Category Archives: Training
Develop Project Schedule Using WBS
Develop Project Schedule Using WBS
| 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: Schedule management is one of the most critical parts of project management. Stakeholders expect to see a project schedule and receive updates on a regular basis. To effectively create and maintain a schedule requires a strong work breakdown structure (WBS). How do you create an effective WBS, and how do you use the WBS to create the project schedule?
In RefineM’s Develop Project Schedule Using WBS course, you will learn more about the key processes in scope and schedule management used to create an effective WBS and corresponding project schedule. You will learn how to create the WBS and validate it with stakeholders. You will learn how to use the WBS to define and sequence activities in order to build a network diagram and project schedule. Through individual and group exercises and hands-on instruction from a PMP-certified instructor, you will learn and reinforce the concepts of the course. You will leave this course with the knowledge and skills to build effective project schedules using the WBS.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Understand how the WBS contributes to the project schedule.
- Define and sequence activities from the WBS.
- Build effective WBS and schedule on your real projects.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for project managers, project team members, PMO leads/directors, and 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.
The Art of Project Management
The Art 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 people-centered aspects of project management? If so, you will likely benefit from RefineM’s The Art of Project Management course.
The Art of Project Management is designed to help you manage some of the most critical parts of the project: communication with team members and stakeholders, managing stakeholder expectations, dealing with conflict, and serving as a leader on your projects. 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. You will leave this course prepared to manage critical functions on your projects.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Understand and describe the benefits of project management.
- Perform key people-centered project management processes.
- Differentiate among processes in the five project management process groups.
- Lead your real projects.
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.
A Model to Develop and Use Risk Contingency Reserve
A Model to Develop and Use Risk Contingency Reserve
| 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 aware of the benefits of risk contingency reserve but unsure how to start? Do you know what an adequate level of contingency reserve is for your project? If you want answers to such questions about contingency reserve and more, this course is for you. As an attendee, you will take away knowledge of a model to develop risk contingency reserve using Expected Monetary Value that you can use to benefit your projects.
The contingency reserve is a critical part of project risk management. With a contingency reserve, project managers can address risks, communicate the level of risk exposure to stakeholders, and increase the predictability of project outcomes. Using the risk register and Expected Monetary Value (EMV) technique, project managers can easily develop a contingency reserve for their project and begin realizing the benefits of this powerful tool.
This course is an overview of project risk management with emphasis on developing and using the contingency reserve. You will learn more about how contingency reserve fits into the overall risk management process, how to calculate and use the contingency reserve, and how to communicate the contingency reserve to stakeholders to increase organizational participation in risk management. You will leave with a better idea about contingency reserve and the role it plays in keeping the projects on track. You will also walk away with tools and templates to effectively implement contingency reserve for your projects.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Understand how to create a risk contingency reserve using Expected Monetary Value.
- Communicate risks to stakeholders and team members using the risk contingency reserve.
- Use risk contingency reserve to improve predictability of your project outcomes.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for project managers, PMO leads/directors, and anyone performing risk management on projects 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.
Advanced Project Management and Leadership Skills for Experienced Project Managers
Advanced Project Management and Leadership Skills for Experienced 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: 2 days
Description: Are you an experienced project manager, or new certification holder, looking for ways to take your project management to the next level? RefineM’s 2-day Advanced Project Management and Leadership Skills for Experienced Project Managers course is designed to help you elevate your project management skills. The advanced techniques included in the course are divided into two parts to build (a) Technical skills and (b) Leadership skills. The technical topics include stakeholder management, scope management, risk management, and Earned Value Management. The leadership topics include developing clarity/focus, communication, conflict resolution, negotiations, and stress management techniques. Attendees will leave this course with the knowledge and skills they need to enhance their project delivery capability.
"I thought [RefineM's] course was outstanding. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and a master of his material. One of the best courses that I have taken."
—Linda Sampson, Project Manager
"Excellent offering for an experienced project manager."
—Jennifer Freeman, course attendee
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Increase stakeholder engagement using analysis and communication techniques.
