IIBA Underlying Soft Skills Competency Training …...5. Prioritizing root cause correction 6....

Helping Today’s Technologists Become Tomorrow’s Leaders

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Phone: 855-286-1110 www.ManagerMechanics.com

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IIBA Underlying Soft Skills Competency Training Curriculum January, 2017

Soft Skills Hard Results


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IIBA Underlying Soft Skills Competency Curriculum

As described in the Business Analyst Book of Knowledge (BABOK), there are several

underlying soft skills competencies which support and enhance the practice of business analysis.

This document lists the Manager Mechanics classes specifically selected to meet this defined list

of competencies needed to help ensure the success of current and future Business Analysts.

BABOK: Underlying Soft Skills Competencies:

Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving

Problem Solving and Decision Making (one day)

Strategic Thinking and Planning (one day)

Fostering IT Innovation (half day)

Behavioral Characteristics

Building your Professional Brand (half day)

Collaborative Consulting Skills (one day)

Personal and Organizational Time Management (one day)

Business Knowledge

Thinking Like a CIO (one day)

Collaborative Consulting Skills (one day)

Great Internal Client Service (one day)

Productivity Driven Success (one day)

IT Megatrends and their Management Implications (one day)

Cloud Computing Management (one day)

Data Quality and Governance (one day)

Methodology and Process Overview (one day)

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Communication (one day)

Interaction Skills

Leadership Concepts (one day)

Negotiation Skills (half day)

Conflict Resolution (one day)

The Steve Jobs Way: Innovation & Leadership You Can Use (one day)

Accelerated Team Building (one day)

IT as an Agent of Change (half day)

Leadership without Authority (one day)

Managing Virtual Teams (one day)

Vendor Management (half day)

Contact us today to enhance your team’s effectiveness tomorrow!


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Problem Solving and Decision Making

This class discusses the decision making process and many of the challenges facing Project

Managers, Business Analysts and all other project team members in making timely decisions. It

covers the impacts of the human element on decision making, decision constraints, stakeholders,

challenges in problem definition, and other related topics.

It also includes various structured problem solving tools and exercises such as root cause

analysis, brainstorming, prioritization, alternative selection and nominal group technique.

Class Topics include:

Thoughts on decision making

o The Hidden Choice

o Why make decisions

o Why people don’t make decisions

o Ways to make a decision

o Decisions solve problems

o Decision making vs. Problem solving

Problem definition

o Realizing a decision must be made

o Defining the problem

o Defining desired end state

o Defining stakeholders

Problem solving process

1. Problem definition

2. Decision to act on problem

3. Define problem solving scope

4. Finding root cause

5. Prioritizing root cause correction

6. Defining potential solutions

7. Select a solution

Key Take-A-Ways:

Conceptual insights into problem solving and decision making processes

Problem solving and final state definition techniques

Knowledge of root cause analysis techniques

Working knowledge of various prioritization, selection, and brainstorming techniques


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Strategic Thinking and Planning

Strategic thinking is the mental process, applied by an individual or by the organization as a whole, that considers and organization’s future direction, new products and services, new markets, new internal processes or other similar objectives. Strategic planning is the systematic process used to defining the steps, deliverables and milestones needed to meet this future vision. This class discusses these two interrelated topics from a conceptual, step-by-step and how-to

perspective.


Organizational Thinking

o Planning and Positioning

o Organizational Learning

o Constructive Transformation

Vision, Objectives and Values

o Vision Statement

o Objectives Definition

o Values Statement

Thoughts on Strategic Thinking

o Vision Effectiveness

o Making Time to Think a Priority

o Move Out of Your Comfort Zone

o Focusing on Results vs. Methods and Means

o Using Forward Thinking

6 Step Strategic Thinking Process

Thoughts on Strategic Planning

o Definition of Strategic Planning

o Strategic Thinking vs. Strategic Planning

9 Step Strategic Planning Process

Key Take-A-Ways:

Conceptual understanding of the strategic thinking process

Critical Success factors of the strategic thinking process

Insights in various formal strategic thinking methodologies

How to structure for vision, mission, and value statement

Insights into common IT strategic planning issues Nine step strategic planning process


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Fostering Innovation

Innovation is the successful creation, implementation, enhancement and/or improvement of a

technical process, business process, software product, hardware product, or cultural factor that

reduces costs, enhances productivity, increases company competitiveness, or provides other

business value. Creative thinking is the mental process, applied by an individual or the Agile

team as a whole that considers ways to enhance the value of the organization it serves.

