Technical Project Management

Who Should Attend

R&D professionals, engineers (across all specialties), scientists and principal investigators, project engineers, facility engineers, plant managers and anyone else who administers technical projects.

Our Mutual Objectives

• Apply WBS and network development
• Identify potential problems and solve them using troubleshooting techniques
• Track projects more effectively
• Create status reports that show top management where budgeting, scheduling and manpower trends are headed
• Cope with tight technical project schedules

Course Outlines

1-      Overview of Essential Project Management Tools

• Project management framework and terminology—process groups and the Nine Knowledge Areas
• Definition of a technical project management environment
• Life cycles in a technical environment

2-      Essentials for Leading Project Teams

• Leading in a technical environment

3-      Project Planning: Beginning with Scope Management

• Using the SMART model when writing objectives
• Creating the detailed scope statement

4-      Defining Project Activities

• Creating a customized WBS
• Technical project WBS examples

5-      Developing a Dynamic Project Schedule

• Types of network diagrams
• Overview of critical path methodology

6-      Establishing a sound estimating process

• Five considerations when making estimates
• Consideration of risks when estimating—three-point estimates

7-      Components of Project Planning

• The planning process group
• Project performance baselines

8-      Technical Project Planning Methodologies

• Identify different approaches to planning technical projects: rolling wave planning…stage gate process…critical chain project management
• Common construction project life cycle
• Common pharmaceutical project life cycle

9-      Monitoring and Controlling Projects

• Status reports… project baselines…identifying variances

10-  Project Closure

• Administrative closure vs. contractual closure

Tech. – Write N Right

Effective Technical Writing

Who Should Attend

Engineers, scientists, IT/computer personnel and people in R&D and other technical areas, as well as business professionals at all levels.

Our Mutual Objectives

• Organize Your Material by Purpose and Audience
• Write with Greater Clarity and Precision—in Less Time
• Present Complex Technical Information Simply
• Know the Purpose of Your Writing before You Begin, and Eliminate False Starts
• Recognize the Needs of Your Audience
• Learn How to Use Illustrations
• Edit and Polish the Final Draft to Make the “Write” Impression with Your Superiors

Course Outlines

1-      Aspects of Technical Writing

• Understand the Pitfalls, Style, and Characteristics of Technical Writing
• Review Samples of Technical Writing
• Prepare a Writing Sample in Technical Style

2-      Understanding the Readers’ Needs

• Determine Various Readers’ Needs
• Convey Technical Information Clearly to Nontechnical Readers

3-      Patterns of Technical Writing

• Become Familiar with the Various Patterns of Technical Writing
• Learn to Write:
  — Definitions

— Narration
— Process Description

— Physical Description

— Instructions

4-      Organizing Technical Information

• Learn How to Organize and Evaluate Technical Data
• Understand the Various Patterns of Technical Writing
• Structure the Physical Format to Enhance Presentations of Ideas
• Use Linking Words and Phrases in Sentences and Paragraphs

5-      Writing the First Draft

• Understand the Writing Process
• Understand the Importance of Determining and Focusing on Your Purpose and Goals
• Become Familiar with Techniques for Overcoming Writer’s Block

6-      Achieving Sentence Clarity and Precision

• Review Proven Techniques for Ensuring Clarity and Precision
• Avoid Wordiness and Confusing Sentence Constructions

7-      Technical Report Elements

• Distinguish between Informal and Formal Reports
• Become Familiar with the Elements of Technical Reports

8-      Technical Report Formats

• Understand the Nature of Technical Report Formats
• Distinguish Various Elements of Technical Reports
• Utilize Specific Organizational Formats for Different Reports

9-      Writing Abstracts

• Understand the Function and Characteristics of Abstracts
• Become Familiar with Guidelines for Preparing Abstracts
• Distinguish between Descriptive and Informative Abstracts

10-  Using Illustrations

• Know When to Use Illustrations in Technical Writing
• Review the Characteristics and Uses of Illustrations
• Become Familiar with Various Illustrations Useful in Technical Writing

