Category Archives: Training
LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile
LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 day in person or two half-days online
Description: LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile are all powerful ways to maximize an organization’s project delivery capability. LEAN, which was developed from manufacturing, focuses on efficiency across the enterprise. Agile, which was conceived for the software development industry, is finding increasing use across different industries for the way in which it helps teams deliver the highest value first and engage customers. Six Sigma can be leveraged to help discover and eliminate process defects, improving the quality of project outcomes.
Put together, these three frameworks can drastically increase an organization’s project delivery capability. How best can organizations achieve these integrations to achieve the results they want? In this course, you will learn more about LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile, and how each can work together. Potential trouble spots for any integration will be identified, and solutions proposed to help you integrate LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile in an ideal way.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Explain similarities and differences between LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile.
- Learn how each integrates with the other.
- Develop a plan to integrate LEAN, Six Sigma, and Agile in your organization.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for project/program managers, portfolio managers, change agents, PMO leaders, project team members, business/systems analysts and other project stakeholders.
PDUs: 7 PDUs (Strategic: 7, Leadership: 0, Technical: 0) (8 PDUs for two half-days over the Web)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Microsoft Project 2016
Microsoft Project 2016
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 day in person or two half-days online
Description: RefineM’s Microsoft Project 2016 course is designed to introduce you to basic and advanced tools and techniques available in Microsoft Project 2016, the latest version of Microsoft's popular project management tool. This course will provide an overview of several advanced project tasks, including creating and monitoring the project plan, working with reports, customizing Project, managing multiple projects, and exchanging project information. It will also include discussion of what is new in Microsoft Project 2016. You will benefit from a stress-free small-group environment with meals and parking provided, and will receive hands-on training in Microsoft Project from an experienced instructor. You will leave the course ready to use Microsoft Project on your projects right away.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Create a project plan in Microsoft Project, analyze it, and make adjustments.
- Create, modify, and view reports, including new customizable reports.
- Customize Microsoft Project to your project needs through macros, custom fields, adjustable views, and Gantt chart formats.
- Manage multiple projects and consolidate and share resources among them.
- Create summary tasks, project calendars, and resource calendars and utilize collaboration tools.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for project/program managers, portfolio managers, PMO leaders, project team members, business/systems analysts and other project stakeholders. This course is very useful for project managers who have some experience with Microsoft Project and need to learn more advanced tools and techniques.
PDUs: 7 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 7) (8 PDUs for two half-days over the Web)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Microsoft Project 2013
Microsoft Project 2013
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 day in person or two half-days online
Description: RefineM’s Microsoft Project 2013 course is designed to introduce you to basic elements of Microsoft Project 2013, the latest version of Microsoft's popular project management tool. This course will provide an overview of the navigation tool bar, working with different views supported by Microsoft Project, creating and updating tasks, performing resource management, and finalizing the project schedule. It will also include discussion of updates from Project 2010, including new customizable report options (including burndown charts) and task path tracing.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Develop project schedules for small- to medium-size projects.
- Navigate through MS Project 2013 menu bars.
- Create, modify, rearrange, and format tasks.
- Work with different views and switching between different views.
- Create summary tasks.
- Create project and resource calendars.
- Manage resources for the project.
- Develop a project schedule and optimize by refining the critical path.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for project/program managers, portfolio managers, PMO leaders, project team members, business/systems analysts and other project stakeholders. This course is very useful for project managers who are new to MS Project and need help getting started with the tool.
PDUs: 7 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 7) (8 PDUs for two half-days over the Web)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Ace Your PMP Exam: Final Review
Ace Your PMP Exam: Final Review
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1/2 day
Description: Have you been studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification on your own or through a self-guided course? Do you feel like you are close to being ready but have some lingering concerns or specific questions you would like to address with a live instructor? Would you like to increase your confidence to ace the exam? If yes, then this ½ day final review course is for you.