This class is designed to provide Scrum Masters and Product Owners with the information,

insights, and tools needed to foster innovation and enhance creative thinking within their Agile

team.


Thoughts on Innovation and Creativity

o What is Business Innovation?

o Sustaining and Disruptive Innovation

o Innovation is Part of the Job

o Business Uses of Innovation

o Lateral Thinking vs. Programmed Thinking

o The Inspiration Paradox

o Barriers to Innovation

Expanding Your Thinking

o Look and Learn on the Road and in the Office

o Widened Thinking in Motion

Enablers of IT Innovation

o Understanding Business Goals and Objectives

o Collaboration Between IT and Business

o Commitment to Quality Improvement

o Willingness to Seek and Accept Feedback

o Ability to Think Outside-The-Box

o Culture of Innovation

Drivers of IT Innovation

o Constrained resources, competition, survival, greed

Six step Innovation Process

Innovation facilitation tools

o Brainstorming, Design Thinking, Mind Mapping

Key Take-A-Ways:

An understanding of successful innovation within an Agile team context

Insights into the advantages, drivers, uses, and pitfalls of innovation

Specific ways to create a culture of innovation

Conceptual understanding of the creative thinking process


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Building Your Professional Brand

As a Project Manager, your reputation, persona and internal company network can make or

break your project and/or your career. That said, building your professional brand is of great

value to both your company and you personally.

This class begins by assessing your professional reputation based on ten key factors and

discussing professional branding from a personal marketing perspective. It then continues by

outlining a multi-step personal development plan on how to build your skills and credentials.

It then ends, by describing various ways to expand your reputation, persona and professional

network based on these newly enhanced skills and credentials.


Personal assessment

Learn about branding o Your brand is o Your brand is NOT

Formulate your strategy o Define your career direction o Define needed credentials o Define your soft skills training needs o Define your hard skill training needs o Define your future marketability o Analyze your next promotion o Formulate your plan

Build your brand o Building your skills o Building your credentials o Building your knowledge

Market yourself

Key Take-A-Ways:

Understanding of professional branding and how you can use it to your advantage

A five step process you can use enhance your professional brand

Ways to increase your professional marketability and advance your career more quickly


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Collaborative Consulting Skills

For project teams to deliver superior consulting-level results to the stakeholders it servers, the

Project Managers and Business analysts must understand how to effectively blend technical

and business expertise with superior communication and collaborative skills.

This class is specifically designed to provide Project Managers, Business analysts, and all client-

facing team members working directly with project stakeholders, with the tools needed to

provide this high level of business acumen and proactive business participation.


Consulting as a Conceptual Profession Discipline

o What is In-house Consulting?

o Staff augmentation, Subject Matter Experts and Business partners

o Consulting Versus Technical Support

o Six Personal Imperatives for Consultants

Five Step Consulting Model

o Setting up a Relationship

Warm-up and Rapport

Understanding the Customer

Understanding Communication

o Establishing Needs

Use of Client Type Information

Question Types and Purposeful Questions

Moving Towards Closure

o Recommending Solutions

Problem Definition

Desired End State

Suggested Tool Set

Customer Centric Vision

o Valuing Objections

Define Stakeholders

Assess Stakeholder Agreement

Noteworthy Points

Watch Out For . . .

o Executing - Next Steps

Summarizing, Reporting and Staying Connected

Key Take-A-Ways:

Understanding the for SERVE consulting methodology

Techniques for building client trust and long term relationships

Ways to build your professional reputation

Novel approaches to communicating with internal clients and others


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Personal and Organizational Time Management

Time management should never be your goal. It should simply be a conduit to free up the time,

money and resources needed to drive project, organizational and personal success.

This class, based on Eric Bloom’s #1 Amazon bestselling book, “Productivity Driven Success”

and its related TEDx Talk, will widen your perspective on time management and productivity

enhancement.