- Better perform scope and change management to control scope on your projects.
- Control project cost and schedule using Earned Value Management (EVM).
- Analyze and prioritize risks using qualitative and quantitative risk analysis methods.
- Use more advanced risk management techniques, including risk contingency reserve.
- Display leadership skills such as communication, negotiation and conflict resolution.
- Manage stress levels on your projects to produce better outcomes.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for project/program managers, PMO leaders, and project team members who have been managing/leading projects and looking for advanced techniques to strengthen their career.
PDUs: 16 PDUs (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 8, Technical: 8)
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.
A Roadmap to Agile Adoption
A Roadmap to Agile Adoption
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 1 or 2 days
Description: Many organizations want to adopt Agile to realize its benefits, including value-driven delivery and increased customer satisfaction. Successfully adopting Agile requires shifts in both the operations and the mindset of an organization. How can your organization make the leap to Agile?
In RefineM’s A Roadmap to Agile Adoption course, you will learn how you can start on the journey to adopting Agile in your organization. You will start by learning where Agile is a best fit. You will learn each step of the Agile adoption roadmap, best practices to follow at each point, and potential pitfalls that can delay or stop an Agile transformation in an organization. You will leave this course with a roadmap to implement Agile in your organization.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Identify the ideal conditions for adopting Agile in an organization.
- Understand the roadmap to Agile adoption, including best practices and pitfalls.
- Start on the journey to adopting Agile in your organization.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for Agile change agents and others interested in knowing how to adopt Agile in their organizations.
PDUs: 7 PDUs / SEUs / Contact Hours (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.
Top 5 Challenges in Agile and How to Overcome Them
Top 5 Challenges in Agile and How to Overcome Them
| 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: There are many benefits of agile, including faster project delivery and greater team cohesion. To get the best of these benefits, companies and teams need to be able to overcome key challenges. Based on our agile coaching and training experience, we have identified five key challenges and developed ways to overcome them.
In RefineM's Top 5 Challenges in Agile and How to Overcome Them course, we will discuss the top five challenges in agile and how to overcome them. Attendees will learn more about how to communicate the value of agile, clarify roles and responsibilities, deliver consistent value and working software with each iteration, and avoid the difficult issue of “waterfalling iterations.” Attendees will walk away with strategies to overcome these challenges and make agile work for their teams.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Identify critical challenges to successful Agile adoption and practice.
- Understand ways to overcome these challenges.
- Develop a plan to succeed with Agile in your organization.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for Agile change agents and others interested in knowing how to adopt Agile in their organizations.
PDUs: 7 PDUs / SEUs / Contact Hours per day (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.
ScrumMaster – A Servant Leader on Agile Projects
ScrumMaster – A Servant Leader on Agile 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 or 2 days
Description: Are you a ScrumMaster and not sure how best to perform your role on agile teams? Are you interested in becoming a ScrumMaster and want to know how to succeed? If you can answer yes to either of these questions, this course is for you.
The ScrumMaster is a key Agile role. He/she is a servant leader for Agile teams, helping them adhere to the Scrum process for maximum results. He/she also helps remove impediments to the ability of the team to meet sprint goals and deliverables. To carry out these key tasks, the ScrumMaster needs to master specific skills and adopt specific mindsets. RefineM’s ScrumMaster course will help you absorb these principles in a stress-free, small-group environment with hands-on instruction from a certified ScrumMaster. You will interact with others, participate in individual and group exercises, and learn what you need to effectively play the role of ScrumMaster on your Agile teams.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Explain the role of a ScrumMaster on Agile teams.
- Understand and apply the servant leader role.
- Explain common impediments to Agile team success and how to remove them.
- Participate on Agile teams as a ScrumMaster.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for ScrumMasters and anyone who is on an Agile team and is interested in becoming a ScrumMaster.
PDUs: 7 PDUs / SEUs / Contact Hours per day (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.
