Master Classes

Learning 'how to do it' is best done when you are emotionally engaged and single-subject focussed.

Relying just on foundation training to learn project management has certain drawbacks:

• It often teaches 'what to do' - not 'how to do it'

• Material is only partially remembered - and the parts remembered are different for everyone

• It's always different in your own environment

• Without follow-up support it can end up being applied ineffectively and used inconsistently across the organisation.

Even with full materials and copious notes, day-to-day pressures mean that people often find it difficult to conceptualise a topic before applying it.

Master Classes

Verdandi's bite-sized, 'how to do it' Master Classes are delivered in a highly interactive two-hour session - on your premises. They help your organisation quickly develop a professional capability on a given topic across the project community.

They are 'methodology agnostic' - so it doesn't matter if you have adopted PRINCE2, SPM or have your own methodology. The Master Classes assemble like a jigsaw to cover the whole spectrum of project management. Common terminology is used throughout.

Learning experience

Hosted by two subject matter experts, a Master Class accommodates up to twelve people.

• The topic is covered in more depth and with more live project focus than is possible on a foundation course

• Typical thought processes are discussed to show people how to apply the art and science in a creative and problem-solving manner

• Innovative techniques to enhance performance are debated to create a consistent, high-performing mindset and culture

• Exercises and open discussion encourage the right behaviours and boost individual confidence

• Organisational issues that might block or inhibit best-practice behaviour are identified and communicated to the Master Class sponsor for resolution outside of the workshop.

Each Master Class comes complete with notebook containing full course materials and exercises.

Benefits

• Focus is on your identified shortcomings and weaknesses

• 'Bite-sized' makes the learning memorable - 70% retention

• Learning on your premises saves outage time and cost

• Classes can be slotted into people's working day

• Learning can be immediately applied

• Topic focus improves project management ability community-wide

• The 'price of non-conformance' is eliminated.

Delivery

Up to three topics can be delivered in one day at convenient times. Delivering three Master Classes on seven separate days over three months provides the opportunity to train 12 people in the full set of topics.

Who should attend?

People who have received foundation training in any project management methodology or project office operation, and wish to develop their capabilities, regardless of experience.

Cost

The price is just £99 per Master Class attendee. Please contact us to arrange a live trial.

Range of Topics	Process	Learning
1. Accepting the Challenge	Inception	How to assess a given business case, use initial funding and agree the project shape
2. Stakeholder Management	Definition	How to gain consensus and commitment to objectives and scope and achieve acceptance of deliverables
3. Benefit Validation	Benefits	How to identify, validate and structure benefits, and gain commitment to benefit realisation
4. Organising to Plan	Planning	How to approach planning and estimating at different levels
5. Deliverable Discovery	Planning	How to conduct impact analysis, run a deliverable workshop and create a Deliverable Log
6. Method Blending	Planning	How to find development methods and blend them to create a single Phase Plan, and validate the deliverables
7. Phase & Dependency Planning	Planning	How to plan dependencies and milestones by creating a Precedence Diagram and deal with interdependencies
8. Planning in Detail	Planning	When and how to plan in detail
9. Power & Empowerment	Planning	Understanding the notion of empowerment, how to negotiate delivery promises and apply the power of two
10. Planning for Quality	Planning	Understanding the notion of quality, planning iterations, specifying requirements and quality standards
11. Project Roles & Responsibilities	Organising	How to use customer and supplier domains and organise a project structure where everyone knows what to do
12. Organising Large-scale Projects	Organising	How to segment large-scale projects into multiple projects and control them through a Master Project
13. Quality Control	Delivery	How to create fit-for purpose, quality deliverables and ensure delivery as promised
14. Progress & Status Reporting	Delivery	How to track progress, decide what and when to report, and when to reward and recognise achievement
15. Neat Project Closure	Closure	How to transfer benefit realisation responsibility and preserve valuable knowledge and good relationships
16. Issue Resolution	General	How to formulate and escalate issues, and overcome intransigence
17. Risk Evaluation	General	How to identify sensitivities, formulate, mitigate and avoid risks plus deciding and applying contingency
18. Change Control	General	How to assess and quantify the impact of change requests and control the rate of change
19. Supplier Contracting	General	How to agree requirements, engage suppliers, evaluate proposals, form contracts and control performance
20. Communication Planning	General	How to formulate the plan, design and deliver communications and measure performance
21. Reaping the Rewards	Benefits	How to approach realisation, maintain responsibility and control and report on performance
22. Conducting Effective Meetings	General	How to reduce the number of meetings optimise durations and increase meeting effectiveness
23. Process Mapping	General	How to make the steps in each business process explicit so that it can be understood and transformed

Please contact us at Verdandi for available Master Class dates and make a booking.

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