Key Productivity Concepts

o How is Productivity Improved?

o Productivity Leveraging

o Productivity Driven Reinvestment

o Productivity Fallacy

o Strategy vs. Culture

o Productivity Culture Enablers

o The Productivity Pyramid Model

o Time Management: One of Eight Amplifiers

Traditional Time Management Concepts

o Efficiency

o 18 Minutes

o Pomodoro Technique

Prioritization

o Eisenhower's Principle

o Pareto Analyses

o ABC

Advanced Time Management Techniques

o 4 Zones of Productivity

o “Near-Time Far-Time” Concept

o Spending time "on" and "in" your organization

o Department Productivity Killers

o Management Time vs. Worker Time

o Meeting Times Based on Circadian Rhythms

Key Take-A-Ways:

A wider perspective on productivity enhancement

Key elements that foster an innovative corporate culture

Working knowledge of multiple ready-to-use time management techniques and concepts


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Thinking Like a CIO

Unlike the typical IT oriented hard skills or software skills experience, this class outlines a philosophy of how to look at the world of IT and the company. The underlying topic, and the instruction provided, is designed to broaden your way of thinking and expand your management perspective. This enhanced view of IT, and your company in general, has the potential to significantly improve your current work performance, get you noticed by those above you organizationally, and accelerate your upward professional growth. Class Topics include:

Thinking like a CIO o Why think like a CIO o Knowledge gathered - Things to look for o Insights Gained - On management and leadership o Changes in Perspective - Based on Knowledge and insights o Actionable Items - You can accelerate your professional success

State of the CIO o Business o Technical o Financial o Career

Effect of IT Megatrends on the CIO o Old and New Competitors o New Business Alliances o The view from the top

IT / Business Partnership o Understanding Your Clients' Characteristics o Being Proactive vs. Reactive

Thought Leadership o Strategic thinking and planning o IT Innovation

Key Take-A-Ways:

A widened understanding of how to view IT and its effect on your future career

Actionable steps that you can use today to accelerate your professional success tomorrow


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Client Service and User Experience

User satisfaction comes from the combination of great client service and user experience. Client

service refers to the ability to provide assistance when asked, properly set user expectations, and

other related activities. User experience refers to the quality of previously implemented systems

and processes.

This class is designed to help Project Managers and their teams maximize their client service

knowledge and enhance their ability to provide world-class client support.


Initial Thoughts on Client Service

o Definition, Challenges and Importance

o Value of Defining Your Business Function

Managing Client Expectations

o The “One IT” Concept and Moments of Truth

o Importance of Controlling the Discussion

o DANCE Expectation Management Framework

User Experience

o Definition

o Product Quality

o Services Quality

o Documentation and Training Quality

o Multi-Channel Accessibility

o IT Thought Leadership

o The User Experience / Client Service Connection

Internal Client Service Concepts

o Understanding Your Clients' Characteristics

o Being Proactive vs. Reactive

o Showing Service Ownership

o What Your Internal Clients Want

o Importance of Communicating Project Status

o Communicating with Your Client Leadership

o Importance of Proper Measurement

o Prioritization

Key Take-A-Ways:

Insights into internal client service concepts, politics, and best practices

Leadership attributes/processes needed to create a service-oriented environment

Specific actionable techniques to enhance your user satisfaction


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Productivity Driven Success

Based on the book "Productivity Driven Success", productivity improvement should never be your final goal. It should simply be a conduit to free up the time, money and resources needed to drive organizational success. This workshop widens your perspective on productivity enhancement and outlines a strategy to assure your efforts are aligned with corporate goals, holistic in nature, systematic in implementation, and measurable. It goes on to describe the six "Productivity Enables" that make improvement possible, "Productivity Amplifiers" designed to maximize organizational efficiency, and the process that makes it happen. Class Topics include:

Key Concepts o The Productivity Measurement Fallacy o Opportunity Cost o Productivity Driven Reinvestment o Productivity Linking and Mapping o Cultural Productivity Enablers o Getting your Productivity Projects Funded

Climbing the Productivity Pyramid 1. Goal Alignment 2. Holistic Mindset 3. Supportive Culture 4. Amplification 5. Measurement 6. Reinvestment 7. Reiteration

Unleashing your Productivity Amplifiers o Constructive delegation o Ongoing process improvement o Communication efficiency o Knowledge storage and transfer o Time management o Asset reuse o Intelligent meeting management o Leveraging the zone

Seven Step Productivity Pyramid System

Key Take-A-Ways: How do build a culture that facilitates productivity enhancement

How to align and measure productivity projects based on company goals

Seven key areas of potential productivity enhancement

A seven step process to manage your productivity initiatives


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IT Megatrends and Their Management Consequences

