a MS in Management from the MIT Sloan School and
a MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. He has been a
certified PMP since 2001. He is also a member of Atlanta Telecom
Professionals (ATP), and Microsoft Project Association (MPA).
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Managing
Risk: A Question of Balance – Rich Maltzman, PMP
Some contend that a project manager’s core work is as
the risk manager of the project. Even if you don’t believe
that, it’s clear that as a PM you constantly deal with
risk. Using the concept and theme of balance throughout,
this course takes the participant through the processes of risk
management – risk planning, risk identification, risk
analysis, risk response, and monitoring and control of risk
– never losing sight of the project context. Peppered
with class discussions to get the most from the attendees’
varied backgrounds (and to provide more balance!) it is also
enhanced with interactions that engage all participants. This
journey through the world of uncertainty will reinforce basic
risk courseware you may have had and will leave you with some
thought-provoking concepts but also with down-to-earth tools
to use on real projects.
At the end of this course, class participants should be able
to:
1. Gain a deeper, more integrated understanding of
how risk affects a project
2. Translate this into how this affects the planning of their
projects
3. Collect, understand, and use advice and tools for risk identification
4. Improve their capabilities in risk analysis
5. Expand their capabilities of developing effective risk responses
6. Reaffirm the importance of continuing, ongoing risk management
Biography:
Rich Maltzman, PMP, has been an engineer
since 1978 and a Project Management supervisor since 1988, including
a recent 2-year assignment in The Netherlands in which he built
a team of PMs overseeing deployments of telecom networks in
Europe and the Middle East. His project work has been diverse,
including projects such as the successful deployment of the
entire video and telecom infrastructure for the 1996 Summer
Olympic Games in Atlanta, to the 2006 integration of the PMOs
of two large merging corporations. As a second, but intertwined
career, Rich has also focused on consulting and teaching, having
developed curricula and/or taught at:
- Boston University's Corporate Education
Center
- Merrimack College
- Northern Essex Community College
- University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Rich has also professionally developed PMP-exam
prep courseware, including exams and books. He even edited
and was "the voice" for a set of 8 Audio CDs - a major part
of a PMP prep course for an international company, for whom
he has also facilitated PMP exam study groups. Rich was
selected for the Modeling Team for the 4th Edition PMBOK Guide
to be published by PMI in 2008, and contributed to the chapters
on Quality and Risk.
Currently, Rich is Senior Manager, Learning
and Professional Advancement, at the Global Program Management
Office of a major telecom concern.
Rich’s educational background includes
a BSEE from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and
an MSIE from Purdue University. In addition, Rich has
a mini-MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School
and a Master's Certificate in international business management
granted jointly from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business
and INSEAD of France. From a Project Management standpoint,
Rich received his PMP in 2000 after earning the Stevens Institute's
Master's Certificate in 1999. He has presented papers
on Project Management at conferences in Huizen, The Netherlands,
Mexico City and Long Beach, California.
Rich is currently co-authoring a book with
Ranjit Biswas, PMP, entitled "The Fiddler on the Project", a
portion of which is being collaboratively written on the web
via a wiki,
and posts regularly on his blog, Scope
Crêpe.
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Measuring Global Project Performance and Value
– Andrew Gurbaxani, MS, PMP
Projects in many industries are increasingly being performed
on a global basis by virtual teams. The lack of direct personal
contact between project team members, who may or may not have
the same employer and almost certainly operate in different
cultural and work environments, can lead to project execution
issues. This situation emphasizes the need for increased coordination
by project managers, and the critical need for real-time project
reporting against standardized project metrics. In addition
to these internal project performance measures, there is a real
need to establish external (customer-facing) measures of the
value provided by the project. This presentation will address
both internal and external measures of project performance and
value.l
Biography:
Andrew
has 20+ years of experience as a technology project manager
and consultant. He has worked for the past 10 years as a program
manager and consultant in the customer service / technical support
areas. He has worked with a number of Fortune 500 companies
in a wide variety of industries to help them implement state-of-the-art
contact center technologies and improve operational efficiencies.
His most recent experiences have been with customers in the
digital broadband (telecom/cable), consumer electronics, and
professional services industries.
His specialty is helping these managers measure their organization’s
baseline performance, use those measures to suggest tactical
and strategic improvement initiatives, implement new technologies
and processes aimed at realizing operational improvement, and
establish as well as achieve targeted improvement metrics. During
the past ten years working for leading customer service software
vendors, he has successfully delivered multiple implementations
making extensive use of offshore development resources (primarily
in India). He has written and presented numerous articles in
the technology and project management areas, most recently “Measuring
Global Project Performance and Value” at the Atlanta PMI
Professional Development Day meeting (August, 2007) and at the
4th International PMI SCC Conference held in Macoya, Trinidad
(September, 2007).
Andrew has a MS in Management from the MIT Sloan School and
a MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. He has been a
certified PMP since 2001. He is also a member of Atlanta Telecom
Professionals (ATP), and Microsoft Project Association (MPA).
