PMAdvocate.com

Experience the convenient, efficient and affordable option to traditional courses. Savvy-U offers PMI and NMA accredited, self-paced, e-learning to today’s busy professionals!

Convenient – Take these courses online, anytime and anywhere from any computer with internet access. Leave at any time and come back in and complete the training right where you left off.

Efficient – Feels like one-on-one instruction with about 10x the content of your traditional class and all courses (with the exception of Overview of Project Management) come with easily utilized; customizable templates.

Affordable – At 29.99 per credit; these self-paced, e-learning courses are about ½ the cost of your traditional training courses.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Overview of Project Management (1 hour/1 PDU/.1 CEU);
• Essentials of Project Management (4 hours/4 PDUs/.4 CEUs);
• Principles of Project Management (8 hours/8 PDUs/.8 CEUs);
• Project Integration Management (1.5 hours/1.5 PDUs/.15 CEUs);
• Project Scope Management (1.5 hours/1.5 PDUs/.15 CEUs);
• Project Time Management (2 hours/2 PDUs/.2 CEUs);
• Project Cost Management (1 hour/1 PDU/.1 CEU);
• Project Quality Management  (1 hour/1 PDU/.1 CEU);
• Project Human Resource Management (1 hour/1 PDU/.1 CEU);
• Project Communications Management (1.5 hours/1.5 PDUs/.15 CEUs);
• Project Risk Management (1 hour/1 PDU/.1 CEU);
• Project Procurement Management (1.5 hours/1.5 PDUs/.15 CEUs).

AVAILABLE SOON ON SAVVY-U!!! BACK FROM RED: RECOVERING FAILING PROJECTS

BUSINESS

• Starting a New Business: United States (4 hours/4 PDUs/.4 CEUs); and
• Starting a Direct-Sales (Home-Based) Business (1.5 hours/1.5 PDUs/.15 CEUs).

TRAINING RECOGNITION AND CREDITS

• Project Management Institute (PMI) Professional Development Units (PDUs); and
• National Management Association (NMA) Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) Compliant e-Learning is a specification of the U.S. Secretary of Defense’s Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, SCORM defines communications between client side content and a Learning Management System (LMS).

MCM Project Management, a PMI Global Registered Education Provider (#: 1809) provides a full suite of convenient, efficient, affordable and PMBOK® Guide – 4th Edition compliant project management self-paced, e-learning courses through certified continuing education portal Savvy-U.com.

Principles of Project Management     $99.99

(4 Hrs/4 PDUs/.4 CEUs)

This self-paced, e-learning course is designed for both the novice and experienced individual, with participants being introduced to PMI-based standards, tools and techniques as they are interactively guided through the project management life cycle. Participants will examine all forty-two (42) processes (22 in depth) and you will receive fourteen (14) templates that will allow them to efficiently and effectively manage and deliver projects of all sizes within scope, on time and within budget.

Essentials of Project Management     $199.99

(8 Hrs/8 PDUs/.8 CEUs)

This self-paced, e-learning course is designed for both the novice and experienced individual, participants are introduced to PMI based standards, tools and techniques as they are interactively guided through the project management life cycle. Participants will examine all forty-two (42) processes in depth, and you will receive twenty-eight (28) templates that will allow them to efficiently and effectively manage and deliver projects of all sizes within scope, on time and within budget.

Overview of Project Management     $29.99

(1 Hr/1 PDU/.1 CEU)

This self-paced, e-learning course is designed for both the novice and experienced individual, with participants being introduced to PMI-based framework and methodology.

Project Integration Management     $44.99

(1.5 Hrs/1.5 PDUs/.15 CEUs)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all six (6) Integration Management processes in depth, and you will receive six (6) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the integration of various key planning and execution elements on your projects.

Project Scope Management     $44.99

(1.5 Hrs/1.5 PDUs/.15 CEUs)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all five (5) Scope Management processes in depth, and you will receive eight (8) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the scope of work on your projects.

Project Time Management     $57.99

(2 Hrs/2 PDUs/.2 CEUs)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all six (6) Time Management processes in depth, and you will receive five (5) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the timely completion of your project.