Major long term megatrends are taking the IT industry by storm. Each of these megatrends has its own idiosyncrasies, but together they are driving the future of business computing, the type of service IT can provide to its constituency, and how IT itself is structured and managed. An understanding of what these trends are and how to use them to your advantage in the workplace is essential to maximize the value of IT to your organization. Class Topics include:

Mobile Devices, Consumerization of IT, and BYOD o Definitions, drivers, risks and procedures o Policies, and more

Cloud Computing o Advantages and Disadvantages o Security, Operational and Data Management Considerations

Social Media Marketing and Listening o Content-Marketing and Social Media Monitoring o Community Creation and Data Collection

Data Analytics and Visualization o Data types and data analysis methods o Data visualization concepts, and more

Internet of Things o Definitions, concepts and usage o Examples and Innovations

Big Data o Definitions, size, types, processes, and more

Digital Transformation o Definitions, Effect on IT and the organization o Management Consideration, and key thought leaders

Other Megatrends o Machine learning, 3D printing, phygical, robotics, etc.

Key Take-A-Ways:

Insights into short and long term effects these IT megatrends have on the IT

Employing megatrends to the advantage of the company, IT, staff, and yourself

Understanding of what IT skills are needed to implement these new technologies

Insights into the ramifications of these technologies on current and future IT organizations


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Cloud Computing Management

Cloud computing has been a huge topic within the Information Technology (IT) community. This class discusses what cloud computing is, how it affects IT organizations and how it can be employed to maximize user satisfaction and IT effectiveness & minimize expenses. It goes on to discuss cloud computing pros and cons from an IT perspective, implications for IT management, the potential to magnify IT resources, possible morale issues, and dealing with high user expectations, capital expenditures, data security and other important issues. Lastly, in additional to highlighting data security concerns, it also discusses various IT issues that are often overlooked making the decision to move toward a cloud computing strategy. These issues include production/operation issues, potential fracturing of the corporate data models, vendor selection and ongoing vendor oversight. Class Topics include:

Description of Cloud Computing

Major Vendors and Players

Cloud Computing and Disadvantages

Financial Considerations and Usage

Security considerations

Operational Considerations

Data Management Considerations

Vendor Considerations

Vendor Oversight

Key Take-A-Ways:

Knowledge of key cloud computing terms and vendors

Implications of cloud computing from an IT management perspective

Financial and cost center ramifications of cloud computing

Enhanced IT leadership perspectives of cloud advantages and disadvantages

The effect that a cloud computing strategy has on your existing IT corporate data model

Insights into various operational, security, and vendor issues related to moving toward a cloud computing strategy

Call us or email us today: 855-286-1110 or [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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Data Quality and Governance

Data is the life blood of all organizations. Information Technology (IT) managers and individual contributors are the guardians of this data. As a result, IT must understand how data is collected, stored, distributed, used, and in regard to this class, managed. To that end, we will discuss the data quality requirements for different data types, the business, IT and vendor practices that help create bad data, processes to help identify bad data, and the management practices and data governance needed to help facilitate the distribution of quality information. Class Topics include:

Data Quality Requirements o How different types of data require different levels of quality

Causes of Bad Data o Data problems caused by vendors o Data problems caused by IT architectures

Identifying Bad Data o Ways to monitor and identify bad data o Data health check philosophy and practices

Data Friendly Topologies o Internal and external data-friendly topologies o Modifying existing data flows and topologies

Data Governance and Management o Data governance and Data Governance Group (DGG) definitions o Responsibilities, location, level, and structure o Challenges of justifying a DGG

Effect of Cloud Computing on Data Management o Data Definition and Data Movement Issues o Inter-Cloud Transactions Issues o Data Warehousing and Analytics Issues

Effect of Big Data on Data Management o Information Governance o Operational, Administrative and Business Metadata

Key Take-A-Ways:

Definitions of key quality data types and considerations

Understanding of data governance political and financial dynamics

Data Governance Group vision, mission, and organizational structure


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Methodology and Process Overview

This class is designed to provide you with a general understanding of various industry leading software development methodologies and key IT production processes. These methodologies and processes include Waterfall, Agile, Extreme Programming, Rational Unified Process, Scrum, emergency software fixes, software testing, and other related topics. Class Topics include:

Waterfall o General description and methodology steps o Advantages and disadvantages

Agile development process o General description and principles behind the Agile Manifesto o General attributes, advantages and disadvantages