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How
to Turn Conflict into Collaboration – Kim Freedman, PMP
Course Description:
Every project has stakeholders, and when you have stakeholders
with competing needs, you are going to have conflict. Conflict
is not "bad," in fact it can be beneficial if seen
as an opportunity for improving project communication and leading
to better problem solving. However, conflict does need to be
recognized, managed effectively, and resolved. This class examines
the causes of conflict, typical responses, and the process of
conflict resolution. Through lecture and exercises, you'll learn
how to turn conflict into collaboration by surfacing the issues
creating the conflict, promoting a win-win scenario, and obtaining
a commitment to action. The Knowledge Area and Processes covered
in this course are: Project Human Resource Management, Develop
Project Team, and Manage Project Team.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants should be able
to:
• Define conflict
• Discuss the impact of conflict on a project
• Identify your preferred conflict style
• Describe the primary causes of conflict
• Name the conditions and skills needed to mediate conflict
effectively
• List the steps in conflict resolution
The cost of the course includes a $15 independent assessment
fee.
Biography:
Kim Freedman has over 20 years of experience
managing people, projects, and business operations - primarily
within IT companies such as EDS, Sapient and ACS. In addition
to the PMP® designation, Kim has a professional certification
in Human Resource Management and has worked as an HR Director
and corporate trainer. She earned an undergraduate degree in
Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA degree
with a concentration in Management and Organization Development
from Georgia State University. She also received professional
coach training through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI).
Kim is the owner of Catalyst Leadership Coaching, LLC, which
uses customized training programs and one-on-one coaching to
help businesses develop effective leaders and productive teams.
Kim also offers personal development coaching to professionals
who want to make more conscious choices and achieve their career
and life goals through deliberate and inspired action. Kim is
a member of the International Coach Federation and serves on
the Board of Directors for the Georgia Coach Association. She
is also an active member in the following professional organizations:
Technology Association of Georgia, Women In Technology, and
the Society for Human Resource Management—Atlanta chapter.
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Managing
Stakeholder Expectations- The Key to Project Success–
Diane D. Miller, PMP
Managing to the triple constraint may be important, but true project
success is measured by stakeholder satisfaction. In this class
you'll learn how to manage the expectations of project stakeholders
by following a simple Plan-Do-Check-Act formula. Solve your current
project communication challenges by developing the framework for
a realistic plan that you can begin executing when you get back
to the office.
Using a combination of information sharing and relevant exercises,
we will review the foundational project management skills needed
to effectively manage stakeholder success. Each participant
will build their own stakeholder analysis and stakeholder management
plan based on a current real-world challenge or a challenge
faced in the past. Using this same scenario, we will explore
and practice techniques to effectively execute your plan. Then
we will discuss ways to make sure you stay on track. You will
leave this class armed with an actionable plan and the skills
needed to successfully execute.
And just to keep us honest…
For those studying for the PMP exam (or that need a little refresher),
the materials that we cover will be cross referenced back to
the PMBOK.
By the end of this class, participants will:
-
Understand the purpose of a Stakeholder Analysis (Communications
Requirements Analysis).
-
Have created a Stakeholder Analysis (Communications Requirements
Analysis).
-
Understand the purpose of a Stakeholder Management Plan (Communication
Management Plan).
-
Have created a Stakeholder Management Plan (Communication
Management Plan).
-
Be aware of various techniques to execute a stakeholder management
plan. (Communication Management Plan)
-
Have practiced techniques to execute a Stakeholder Management
Plan (Communication Management Plan)
-
Be aware of techniques to evaluate a Stakeholder Management
Plan (Communication Management Plan).
-
Be conscious of the need to take action for continuous improvement
in stakeholder management.
-
Understand that stakeholder management occurs throughout the
life a project.
Biography:
Diane D. Miller is a Principal at Satori Consulting,
Inc. where she plays an integral part in the development of
this innovative business. In this role, Diane is responsible
for planning major projects, managing client relationships and
establishing project standards for Satori. Diane also actively
consults on process improvement engagements and works closely
with clients to effectively manage organizational change.
Diane is a career project management professional with
more than 17 years experience working with companies to define
and achieve business objectives. Prior to joining Satori, Diane
led the Information Technology PMO for Coca-Cola Enterprises.
In this role, she was instrumental in shaping the project management
practices used to execute multi-million dollar projects and
in managing the overall project portfolio. Earlier in her career,
Diane held several consultancy positions with companies like
Rare Medium, Cambridge Technology Partners and EDS. Her strong
project management skills coupled with a solid foundation of
business experience and an IT background have enabled Diane
to successfully introduce and execute innovative business solutions
to a variety of clients which include: The Ritz Carlton, BellSouth,
Comcast, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Temple University and Mars
Inc.
Throughout her career, Diane has helped colleagues improve
their project management skills and increase their overall project
delivery effectiveness through a combination of training and
coaching. She also taught aspiring student project managers
the science and fine art of Project Management at The Art Institute
of Atlanta. Diane now continues this passion for teaching by
working with EPM Solutions to deliver training to project managers
ready to take their project management skills to a higher level.