RefineM’s PMP® Exam Review course can help you take your exam preparation to the final level. The course covers critical exam topics and allows plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and get clarifications. Don’t worry if you have any questions after the review course and before the exam, as the instructor will be available to answer your questions via email or phone. Our goal is to help you pass the PMP® exam.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, attendees will
- Understand their level of readiness to take the PMP® exam.
- Be armed with a toolkit of insider tips and tricks to pass the exam.
- Have a better understanding of critical exam topics.
- Have enough guidance to develop and practice a “brain dump” for improved recall during the exam.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for anyone seeking to pass the PMP® certification exam who needs additional guidance from an experienced live instructor. It is geared at those who studied for the certification on their own or through a self-guided course or for candidates who attended PMP® Exam Prep classes in the past and now need a quick review.
PDUs: 4 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 4)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® Exam Prep
Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® Exam Prep
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 3 days
Description: Are you looking for a certification to show your experience and skills with risk management? Have you heard of the Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® certification but need to put together a study plan to earn the credential? If so, RefineM’s course is for you.
RefineM’s PMI-RMP course covers basic and advanced techniques in project risk management to help you prepare for the PMI-RMP exam. You will learn how to identify and categorize risks, conduct qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, build a risk management plan, and identify proper risk responses. You will leave the course prepared to apply for your PMI-RMP exam and pass on your first attempt.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Prepare for the PMI-RMP® exam and pass on the first attempt.
- Identify risks and risk responses.
- Develop a risk management plan for your projects.
- Perform qualitative and quantitative risk analysis.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for project managers and risk management specialists who want to obtain the PMI-RMP certification.
PDUs: 21 PDUs (Strategic: 2 Leadership: 2, Technical: 17)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® Exam Prep Course
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)®Exam Prep Course
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 3 or 4 days
Description: If you are seeking your Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® certification and you want a focused, hard-hitting prep course, this class is for you.
RefineM’s CAPM® exam prep course covers the full Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) Fifth Edition and incorporates real-life examples from project experience as well as practice tests. You will learn the most critical parts of each knowledge area, understand where your own knowledge gaps lie, and receive the individual attention you need to close these gaps. You will also receive CAPM® exam test-taking tips and tricks to improve your confidence heading into your test day. We offer multiple practice exams throughout the course, and a full-length practice exam at the end of the course.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Better prepare for the CAPM® exam to pass on your first attempt.
- Explain and apply the project management process groups and knowledge areas.
- Understand critical exam topics and the highest-value project management processes.
Who Should Attend: This course is geared toward anyone who wants to pass the CAPM® certification exam.
PDUs: 23 PDUs (Strategic: 2, Leadership: 2, Technical: 19)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Cost Management for Projects
Cost Management for Projects
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 day
Description: Do you struggle to figure out what it will cost to execute a project? Does your organization lack effective techniques for estimating and controlling project costs? If you can answer yes to either of these questions, you should consider attending this course.
RefineM’s Cost Management for Projects course gives you the basics you need to perform effective cost management. You will learn how to put together a cost management plan, utilize proven techniques for estimating cost, assemble a project budget, and implement tight controls to guard against cost overruns. This course will help you understand the difference between management reserve and contingency reserve. You will leave this course able to perform the critical functions of cost management on your projects. This course is aligned with the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) Fifth Edition.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Describe the components of a cost management plan.
- Understand and apply techniques for estimating costs and determining budget.
- Apply effective cost control techniques, including Earned Value Management.
Who Should Attend: Any project managers, PMO directors or members, or project team members who are involved with cost management in their organizations.
PDUs: 7 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 7)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
The Science of Project Management
The Science of Project Management
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 day
Description: Are you a project manager or project team member looking for a course to help you understand the technical aspects of project management? If so, you will likely benefit from RefineM’s The Science of Project Management course.
The Science of Project Management covers basic technical topics in Project Management. This course is aligned to the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) Fifth Edition to help attendees become familiar with the framework and terminology. You will have the opportunity to work on project examples and/or case studies and gain valuable hands-on experience to apply to your real projects. Topics covered include project charters, WBS, stakeholder management, risk management, project schedules, and performance reports.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Understand and describe the benefits of project management.