Rational Unified Process (RUP) o Content Elements o Project life cycle phases o Engineering and supporting disciplines o Advantages and disadvantages

Scrum o Team member types o Development phases o Burndowns, meetings, backlogs, and sprint cycles

Extreme Programming (XP) o General description o Methodology steps o Advantages and disadvantages

Key software and production processes o Installing emergency software fixes o Software testing and bug tracking, and much more

Key Take-A-Ways:

Broad understanding of industry leading software development methodologies

Insights into when various methodologies are most and least effective

Awareness of key software and production IT processes


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Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication skills, ranging from emotional intelligence, to questioning

techniques, to active listening, are essential to effective commination within the project team

itself as well as all those associated with the project is some way. These ancillary, but very

important people, are project stakeholders, vendors, and those in other parts of the company

supporting project, like IT.

This class is specifically designed to enhance the ability of Project managers and project team

members to by expanding their knowledge in communication techniques, concepts, and best

practices.


Emotional intelligence

o Why EQ, not EI?

o Self-Awareness and Self-Management

o Social Awareness and Relationship Management

Question Types

o Closed, Open and High Yield

Question Usages/Purposes

o Accuracy, Clarification, Completeness, Relevance, etc.

Active Listening

o Repeating, Paraphrasing, Reflecting

With Criticism Comes Opportunity

o To Learn, Grow Professionally, Deal with Change, etc.

Passive, Aggressive, and Assertive

o Understanding Basic Communication Styles

Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Communications

o Understanding of Three Basic Types

Building Rapport on the Phone

o First Impressions, Barriers, and Techniques

Listening Framework

o Caller, Topic, Delivery, and Setting

Listening Styles

o Action, Informational, etc.

Key Take-A-Ways:

An understanding Emotional Intelligence concepts

Working knowledge of question types and techniques

General communications techniques needed to maximize the value of personal and

professional interaction


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Leadership Concepts

Leadership is a required skill for both Project Managers and Business Analysts. Project

Managers lead their teams and Business Analysts indirectly lead those outside of the team

including the business community and project stakeholders.

This class discusses various leadership concepts, styles and techniques, providing Project

Managers with the conceptual leadership context needed to enhance their leadership capabilities.


Thoughts on Leadership

o Leadership Versus Management

o Managers Lead by Example

o Building Trust

o Delegating Without Control

o Expectations Setting

o Relationship Building

o Role of the Manager Leader

o Advocating Employee Ideas

o 10 Types of Leadership Styles

Leadership and Management Concepts

o Servant Leadership

o U.S. Army Four Factors of Leadership

o The Oz Principle

o Situational Leadership Concept

o Managerial Grid Model

o Monkey Management

Project Management Leadership Challenges

o Team Member Commitment

o Dotted Line Dynamics and Solutions

o Status Reporting Accuracy

o Team Member Measurement

o Scope, Resources Deadlines and Quality

Key Take-A-Ways:

A general understanding of leadership concepts

Actionable leadership techniques directly applicable to the PMI Leadership Triangle

Leadership techniques Project Managers and Business Analysts can use when working

with stakeholders, team members and vendors


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Negotiation Skills

Project Managers and Business Analysts negotiate with vendors about price, delivery dates,

service levels, and a myriad of other topics. They also negotiate with their business users on

everything from budget to software application features. As a result, negotiation skills are a key

element of both IT organizational success and individual professional career development.

This class describes negotiation styles, keys to successful negotiation, how to deal with difficult

negotiation tactics, and other related topics.


Important concepts

o Win-Win, Win-Lose, and Lose-Win

o Distributive vs. Integrative negotiation

o Competitive vs. Cooperative negotiation

o Needs vs. Wants

o and more …

Negotiation preparations

o Understand what you’re negotiating

o Know your objectives

o Know your bottom line

o Know your ability to walk away

o and many more …

Negotiation strategies

o Look for mutual gain

o Invent creative options

o Negotiate the problem not the person

o Trade effectively

o and more …

Handling difficult tactics and advantages/disadvantages of. . .

o Threats, withdrawal, pressure, etc.

Key Take-A-Ways:

Understanding of key negotiation strategies and tactics

Insights into proper negotiation preparation

A life skill you can use at work and home


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Conflict Resolution

Knowing how to recognize, understand and intervene effectively in conflict situations with team

members, stakeholders, management and others is a critical career-enhancing and project-saving skill

for both Project Managers and Business Analysts.