Diane is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
that has earned a Masters Certificate in Project Management
from Regis University and a Bachelors of Science in Management
Information Systems from Syracuse University.
Although a native New Yorker at heart, Diane now lives with
her family in Atlanta, GA.
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Project
Managers are from Mars, Project Resources are from Venus–
Andrew Gurbaxani, PMP
In
many cases, Project Managers are PMP -certified, eminently qualified
and experienced, and yet their projects fail. Why? It is often
due to "relationship issues which stem from a "failutre to communicate"
(sound familiar?) If communication in one form or another is
90% of the PM's job, how can they do a better job of it?
This is not a touchy-feely "I'm OK, You're OK" seminar. We are
going to get into the nitty-gritty of project communications
and resource management, with a focus on the real-world implications
for PMs. For example, how do you interview project resources
and gain reassurance that they will not ultimately fail you?
How do you get total strangers on board, motivated, and working
hard for you? How do you know how to pay and reward them for
their efforts, and when? How do you manage the inevitable interpersonal
conflict, create team spirit, and improve morale? How do you
know when to let project resources go (legally) and under what
circumstances?
While PMs are motivated by "hard" goals (e.g., getting signoff
on deliverables, executing tasks within project budget and schedule),
project resources are often motivated by "soft" goals (e.g.,
the project experience, skills development, networking for their
next gig). Can "Mars" and "Venus" find a way to work together
for the benefit of the project?
At the end of this course, class participants
should gain insight into:
• Distinguishing between different project communications
styles and identifying the appropriate style, depending upon
the situation.
• Identifying the factors which can disrupt or impede
effective project communications
• Selecting project resources who will be more likely
to help your project succeed than make it fail
• Engaging project resources efficiently and productively
• Motivating project resources to perform at the level
necessary to ensure project success (and improve themselves
and others in the process)
• Releasing project resources (the good, the bad, and
the ugly).
• What to do if nothing else works with regarding to project
communications.
Biography:
Andrew
has 20+ years of experience as a technology project manager
and consultant. He has worked for the past 10 years as a program
manager and consultant in the customer service / technical support
areas. He has worked with a number of Fortune 500 companies
in a wide variety of industries to help them implement state-of-the-art
contact center technologies and improve operational efficiencies.
His most recent experiences have been with customers in the
digital broadband (telecom/cable), consumer electronics, and
professional services industries.
His specialty is helping these managers measure their organization’s
baseline performance, use those measures to suggest tactical
and strategic improvement initiatives, implement new technologies
and processes aimed at realizing operational improvement, and
establish as well as achieve targeted improvement metrics. During
the past ten years working for leading customer service software
vendors, he has successfully delivered multiple implementations
making extensive use of offshore development resources (primarily
in India). He has written and presented numerous articles in
the technology and project management areas, most recently “Measuring
Global Project Performance and Value” at the Atlanta PMI
Professional Development Day meeting (August, 2007) and at the
4th International PMI SCC Conference held in Macoya, Trinidad
(September, 2007).
Andrew has a MS in Management from the MIT Sloan School and
a MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. He has been a
certified PMP since 2001. He is also a member of Atlanta Telecom
Professionals (ATP), and Microsoft Project Association (MPA).
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Unlock
Your Project Team's Potential Through Coaching - Kim Freedman,
PMP
Do
you want to maximize the productivity and efffectiveness of
your project team? Try coaching them! The best Project Managers
use coaching skills to guide individual team members to achieve
extraordinary results. In this class you'll learn more about
this thing called coaching and discover how it is similar and
different from mentoring. You'll be introduced to coaching
models, explore the basic skill set for coaches and mentors,
get an opportunity to practice some coaching/mentoring skills,
and much more. You'll also leave the class with practical strategies
for coaching others to set goals, develop action plans, and
obtain desired results.
Biography:
Kim Freedman has over 20 years of experience
managing people, projects, and business operations - primarily
within IT companies such as EDS, Sapient and ACS. In addition
to the PMP® designation, Kim has a professional certification
in Human Resources and has worked as an HR Director and corporate
trainer. She earned an undergraduate degree in Nursing from
the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA degree with a concentration
in Management and Organization Develoment from Georgia State
University. She also received professional coach training through
the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Kim is the owner of Catalyst
Leadership Coaching, which uses customized training programs
and one-on-one coaching to help businesses develop leaders who
deliver outstanding results. Kim also offers personal coaching
to professionals who want to achieve their life and career goals
in the quickest time possible.
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Managing
Project Risk - Manny Rodriguez, PMP, C.P.M
This
course is designed to give the participant a thorough understanding
of risks in projects. The course will take the participants
through the process of risk identification, evaluation and mitigation
planning for each risk identified. This seminar will serve as
a footing and guide to manage an effective project, keeping
within the confines of the triple constraints. In addition,
this course visits financial impacts as the result of negative
and positive risk outcomes.