- Perform key technical project management processes.
- Differentiate among processes in the five project management process groups.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for anyone who is responsible for project delivery but never went through formal training on project management. Anyone working on a project, such as a project manager, project coordinator, project lead, team lead, senior project manager, or PMO director, will also benefit from this course.
In addition, organizations that want to adopt consistent project management practices should also benefit from sending their project managers to this formal training.
PDUs: 7 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 7)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Essential Gear For Project Managers
Essential Gear For Project Managers
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 day
Description: Even though A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) Sixth edition describes 48 project management processes across 10 knowledge areas, have you seen anyone using all of them? Most project managers (PMs) use only a subset. Many times, it is hard for PMs to decide what to include or exclude in their subset of processes since they neither want to overdo nor miss out an important process.
RefineM's presentation on Essential Gear for Project Managers provides an insight to plan and implement the project with few processes that would be good enough to successfully implement a project.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Understand and describe the benefits of project management.
- Explain and perform key project management processes.
- Use essential project management processes on your real projects.
Who Should Attend: The tutorial is ideal for anyone in the project management role who would like to learn about key project management process to ensure successful completion of projects. This will help them to walk away with a toolkit that they can implement in their projects right away. For those who are part of a PMO, they can take the PM’s toolkit as suggestions for process improvements for the PMO.
PDUs: 7 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 7)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.
Earned Value Management
Earned Value Management
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 day
Description: Earned Value Management (EVM) is a well-known project management technique that can be used to track project progress. It is probably one of the most mature project management techniques that measures project performance in an objective manner. Early EVM research showed that the areas of planning and control are significantly impacted by its use. More recent research studies have shown that the principles of EVM are positive predictors of project success.
EVM is not new. The genesis of EVM occurred in industrial manufacturing in early 1900s. The concept took root in US Dept. of Defense in 1960. Its overview was included in PMI’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) in 1987. EVM received greater attention by publicly traded companies in response to the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002. Now, it is a very well recognized project management tool to measure project performance.
Even though EVM is not a new project management technique, many project managers struggle to implement it successfully in their projects. The most significant challenges to implement EVM are:
- Gaining support from sponsors and stakeholders to implement EVM,
- Accurately gathering data for actual cost, and
- Determining earning rules to calculate Earned Value.
During this presentation, the instructor will share some of the simple but effective methods used to successfully implement EVM. This course also provides opportunity to learn several EVM metrics such as Schedule Variance, Cost Variance, Schedule Performance Index, Cost Performance Index, Estimate to Complete, Estimate at Completion etc., in an easy and fun manner. This presentation also offers tips for using EVM to communicate project status and key issues to stakeholders, thereby gaining their support rather than a barrage of questions.
In this dynamic course, experienced project managers will have an opportunity to share their personal experiences (both challenges and rewards) to implement EVM in their projects and analyze what worked and what didn’t. At the same time, this course would be a great learning experience for less experienced project managers who are looking for tips and tricks to implement EVM in their projects. The course will also provide several opportunities for attendees to participate in exercises and discussions.
Effective EVM is one of the most important project management tools a project manager can employ to increase the likelihood of project success. Since EVM is still not widely used, this could be a significant competitive advantage to those who implement it in their projects.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, attendees will be able to
- Explain the benefits and basic concepts of Earned Value Management (EVM).
- Gather data and apply earning rules for EVM.
- Learn how to gain support from sponsors and stakeholders to invest in EVM.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for a project manager or anyone on a project team. This may include project/program managers, portfolio managers, PMO leaders, executives, project sponsors, change agents, project team members, business/systems analysts and other project stakeholders.
PDUs: 7 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 7)
Course Delivery: Variable
Course Material: RefineM will prepare and provide the necessary training course material for all attendees.
About RefineM's Instructors: RefineM's instructors are experienced and certified in project management and Agile and bring real-world experience to their instruction. Our instructors not only teach concepts, we also provide insights and hands-on experience. And we don’t waste time. Our training is focused and hard-hitting. We offer practical targeted training in just the key topics that will make the most impact.