The class outlines the causes of team conflict, strategies to deal with conflict, techniques designed to

defuse tense situations and a formalized conflict resolution process.


Initial Thoughts and Vocabulary

o The typology of conflict

o Types of conflict

o The Conflict Spiral

10 Common Causes of Workplace Conflict

Giving Constructive Feedback

Question Restatement

Addressing Difficult Responses

Conflict Strategies

o Accommodating, Avoiding,

o Collaborating, Competing, Compromising

Quick Conflict Resolution Tips

o Interpersonal Ground Rules

o Nice Ways to Say “no”

o Using "How" and "What" questions

o VASE, ERIC, and BEGIN

o Using Emotional Maturity

o Body Language Queues and Concepts

The Conflict Resolution Process

o Seven step process moving from defining the issues at hand, through resolution,

and ending with ways prevent future conflicts

Key Take-A-Ways:

Understanding of team conflict sources and dynamics

Working knowledge of key conflict resolution strategies

How to manage various common types of employee issues


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The Steve Jobs Way: Innovation and Leadership You Can Use

Love him or hate him, you must admit that Steve Jobs was a challenging and brilliant leader and an innovative genius. So what can you learn from the strengths and weaknesses of a computer industry trailblazer? The answer is an enormous amount! This class, developed hand-in-hand with former Apple SVP and Jobs’ advisor Jay Elliot, highlights and describes Steve Jobs’ business principles, philosophies, and techniques in ways that you can adapt and apply them to your workplace in order to grow professionally and, in the words of Steve Jobs, “put a ding in the universe”, your ding in the universe! The topics discussed in this class are valuable to people of all professions and organizational levels. Some of Jobs’ techniques were used to create this class, so we can demonstrate to you how to actually use these principles to your advantage in any business endeavor.


The Myth and the Man

General Thoughts on Leadership

Jobs' Leadership Style

Jobs' Organization and Team Building Style

Intensity and Focus

General Innovation Terminology and Concepts

Jobs' Thoughts on Innovation

Examples of Innovation

General Thoughts on Product Design

Jobs' Product Passion and Design Key Take-A-Ways:

Knowledge of various innovative and effective leadership concepts

Innovation techniques usable in almost any professional endeavor

Ways to create an culture of innovation

Value of professional intensity and focus

An understanding that sometimes more is less and less is more

Concepts of product design usable in the creation of almost product or service

Team building techniques that enhance quality, productivity, and effectiveness

Call us or email us today: 855-286-1110 or [email protected]


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Accelerated Team Building

Congratulations! A new team at your company is being created to start work on an exciting new project and you have been selected as the Project Manager. While this is a great opportunity, your new position is also highly visible and you are expecting to immediately start getting results. Most of your new team members have never met before and those who have, never worked together. Your fear, as the Project Manager, is that the more time your new staff needs to become a functional team, the longer it will take to begin doing meaningful work. This class, based on the LEAPFROG Teambuilding Accelerator© methodology by Manager Mechanics, is designed to get your team up and running quickly.


Key Team Building Essentials

o Assessing team dynamics

o Team building

o Tuckman's Stages of Group Development

o Accelerating Tuckman's Stages

The LEAPFROG Teambuilding Accelerator© methodology

o L - Layout organizational structure and staff roles

o E - Establish relationships and trust among teammates

o A - Assemble goals, objectives and values

o P - Provide Individual and team Critical Success Factors

o F - Form a culture of teamwork and camaraderie

o R - Render efficient internal department processes

o O - Outline specific process measurements

o G - Get going

Ending Thoughts and Action Items

Key Take-A-Ways:

How to get new teams up and running quickly in a way that facilitates short-term

wins and long-term success

An understanding of how to form, build and lead a successful team


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Being an Agent of Change

The implementation of enhanced computer applications requires new manual and automated

procedures, changes in business processes modifies task workflows, and the rollout of new

corporate business models changes career paths and trajectories.

This class outlines what can be done, as Agile team members, to minimize the stress on those

receiving these changes, while simultaneously increasing their adoption and acceptance.