Biography:
Manny's
focus is the transformation of business needs into successful
ventures through the use of proven project management tools
and techniques. He is an experienced instructor, consultant
and advisor, having done work in the US, Mexico, Spain, Brazil,
Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico. His experience expands 20
plus years in the interralated disciplines of telecommunications
engineering, project management, procurement, organizational
design and development, process engineering, quality management
and project team facilitation. He has held numerous management
positions including Senior Director of Operations with responsibilities
ranging from multi-disciplilne, multi-million dollar projects
utilizing internal and external resources. Manny's accomplishments
include:
- Teaching
over 4,000 students, maintaining an overall satisfactory rating
greater than 90 percent
- Negotiating,
formulating and managing contracts with extraordinary requirements,
capital budget purchases and system enhancements
Manny
has a BS in Management from Barry University and a Master's
Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.
He is a Project Management Professional (PMP® ) and a Certified
Prchasing Manager (C.P.M).
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Project/Program
Metrics and Dashboards – Mike Hayes, PMP, M.S.
During a large project/program, a vast amount of project data
is collected. It is the project manager’s responsibility
to collect the appropriate project data and display the information
that paints the correct picture of the project/program.
This picture can tell you stories of
high dollars, great risk, or unrealistic staffing requirements.
Utilizing the correct project metrics will allow you, the project
manager, to keep your finger on the pulse of your project and
provide you with the data to communicate the status of the project
to your Stakeholders. This seminar will explore a variety of
project metrics to fit your project’s needs, and to build
dashboards from them.
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
• Understand the distinctions between a project and program
• Identify specific metrics to capture and track for projects
• Implement a step by step process for defining metrics
• Evaluate metric data over time to identify correlations
and trends
• Understand the application of Earned Value techniques
in metric report
• Understand the value and objectives of a project/program
dashboard
• Understand the keys to a successful dashboard
• Develop a customized dashboard for their
specific project
Biography:
Mike Hayes has over 19 years of experience in
software development life cycle processes, including project
and program management. Mike has successfully delivered large
projects for a wide range of customers, including the USAF and
State of Georgia. In addition to his government industry experience,
Mike has experience within the Telecommunications and HealthCare
industries. One of Mike’s proudest achievements was his
development and delivery of the Accreditation Badging System
for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
As a Service Delivery Manager for Keane Inc., an international
IT consulting company, Mike developed a strong background in
all phases of project management, from presales support, to
proposal development, to implementation, and beyond. Mike also
brings 15 years of active duty Air Force experience to the classroom.
Over the past 2 years Mike has developed an extremely successful
track record in preparing experienced Project Manager for the
PMP certification exam.
Mike earned a Bachelors in Computer Science from the University
of South Florida and a Masters in Computers & Information
Science from Troy State University. He lives in Marietta, GA
with his wife and two teenage boys.
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The
BA Versus PM Struggle – Robin Tracy, PMP, CBAP
How
many times are we, as Project Managers, asked to wear multiple
hats? In today's business environment company's expect more
than just one skill set for their money. This class will help
those who are asked to wear the hat of Business Analyst and
Project Manager by clearly defining what each role is in an
IT project, as well as provide useful templates for participants
to use in their daily jobs. The class includes a demonstration
using MS Project and Requisite Pro that shows shortcuts to creating
project schedules. The attendees will leave this interactive
class understanding both the BA and PM roles as well as when
to "wear which hat" to be most effective.
Biography:
Robin Tracy is the President of Advanced Solutions
Consulting, Inc. currently on assignment at the Centers for
Disease Control in Atlanta, GA managing multiple projects for
the National Center for HIV, STD, TB, Prevention Informatics
Office. She is also working with the CCID Informatics Workgroup
in establishing roles and responsibilities for the newly organizing
CCID Informatics Office.
Robin is one of 200 Certified Business Analysis
Professionals (CBAP) and is uniquely qualified to discuss the
struggles between the Project Manager and Business Analyst on
a project team.
Robin has many years of project and program
management experience in private as well as the public sector.
Her education includes a BBA from Georgia State University as
well as numerous certifications. Robin achieved her Project
Management Professional (PMP® ) designation in 2004 and
is actively involved in the Project Management Institute serving
as Program Director for Education in 2006 and currently on the
bylaws committee for the Atlanta Chapter.
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Earned
Value Analysis – Eric Hughes, PMP
A
workshop for mastering an understanding of the key elements
of earned value analysis as it pertains to scope, cost, schedule
and optimum planning and control. This workshop will teach you
how to predict future project performance based on historical
data as well as how to display and interpret Earned Value Analysis
results in graphical form.
Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to:
- List the planning elements that are essential
to setting up projects for Earned Value tracking.
- Understand the importance of Earned Value
in managing your projects.
- Understand Earned Value terminology and
formulas.
- Demonstrate how to calculate cost and schedule
variances and apply other Earned Value metrics to determine
current project performance.
- Forecast final cost and schedule results
using the cost performance index and the schedule performance
index and graphically display results.
- Identify what must be done to implement
Earned Value effectively.