Scaling Agile
Scaling 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 to 3 days
Description: Are you struggling to scale agile for your company or teams? Are you aware of a scaled solution but don’t know how to start implementing it?
Agile is a solution for delivering working increments on a timely basis. Used properly, it can be a powerful methodology to help satisfy customers, increasing their engagement in the project, and also enhancing a project team’s delivery capability. To get these benefits, the teams need to be the right size. Typically, teams should not consist of more than 5-9 people, which presents problems when an organization needs to scale agile across the enterprise.
Why does an organization need to scale agile? The primary reason is that teams are not always built to the needs of agile, so doing agile on projects with larger teams and greater complexity can be difficult. Rather than turning to another methodology, though, it is possible to take advantage of frameworks for scaling agile. Several such frameworks exist, and in this presentation, several frameworks, including Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD), Scrum at Scale, and Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) will be explored. Particular terms of each methodology, as well as some of the common terms, will be discussed. The challenges of scaling agile, and ways to get around them, will also be discussed.
By attending this course, you will learn what is involved with scaling agile and when companies should implement a scaled solution. You will learn about some leading frameworks, including SAFe and Scrum at Scale, and will leave with more knowledge and skills to choose a framework and successfully scale agile.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Identify the benefits of and ideal conditions for scaling Agile.
- Explain similarities and differences between SAFe, DAD, and LeSS.
- Start on the journey to scaling Agile in your organization.
Who Should Attend: Any agile change agent, team member, executive, or anyone who is interested in how to scale agile will benefit from attending this course.
PDUs: 7 PDUs / SEUs / Contact Hours per day (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.
Leading SAFe: SAFe Agilist (SA) Certification Training
Leading SAFe: SAFe Agilist (SA) Certification Training
| Please contact us if you would like to set up a customized training course in your city or at your corporate site. |
Duration: 2 days
Description: Are you interested in implementing agile in your company but worried it will not be a good fit due to the number of projects or project size? Have you come across information about the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) but don’t know how to apply it? If you can answer yes to either of these questions, then this class is for you.This course teaches the Lean-Agile principles and practices of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), a framework for scaling agile across the enterprise. You will learn how to execute SAFe and increase the value that agile brings to the customer through individual projects across the whole enterprise. Other topics will include agile release trains, building the agile portfolio, and leading SAFe across the enterprise. You will leave with the knowledge and skills needed to schedule your SAFe Agilist (SA) certification, obtain the certification, and lead a SAFe transition in your company.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Understand and explain the principles of SAFe.
- Take the exam to obtain the SAFe Agilist (SA) certification.
- Lead your organization’s transition to SAFe.
Who Should Attend: Anyone who would like to learn more about scaling agile in their organization, or about SAFe in particular, should benefit from this course. This includes executives, managers, consultants, Lean-Agile Leaders, and Agile change agents, as well as anyone interested in obtaining SAFe Agilist (SA) certification. Please note that to qualify for the SA certification exam, you will need to demonstrate 5+ years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product or project management, as well as experience in Scrum. You will also need to complete this course in order to schedule your exam.
PDUs: 14 PDUs / SEUs / Contact Hours (Strategic: 0, Leadership: 0, Technical: 14)
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.
Role of a Business Analyst on Agile Projects
Role of a Business Analyst on Agile 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 or 2 days
Description: Agile methodology is one of the most famous methods used for projects around the world today. But, is there a scope for a Business Analyst in an Agile environment?
The answer is yes, and if you want to know how/why/for what, then this course is for you. Learn how a Business Analyst can play different important roles in an Agile team and make a big impact. Also, understand how a Business Analyst can bring the required skills and experience in the team to fill the gaps in an Agile team.
Course Objectives: After completing the course, you will be able to
- Identify the ideal role for a business analyst on Agile projects.
- Understand how business analysts interact with others on Agile projects.
- Play the role of an Agile business analyst in your organization.
Who Should Attend: This course is ideal for business analysts and Agile team members interested in serving as business analysts on Agile projects.
PDUs: 7 PDUs / SEUs / Contact Hours per day (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.