Project Cost Management     $29.99

(1 Hr/1 PDU/.1 CEU)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all three (3) Cost Management processes in depth, and you will receive four (4) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the budget on your projects.

Project Quality Management     $29.99

(1 Hr/1 PDU/.1 CEU)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all three (3) Quality Management processes in depth, and you will receive two (2) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the quality on your projects.

Project Human Resource Management     $29.99

(1 Hr/1 PDU/.1 CEU)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all four (4) Human Resource Management processes in depth, and you will receive three (3) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the human resources on your projects.

Project Communications Management     $44.99

(1.5 Hrs/1.5 PDU/.15 CEUs)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all five (5) Communications Management processes in depth, and you will receive twelve (12) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the communications on your projects.

Project Risk Management     $29.99

(1 Hr/1 PDU/.1 CEU)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all six (6) Risk Management processes in depth, and you will receive five (5) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the risk on your projects.

Project Procurement Management     $44.99

(1.5 Hrs/1.5 PDU/.15 CEUs)

In this self-paced, e-learning course you will examine all four (4) Procurement Management processes in depth, and you will receive fifteen (15) templates that will allow you to efficiently and effectively manage the procurement on your projects.

Like a field general, you issue your directions in the morning. The kids know what time to expect you after school, and as lunch time nears, you make the traditional telephone call to your spouse “touching base” about the remainder of the day and any possible changes to the kid’s activities, schedule, dinner, and a million other possible things.

As the day progresses, you check your watch or glance at your computer monitor, ticking off in your mind the activities that are taking place and needing to take place.

You pick the kids up from school and deliver them to their appropriate extra curricular activity. While they are busy, you hurry to the grocery store to pick up the necessary items for that night’s dinner.

The PMBOK© 4^th Edition identifies these as processes:

4.3 – Direct and Manage Project Execution;
9.4 – Manage Project Team;
10.3 – Distribute Information;
12.2 – Conduct Procurements

Tune in again for Part V: How Was Your Day Dear?, where I compare how, at the very lowest level, our days can be divided up into a series of activities and how the performance of those activities compare to PMI’s monitoring and controlling processes.

MCM Project Management Debuts a Suite of Self-Paced, e-Learning Classes on Savvy-U.com

There is a buzz throughout the Pacific Northwest professional community. Today MCM Project Management, a longtime PMI Global Registered Education Provider (REP #: 1809) and National Management Association (NMA) recognized training partner, debuted their first two self-paced, e-learning project management courses on Savvy-U.com.

 This much awaited debut to their suite of 17 Project Management Institute (PMI) and National Management Association (NMA) credited self-paced, e-learning courses has been eagerly anticipated by the local professional development community.

“Our focus has been on taking the next step in providing our fellow professionals with a convenient, efficient and affordable alternative to costly traditional courses,” said course instructor and PMAdvocate (www.pmadvocate.com) featured writer Brian S. Maddox, PMP. “No more expensive travel, per diem, or time away from the office. We now bring the training to your fingertips, at your convenience, and at an affordable price.”

As part of MCM’s debut with Savvy-U.com, MCM will be offering a 20% course introductory discount, for the first fifty class registrants for each new class.

Based upon the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ® Guide) 4^th Edition, the suite of self-paced, e-learning courses will guide participants through PMI-based standards, tools and techniques.

The self-paced, e-learning courses debuting online today include:

• “Principles of Project Management” (4-hours/4 PDUs/.4 CEUs – pending). In this class, participants are introduced to PMI-based standards, tools and techniques as they are interactively guided through the project management life cycle. Participants will examine all forty-two (42) processes (22 in depth) and will receive fourteen (14) templates that will allow them to efficiently and effectively manage and deliver projects of all sizes within scope, on time and within budget; and
• “Essentials of Project Management” (8-hours/8 PDUs/.8 CEUs – pending). In this class, participants are introduced to PMI based standards, tools and techniques as they are interactively guided through the project management life cycle. Participants will examine all forty-two (42) processes in depth, and will receive twenty-eight (28) templates that will allow them to efficiently and effectively manage and deliver projects of all sizes within scope, on time and within budget.