“Excellent
class on a very difficult subject - Eric was very good, knew
his subject and answered all questions” – Class
Attendee
Biography:
A graduate of West Point, Eric Hughes enjoyed
a 20-year career as an officer in the U.S. Army. He held progressively
demanding assignments in Systems Analysis and Personnel Management
throughout the United States and Europe.
After his military career, Eric joined Byers Engineering
Company in 1998 as a Business Process Manager and was responsible
for promoting project management principles and standards throughout
the company. As a Director for operations and planning, his
responsibilities included oversight of program management throughout
the data services and software development organizations. He
developed a quality control process based on the American National
Standards for Sampling Attributes and was responsible for the
overall Quality Assurance Compliance Audit Program.
Eric currently works as a Six Sigma Black Belt and Deployment
Leader for ZC Sterling. He collaborates with product line executives
to identify potential areas for improvement and leads project
teams thru the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve,
Control) methodology. He also provides Six Sigma Green Belt
training, coaching and mentoring throughout the organization.
As a private consultant, Eric works with local companies to
develop project management and process improvement capabilities.
He is also an Adjunct Professor in Shorter College’s School
of Business.
Eric has an advanced degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations
Research from Penn State. He has his Project Management Professional
(PMP®) certification from the Project Management Institute
(PMI). He also received his Six Sigma Black Belt training and
certification from Georgia Tech College of Management and is
an American Society for Quality Certified Six Sigma Black Belt
(CSSBB).
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Saving
Troubled Projects - Manny Rodriguez, PMP, C.P.M
This
seminar presents the "nuts and bolts" about taking a failing
project and restoring it to a meaningful conclusion. The driving
concept in this fast-paced course is based on the concept that
the project must be saved. It will give the participant the
foundation in which to apply experience, tools and techniques
as means of salvaging the project in a tight time frame. The
course not only explores the planning and recovery, but the
student will develop a clear understanding of constraints and
what is required in order to deliver customer satisfaction.
Biography:
Manny's
focus is the transformation of business needs into successful
ventures through the use of proven project management tools
and techniques. He is an experienced instructor, consultant
and advisor, having done work in the US, Mexico, Spain, Brazil,
Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico. His experience expands 20
plus years in the interralated disciplines of telecommunications
engineering, project management, procurement, organizational
design and development, process engineering, quality management
and project team facilitation. He has held numerous management
positions including Senior Director of Operations with responsibilities
ranging from multi-disciplilne, multi-million dollar projects
utilizing internal and external resources. Manny's accomplishments
include:
- Teaching
over 4,000 students, maintaining an overall satisfactory rating
greater than 90 percent
- Negotiating,
formulating and managing contracts with extraordinary requirements,
capital budget purchases and system enhancements
Manny
has a BS in Management from Barry University and a Master's
Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.
He is a Project Management Professional (PMP® ) and a Certified
Prchasing Manager (C.P.M).
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Lessons
Learned Best Practices – Lisa A. Grant, MBA, PMP
“The
definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over
and expecting different results” –Albert Einstein
Today’s
companies are increasingly projectized. Valuable education and
experience is achieved with each project undertaken by an organization.
However, those experiences are often lost and not leveraged
to improve future projects of the organization.
By
definition, a project is a temporary endeavor. Once it is over
the team is usually assigned to other projects, and all of the
lessons learned go with them. It is the project manager’s
responsibility to collect this valuable information and archive
it in order for it to be leveraged in similar projects.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
-
Recognize the importance of gathering and implementing valuable
knowledge to be reused for the betterment of future project
success
-
Identify project-life-cycle phases in which Lessons Learned
are gathered and implemented
-
Specify the importance of timing in gathering Lessons Learned
-
Build Lessons Learned knowledge sources that can be effectively
utilized for future projects
Biography:
Lisa A. Grant is a Professional Project Manager.
Not because she achieved the PMP® certificate from the Project
Management Institute in 1996, but because she has committed
her career to the advancement of the project management discipline
through consulting, training, coaching and volunteering. She
has influenced and improved project management processes in
various industries and functional areas such as Knowledge Management,
Healthcare, e-Learning, State and Federal Government, Automotive,
Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Payroll, Textile,
and Beverage verticals.
Her consulting value proposition stems from 20+ years
of Information Technology experience including full life-cycle
application development (SDLC), software implementations, e-learning
product launches, Program Management Office creation, Business
Process Mapping, and process improvement business consulting.
Her tactical training experience includes e-learning, instructor-led
programs and involvement in communities of practice. She is
also a fervent blogger and podcaster of Project Management topics
and war stories. Personal improvement is Lisa’s passion
and she regularly coaches new project managers, and is an official
mentor for Toastmasters Club 8708.
She has serviced PMI in various volunteer roles such as a
participant on PMI Global PMP exam writing committees, as the
Program Manager for the Certification and Education Committee
of the PMI Atlanta Chapter, and is currently the Chair of the
PMI Atlanta Chapter. Additionally, she performed the role of
Secretary for Toastmasters Club 8708 in 2005, and was Program
Director for the Atlanta Microsoft Project Association in 2006.