11-  Preparing Technical Manuals and Proposals

• Become Familiar with the Characteristics of Technical Manuals
• Understand the Components That Comprise Technical Manuals
• Learn the Principles of Technical Manual Writing Style
• Identify the Elements of Proposals

12-  Editing and Proofreading Techniques

• Review Guidelines for Editing and Polishing Technical Writing
• Understand How to Write for Another Person’s Review and Critical Commentary

Applying Six-Sigma Cure For Project Management Secure

Achieving Project Management Quality By using Six Sigma Approach

Who Should Attend

Directors and VPs of project management and senior project and program managers. Basic project management skills are required.

Our Mutual Objectives

• Apply the Six-Sigma Methodology to a Project Management Process
• Create a Process Map of the Six-Sigma Methodology to Be Used for Continuous Process Improvement
• Create a Project Template for a Process Improvement Project Utilizing a Six-Sigma Methodology

Course Outlines

1-      Quality: An Overview

• Six Sigma in the context of other quality systems

2-      The Six Sigma Methodology

• Models and tools of the Six Sigma practitioner
• Preconditions for continuous improvement
• DMAIC: A Six Sigma model for continuous improvement
• The distinctions between affinities, processes, procedures and tools
• TBCP Group Exercise: Applying DMAIC to a process improvement case

3-      The Six Sigma Process Map

• Exercise: Creating a continuous process improvement system using Six Sigma methodology (devising the Tactics element)
• Group exercise evaluation: display, describe, explain and defend your work
• Examine, evaluate and query the work of your peers in the exercise

4-      The Six Sigma Project

• Dealing with improvements beyond the scope of an established continuous improvement process
• Requirements for creating a process improvement project plan template for special projects
• Exercise: Develop a process improvement project plan using Six Sigma (incorporating scope, WBS and project logic)
• Participant action plan (key learning points to apply to improve your work performance)

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training

Who Should Attend

Managers, internal consultants, change agents, project managers, team leaders and team members who will be involved in Six Sigma projects.

Our Mutual Objectives

• Apply the principles of the Six Sigma DMAIC performance improvement model.
• Establish the “Voice of the Customer” in defining the required performance standard.
• Use a number of measurement approaches and tools to establish current performance.
• Use appropriately a number of basic analysis tools and techniques to establish the root cause of a problem.
• Understand key lean concepts and tools, when and how to apply them to drive improvements
• Recognize the difference in approach and techniques for incremental and redesign
  improvement strategies and know how to decide on the correct approach.
• Establish ongoing process controls and process governance structures

Course Outlines

1-      Define

• Understanding Variability
• Project Charter
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Communication Plan
• Identify and segment Key Customers
• Critical to Quality (CTQ) Requirements Verifying CTQs
• Hi-level Process map
• Process Vision
• Project Plan

2-      Measure

• Measurement Basics
• Measurement process and plan
• Selecting Measures
  • Measuring Value
  • Cost of Poor Quality
• Data definition and sources
• Gauge R&R
• Sampling
• Measuring yield and capability
• Implementing the measurement plan

3-      Analyze

• Data Analysis
  • Pareto charts
  • Frequency charts
  • Run charts
  • Variation
• Process Mapping and Analysis
  • Value Stream Analysis
  • Complexity
• Cause and Effect Analysis
• Verifying causes
  • Scatter diagrams
  • Design of Experiment

4-      Improve

• Process Vision
• Brain storming
• Lean principles
  • 5S’s
  • Little’s Law
  • Push versus Pull
  • Visibility
  • Setup reduction
• Theory of Constraints
• Evaluating solutions
  • Decision Analysis
  • Impact Effort Matrix
• Selecting solutions
• Developing solution options
• Business scenarios
• Pilot testing
• FMEA risk analysis
• Implementation planning
• Force field analysis

5-      Control

• Simple and appropriate documentation
• Mistake Proofing
• Statistical Control
  • Variation
  • Control Charts
  • I, X Bar and R Charts
• Response Charts
• Process Management
• Process Scorecards
• Project Close and Handover