“I’ve taken many other self-paced, e-learning courses throughout my professional career and the quality and value of these courses supersedes any classes that I have taken in the past,” said course co-developer and trainingadvocate.com featured writer Nick Maddox, PMP. “We took a concentrated effort to separate this course from anything else that is out there by providing the attendee with practical, easily understood instructions and tools that can be immediately applied to their projects.”

Over the course of the next several weeks, MCM will debut additional self-paced, e-learning courses on initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing projects, as well as additional courses that cover each of the nine PMI recognized knowledge areas; integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk and procurement.

“MCM takes pride in the ability of listening to the needs of our constituency and turning those findings into benefits for that constituency. When MCM was conducting traditional classroom style courses, we utilized course survey feedback to develop new and intriguing courses. The same thing holds true for our suite of self-paced, e-learning courses. MCM listened to the needs of our constituency and heard that they were looking for training that was more convenient, efficient and affordable then the options that they were currently being presented. MCM listened, and as a result, MCM has developed a suite of courses that they will range in length from about one hour to about four hours and will target specific project management areas. This allows that professional that is looking for just one or two more credits, in order to either qualify for the PMP exam or to maintain their PMP credential, the opportunity to take exactly the class they need, for the exact number of credits they need, at a price that is affordable, and a location that is convenient. You can’t get anymore convenient then bringing it to their fingertips,” said course instructor Brian Maddox, PMP.

At the very lowest level, our days can be divided up into a series of activities.

Most people at one point or another in the morning, (for 51% of us, as identified in a recent USA Today poll) run through in their mind (in general) and what is going to take place, and who is going to be impacted by their presence that day; in essence, identifying the general tasks that you will need to accomplish that day? School, a jaunt to the bank, or a run to soccer practice; breakfast, lunch and dinner; husband or wife, children, bosses, grandparents, all of these people may run through your mind as individuals that you may have to talk with, at some point, throughout your day.

The PMBOK© 4^th Edition identifies these initiation processes:

4.1 – Develop Project Charter
10.1 – Identify Stakeholders

Tune in again for Part III: What Do I Have To Do Today?, where I compare how, at the very lowest level, our days can be divided up into a series of activities and how the performance of those activities compare to PMI’s planning processes.

Everybody can take a look at their life (no matter how old), and identify a variety of time periods, or phases, that when sequentially pieced together encompass the totality of their existence. Obviously the older one is the more phases of their life they have to reflect back upon. They might see a clearly defined start; their birth and a clearly defined finish; their death. Each phase leaves a definite imprint on your memory, including when each one started, ended, and a new one begun.

They may see various phases in their life including adolescence, teenage, young adult, middle-aged and mature adult or elderly.

Project management defines project phases as a component of the project life cycle that logically relates project activities to culminate in the completion of a major deliverable? 

Each phase of your life might be marked by such activities as student, athlete, professional, parent and grandparent.

Project management defines activity as a component of work performed during the course of a project.

Each phase of your life is marked by milestones like your high school or college graduation, the day you got married, or the birth of your first child, etc.

Project management defines milestone as a significant point or event in a project.

The average person experiences many issues throughout their life. These issues may take many, many forms including health, monetary, spiritual, etc. Additionally, the average person also must weigh and deal with many risks along the way. Do I have the money to afford this car? Is he the right guy or girl? Should I change my job? What should you do? How do you even go about making a knowledgeable decision? What process do you go through to make those decisions?

The Project Management Institute (PMI) utilizes their industry recognized standard called the Project Management Body of Knowledge or PMBOK© to capture the embodiment of processes that allows an individual to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control and close projects. These 5 process types encompass the 42 processes that allow an individual to manage the integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement on their project, while proactively guiding the project through the project life cycle.

Tune in again for Part II: Your Daily Project, where I compare how, at the very lowest level, our days can be divided up into a series of activities and how the performance of those activities compare to PMI’s initiation processes.