“Providing
handouts allowed attendees to take back to their jobs a working
instrument" – Class Attendee
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Measuring
Global Project Performance and Value – Andrew Gurbaxani,
PMP
Projects
in many industries are increasingly being performed on a global
basis by virtual teams. The lack of direct personal contact
between project team members, who may or may not have the same
employer and almost certainly operate in different cultural
and work environments, can lead to project execution issues.
This situation emphasizes the need for increased coordination
by project managers, and the critical need for real-time project
reporting against standardized project metrics. In addition
to these internal project performance measures, there is a real
need to establish external (customer-facing) measures of the
value provided by the project. This presentation will address
both internal and external measures of project performance and
value.
Biography:
Mr. Gurbaxani has 20+ years of experience as
a technology project manager and consultant. He has worked for
the past 10 years as a program manager and consultant in the
customer service / technical support areas. He has worked with
a number of Fortune 500 companies in a wide variety of industries
to help them implement state-of-the-art contact center technologies
and improve operational efficiencies. His most recent experiences
have been with customers in the digital broadband (telecom/cable),
hospitality, and professional services industries.
His specialty is helping these managers measure their organization’s
baseline performance, use those measures to suggest tactical
and strategic improvement initiatives, implement new technologies
and processes aimed at realizing operational improvement, and
establish as well as achieve targeted improvement metrics. During
the past eight years working for leading customer service software
vendors, he has successfully delivered multiple implementations
making extensive use of offshore development resources (primarily
in India). He has written numerous articles in the technology
area, most recently “Measuring Global Project Performance
and Value” for the Atlanta PMI Professional Development
Day meeting (August, 2006).
Mr. Gurbaxani has a MS in Management from the MIT Sloan School
and a MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. He has been
a certified PMP® since 2001. He is also a member of Atlanta
Telecom Professionals (ATM), MIT Enterprise Forum, and CRM Association
of Atlanta.
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Six
Sigma Overview for Project Managers, Eric Hughes, PMP
This class is for Project Managers who want to know what all
the fuss is about when it comes to Six Sigma and how it relates
to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). According
to the PMI, Project Managers spend 40% of their time dealing
with senior managers and stakeholders on such matters as: Data
gathering and analysis, problem solving, understanding and evaluating
existing processes, developing and tracking measurements in
a standardized manner, and making quantitative evaluations.
Six Sigma provides tools and techniques
to help Project Managers be successful in all the above challenges.
This is accomplished by understanding what the Six Sigma methodology
is, how it is applied, and how it is used in a typical project
management situation.
Course
Objectives :
At the end of this course, class participants
should be able to understand:
• what Six Sigma is,
• where Six Sigma came from,
• what the key elements of Six Sigma are,
• what the Six Sigma Methodology is, and
• what tools Six Sigma uses.
Biography:
A
graduate of West Point, Eric Hughes enjoyed a 20-year career
as an officer in the U.S. Army. He held progressively demanding
assignments in Systems Analysis and Personnel Management throughout
the United States and Europe.
After his military career, Eric joined Byers Engineering Company
in 1998 as a Business Process Manager and was responsible for
promoting project management principles and standards throughout
the company. As a Director for operations and planning his responsibilities
included oversight of program management throughout the data
services and software development organizations. He developed
a quality control process based on the American National Standards
for Sampling Attributes and was responsible for the overall
Quality Assurance Compliance Audit Program.
Eric
currently works with local companies as a private consultant
to develop project management and process improvement capabilities.
He is also an Adjunct Professor in Shorter College’s School
of Business.
Eric
has an advanced degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations
Research from Penn State. He has his Project Management Professional
(PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI)
and his Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Georgia Tech
College of Management.
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Managing
Project Risk - Manny Rodriguez, PMP, C.P.M
This
course is designed to give the participant a thorough understanding
of risks in projects. The course will take the participants
through the process of risk identification, evaluation and mitigation
planning for each risk identified. This seminar will serve as
a footing and guide to manage an effective project, keeping
within the confines of the triple constraints. In addition,
this course visits financial impacts as the result of negative
and positive risk outcomes.
Biography:
Manny's
focus is the transformation of business needs into successful
ventures through the use of proven project management tools
and techniques. He is an experienced instructor, consultant
and advisor, having done work in the US, Mexico, Spain, Brazil,
Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico. His experience expands 20
plus years in the interralated disciplines of telecommunications
engineering, project management, procurement, organizational
design and development, process engineering, quality management
and project team facilitation. He has held numerous management
positions including Senior Director of Operations with responsibilities
ranging from multi-disciplilne, multi-million dollar projects
utilizing internal and external resources. Manny's accomplishments
include:
- Teaching
over 4,000 students, maintaining an overall satisfactory rating
greater than 90 percent
- Negotiating,
formulating and managing contracts with extraordinary requirements,
capital budget purchases and system enhancements
Manny
has a BS in Management from Barry University and a Master's
Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.