Changing People and Culture

o Role of an Entrepreneur

o Needed change management skills

o The change management process

o Emotional stages of change

o Agents of change

o Proper communication

Commitment and Buy-In

o Levels of Commitment

o Levels of Required Support

o Level of Support and Opposition

Formal Change Methodologies

o Lewin's Three Stage Model of Change

o Kotter's Eight Step Change Model

o Conditions for effective change

o John Fisher's Personal Transition Curve

o Organizational renewal

Changing the Company

o Process automation

o Platform replacement

Key Take-A-Ways:

An understanding the role of project management in organizational growth and change

Knowledge of key industry change methodologies

Conceptual perspective to induce change within an organization


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Leadership without Authority

he ability to influence others is key to the success of all professional, from the CEO to newest

college intern. Project Managers must motivate and direct their dotted line resources, Business

Analysts must gain information and support from their business counterparts, and individual

contributors must often influence others to get the resources and information they need to

complete their tasks.

This class is ideal for Project Managers, Business Analysts, Software Testers, Technical Leads

and all others required to give direction and/or influence others without the specific

organizational authority to do so.


Initial Thoughts and Vocabulary

o Types of Respect

o Barriers to Influence

Leading Influence Concepts and Techniques

o Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence

o Cohen-Bradford Influent Model

Understanding Yourself and Others

o The Johari Window

o Merrill & Reid Social Styles

Maximizing Your Personal Power

o 12 Ways That Position You to Influence Others

Push and Pull Influencers

o Types and effectiveness of Push and Pull Techniques

Influential Communication

o Storytelling

o Use of Purposeful Questions

Influencing Other Corporate Players

o Business Peers and Clients

o Levels of Commitment

o Managing Up

Key Leadership Processes

o Expectations Setting

o Building Trust

Key Take-A-Ways:

Enhanced ability to influence those inside and outside your project team

Ways to enhance your professional brand in a way that positions you to influence others

How to use storytelling and purposeful questions to professional advantage

Greater ability to be heard and listened to by senior management and project stakeholders


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Leading a Virtual Teams

Leading people within a single location certainly has its challenges. These challenges are

magnified when your team is remote--physically dispersed across town, across the country,

and/or across the world.

This class is designed to provide insights into the tactics, techniques, and processes needed to

effectively lead virtual teams of all types.


Virtual Team Efficiency

o Management Style

o Team Communication

o Team Building

o Business Process

o Team Stakeholders

Virtual Team Profile

o Required Team Interdependency

o Team Status

o Team Composition

Virtual Meeting Best Practices

o Key Concept: Don’t Just Participate, Observe

o For New-be Virtual Meeting Leaders

o Things Going Against You

o Ideas to Help the Call Run Smoothly

o Maximize Your Personal Energy

Virtual Talent Management

o Hiring

o Delegation and Job Assignment

o Measurement

o Performance Reviews

o Mentoring and Career Planning

Virtual Team Building Activities

Appendix 1: Home Office Productivity Tips

Appendix 2: Home Office Design Tips

Appendix 3: Video Cam Tips and Tricks

Appendix 4: Virtual Body Language

Key Take-A-Ways:

Insights into the true lead challenges and issues then managing virtual teams

Key methodologies, tips and techniques to maximize your virtual team’s effectiveness

Insights into the cultural idiosyncrasies and best practices when leading diverse teams


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Vendor Management

Best practices in vendor management have always been important to IT leaders and will only be more so should outsourcing continue to increase.

This class covers key elements of excellence in vendor management including sourcing, using vendors to build a business case, communicating priorities, the competitive vendor landscape, contracts and negotiating, collaboration and partnership with key vendors, vendor risk assessment, vendor performance issues, transparency and other best practices. Class Topics include:

Providers and strategic partners o Vendor types o Approved vendor lists o Approved product lists

Key vendor considerations o Technical o Operational o Financial

Vendor management life cycle o Business case definition o Business requirements definition o Service Level Agreement (SLA) definition

DANCE Vendor Management Expectation Framework o “D”—Define the issue o “A”—Agree on what needs to be done o “N”—Negotiate the final outcome o “C”—Complete the task o “E”—Ensure the vendor performed satisfactorily

Vendor oversight o Vendor audits o Risk assessment and mitigation o Industry specific compliance considerations

Outsourcing and cloud considerations o Data movement and governance o Change control processes o Definition and communication of priorities

Key Take-A-Ways:

Key elements of vendor management best practices

Understanding of the vendor selection and management life cycle

Insights into vendor audits, oversight, and exit strategy

IIBA Underlying Soft Skills Competency Training …...5. Prioritizing root cause correction 6....

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