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, but that can be easily explained by my participation in numerous events including:

• MCM Project Management’s “Nike Laptop 2009 Refresh”, in which over the course of a the first week of June, MCM Project Management, in conjunction with Siemens and in support of Nike’s own project manager, deployed over 400 computers to the Nike US Sales force. This choreographed deployment occurred during Nike’s recent sales event at the Tiger Woods Facility at Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon;
• The Development of basic and advanced Project Management Institute (PMI) registered and National Management Association (NMA) certified online, e-learning courses in Project Management for Savvy-U (www.savvy-u.com), a NEW source for certified continuing education, that will “go-live” on July 1; and
• My participation as a proud parent in my son’s graduation from Union High School in Camas, Washington. 

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I will debut a series titled: “Project Life Management: How to implement real life efficiencies in your professional world.” I hope you will check it out and see how you can become more efficient by implementing real life efficiencies in your professional environment.

According to the feature article in the May 2009 PMI today titled Pulse of the Profession SURVEY – Shows Clear Trend Toward Better Project Performance, “More projects are being completed on time and within budget these days, and a larger percentage of projects are meeting their goals.”

This survey, conducted in late 2008 by PMI’s Market Research Department, compared the results with an identical 2006 survey. According to their survey comparisons, there has been an increase in projects finishing on time (+2%) and within budget (+3%).

In the survey’s look at centralization and project performance, 60% of the respondents work in a project management environment supported by a centralized Project Management Office (+7%), which naturally equates to more projects being completed on time and within budget then those managed in a decentralized PMO supported project environment. 

Are these results a surprise to anyone? 

Is it hard to fathom that a Centralized PMO (to bring under one control) performs better then a Decentralized PMO (to distribute powers or functions over a less concentrated area)? 

Somehow in a profession that exhorts control, methodologies, tools and techniques to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close projects, the distribution of control to a decentralized PMO goes against all good thought and practice. 

All poking aside, these (and their other) survey results are great in that they reinforce what the project management constituency has been advocating to their clients and stakeholders for years now; that the implementation of project management tools and techniques in and around a mature, robust, and centralized project management office, helps to increase the success of projects.  

Why then, during a time of difficult economic conditions, do project managers have to continually justify their value and the value PMI based tools and techniques to their clients, stakeholders and even their own management at times? 

In 2002, the Center for Business Practices conducted a survey (results posted on pmadvocate.com) that identified the percentage of increase in a variety of project support categories realized by the implementation of project management based tools and techniques. The increases were truly astounding. Based upon these astounding increases, why then aren’t project managers the first resources hired and the last resource fired during down economic times? An even a bigger question might be…how does the project management constituency make other industries aware of the enormous value that is gained through the hiring of project managers and the implementation of a centralized and robust project management office?

Welcome to PMAdvocate.com!

PMAdvocate.com is dedicated to the betterment of project managers, their programs, projects and profession through the collaboration and sharing of relevant project management knowledge and information.

To that end, let me start off this inaugural blog by first stating some facts, and then, posing a thought provoking question for careful analysis. The Center for Business Practices conducted a study that found that through the implementation of project management tools and techniques, project performance in the following areas could be improved by the following percent:

- Schedule Estimating – 38.6%;
- Customer Satisfaction – 37.6%;
- Strategic Business Alignment – 37%;
- Cost/Hour Estimating – 32.8%;
- Time/Budget – 32.5%;
- Schedule Performance – 32.1%;
- Quality Improvement – 31.9%;
- Labor Hours Performance – 25.6%;
- Cost Performance – 23.8%;
- Response Time – 23%;
- Staff Productivity – 22.8%;
- Time to Market – 21.7%.

Based upon the following survey, shouldn’t project managers be the first employees hired, and the last employees fired, at any company or agency? Additionally, and even in this time of economic turmoil and plunging corporate and government budgets, aren’t companies and agencies obligated to take advantage of the substantial return on investment that could be realized by providing their employees with the appropriate level of project management training?