He is a Project Management Professional (PMP® ) and a Certified
Prchasing Manager (C.P.M).
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Supplier
Management Principles for Project Managers - Manny Rodriguez,
PMP, C.P.M
Understanding
supplier management is a key factor in achieving effective results
in projects. This course will teach the participants the basics
of planning, forming, negotiating and managing contracts. You
will learn the rules taht govern commercial transactions and
how to structure the relationship with suppliers in order to
achieve desired results. Further, we will examine the contracting
process in terms of make or buy decisions, the solicitation
process, the evaluation, supplier selection and contract administration.
Biography:
Manny's
focus is the transformation of business needs into successful
ventures through the use of proven project management tools
and techniques. He is an experienced instructor, consultant
and advisor, having done work in the US, Mexico, Spain, Brazil,
Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico. His experience expands 20
plus years in the interralated disciplines of telecommunications
engineering, project management, procurement, organizational
design and development, process engineering, quality management
and project team facilitation. He has held numerous management
positions including Senior Director of Operations with responsibilities
ranging from multi-disciplilne, multi-million dollar projects
utilizing internal and external resources. Manny's accomplishments
include:
- Teaching
over 4,000 students, maintaining an overall satisfactory rating
greater than 90 percent
- Negotiating,
formulating and managing contracts with extraordinary requirements,
capital budget purchases and system enhancements
Manny
has a BS in Management from Barry University and a Master's
Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.
He is a Project Management Professional (PMP® ) and a Certified
Prchasing Manager (C.P.M).
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MS
Project Advanced Topics – Chuck Magee, PMP
The
advanced Microsoft Project class will cover the most challenging
of topics often faced by experienced project managers using
this tool. More specifically we will go inside Microsoft Project.
We will:
• discover new ways to more quickly build effective and
complex project schedules;
• learn advanced tips & techniques;
• see how to dynamically level multiple resources;
• find new ways to manage multiple projects with Master
Projects; and
• leverage the advanced reporting /analysis methods integrated
with other Office products such as InfoPath, SharePoint, Integrated
Excel spreadsheets, etc.
This class is for advanced users who want to “make this
tool work for you vs. you working for the tool.”
Biography
Chuck
Magee is the Managing Principle of Technology Project Mentoring
Group http://www.techpmg.com.
He is a senior Project Manager with extensive experience in
business development, program management, and services delivery
focused on software implementations and technology consulting.
He is also a recognized expert in Enterprise Project Management,
partner based solution sales/delivery, and multi-industry management
consulting. Mr. Magee’s previous business experiences
include consulting for Microsoft Business Solutions, Manager
and Executive Consultant for IBM Global Services and a manager
at KPMG consulting.
Mr.
Magee’s education includes an MBA from Georgia State University,
a BS in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University and
Graduate level courses in Computer Science from the University
of Kentucky. He was awarded One Divisional Team Sales designation,
three IBM “Top Gun” Achievement awards and one IBM
Innovation award. In July 2000 he spoke at the Manugustics User’s
Conference on “Supply Chain Planning and eBusiness Solutions.”
Additionally,
Mr. Magee is a Six Sigma Green Belt, PMP® by PMI, Production
& Inventory Mgmt by APICS (CPIM), Manufacturing Technologist
by SME, Information Technology Specialist by IBM. He is also
the Director of Programs for Microsoft Project User’s
Group, a member of the Project Mgmt Institute (PMI) and APICS,
has been listed in the “Who’s Who” National
Registry, and serves on the Council of Logistics Mgmt.
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Understanding
the Secrets of MS Project – Lisa A. Grant, MBA, PMP
Whether
you've been using MS Project for years, you are just beginning
or simply need a brushup, you'll walk away from this class with
a valuable tidbit or two. Students follow along with the instructor
as she builds a sample schedule from the bottom up. Several
times students have remarked, "I've been using Project for years
and just realized I've been doing it all wrong." The class focus
is on building a dynamic schedule and using the powerful scheduling
engine of MS Project. The instructor walks through the "secret
formula" and demonstrates the changes to the schedule as the
task types are changed and the 3 variables of the formula are
recalculated. This is where schedules often go awry and seem
to take on a life of their own.
This
class is for people who are actively using MS Project, and would
like to understand the tool better. It is for the beginner to
intermediate user and will be taught on MS Office Project 2003
not 2007. Some aspects will seem like basic review, however,
it's impossible to teach bottom up schedule development without
covering a few things people may already know.
Students
will receive a hardcopy of the presentation as class materials.
PM best practices for building dynamic project schedules are
also incorporated.
Requirements:
A
laptop with at least MS Project 2003 is required for this class.
Each participant is expected to bring his or her laptop and
power cord to the class.
“I
have been to a few classes over the years on MS Project and
my use, again, over the years --- until recently --- has been
somewhat sporadic. I thought this class was very well presented
and a lot of things clicked for me this time to really help
me understand how Project actually works and how to best use
it to your advantage. No one before in any class I have taken
took the approach that Lisa did to really get across how Project
functions.
I believe it is good to have some experience under your belt,
to have struggled with getting it to work and setting up and
managing workplans. Lisa was a very good instructor, she obviously
understood all that she was teaching from an actual use standpoint
and not just an academic one. It was well worth the day spent
going through the class. “
Biography:
Lisa A. Grant, MBA, PMP
Lisa A. Grant is a Professional Project Manager.
Not because she achieved the PMP® certificate from the Project
Management Institute in 1996, but because she has committed
her career to the advancement of the project management discipline
through consulting, training, coaching and volunteering. She
has influenced and improved project management processes in
various industries and functional areas such as Knowledge Management,
Healthcare, e-Learning, State and Federal Government, Automotive,
Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Payroll, Textile,
and Beverage verticals.
Her consulting value proposition stems from
20+ years of Information Technology experience including full
life-cycle application development (SDLC), software implementations,
e-learning product launches, Program Management Office creation,
Business Process Mapping, and process improvement business consulting.
Her tactical training experience includes e-learning,
instructor-led programs and involvement in communities of practice.
She is also a fervent blogger and podcaster of Project Management
topics and war stories. Personal improvement is Lisa’s
passion and she regularly coaches new project managers, and
is an official mentor for Toastmasters Club 8708.
She has serviced PMI in various volunteer roles
such as a participant on PMI Global PMP exam writing committees,
as the Program Manager for the Certification and Education Committee
of the PMI Atlanta Chapter, and is currently the Chair of the
PMI Atlanta Chapter. Additionally, she performed the role of
Secretary for Toastmasters Club 8708 in 2005, and was Program
Director for the Atlanta Microsoft Project Association in 2006.
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Financial
Concepts for Project Managers- Manny Rodriguez, PMP, C.P.M
This
course is a must for project managers. It focuses on the critical
importance of understanding financial management concepts for
the individual success of projects whether they are internal
to the corporation or external to the client. In addition, it
will enable the participant to fulfill the financial responsibilities
of the job and will provide the knowledge and tools to successfully
assume the financial responsibilities of the project management
environment. This course is designed to provide a fundamental
understanding of corporate financial management, and reinforce
project cost management and communications as learned in other
project management courses.
Biography:
Manny's
focus is the transformation of business needs into successful
ventures through the use of proven project management tools
and techniques. He is an experienced instructor, consultant
and advisor, having done work in the US, Mexico, Spain, Brazil,
Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico. His experience expands 20
plus years in the interralated disciplines of telecommunications
engineering, project management, procurement, organizational
design and development, process engineering, quality management
and project team facilitation. He has held numerous management
positions including Senior Director of Operations with responsibilities
ranging from multi-disciplilne, multi-million dollar projects
utilizing internal and external resources. Manny's accomplishments
include:
- Teaching
over 4,000 students, maintaining an overall satisfactory rating
greater than 90 percent
- Negotiating,
formulating and managing contracts with extraordinary requirements,
capital budget purchases and system enhancements
Manny
has a BS in Management from Barry University and a Master's
Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.
He is a Project Management Professional (PMP® ) and a Certified
Prchasing Manager (C.P.M).
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Leveraging
Microsoft SharePoint and Project Server 2007 for Project Management
- Laurie Bacopoulos, PMP
Is
your project team virtual, or for that matter in different departments?
Do you have a centralized place to share project information?
Are team members and stakeholders notified when new project
information is available? Finally, when your project was complete,
did you send a survey to understand your success rate?
Learn
how Microsoft SharePoint and Project Server 2007 can provide
a solid business management solution for your organization.
Leverage technology to drive your project management process
through standardized templates, collaborate with team members,
manage tasks, issues and more importantly communicate status
to the project team.
In
this class, you will be understand the capabilities of each
application, be familiar with the difference between 2003 and
2007, finally understand the benefits of the two applications
for the organization at an enterprise level and more importantly
how to leverage it for Project Management. You see how to configure
a Project Management site and collaborate with team members
using the above mentioned features.
Biography:
As
president and founder of Cobblestone Consulting, Inc., Laurie
Bacopoulos understands strategic objectives and implements solid
business solutions, driven by state of the art technology. Over
the last several years, Laurie has generated a successful track
record working with small, mid-sized, and large companies alike.
With
a Bachelor degree in Economics and French, coupled with a Masters
in Information Systems Management and Project Management, she
is bi-lingual in the languages of both business and technology.
Laurie's ability to match cutting edge technology solutions
with business goals, in effect creates a unique foundation to
achieving results. Among the companies who have benefited from
Laurie's brand of consulting are Genuine Parts Company, NAPA,
SunTrust, Alventive, Norrell Corporation, and UPS.
Her
portfolio of technology-centric consulting experience includes
implementing enterprise-wide Intranets and Portfolio Management
systems to transform organizations toward new processes and
improved information system management for businesses.
Cobblestone
Consulting, Inc. is a Microsoft Partner and helps organizations
leverage SharePoint to gain visibility, insight and improve
internal management and communications.
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