Blog

Management is Learning

Posted on 02.18.16

What is Management?

Management is often defined as the process of organizing, coordinating, and controlling the activities of a business to achieve desired objectives. Managers deal with motivating and directing human resources within constraints of productivity and efficiency of costs, equipment, and industry needs. Effective managers combine technical knowledge with behavioral science to lead and direct teams in achieving broad organizational goals.

Continuous Learning

Continuous learning may be defined as a process of storing in one’s memory knowledge and acting on that knowledge to repeat successful activities and to avoid less successful responses in an effort to improve oneself and one’s organization. Human beings are designed for continuous learning as we engage in work and social situations, gaining knowledge of our own and others’ experiences. Continuous learning relies on memory to bring forth similar situations from the past to apply to a current challenge. In addition, continuous learning also relies on inherent logic to adapt prior results to like circumstances. In short, we may call this applied judgement.

Continuous Learning in Management

Manager do a tremendous amount of “learning on the job.” Much of this learning has to do with specific work activities and with the teams that the manager engages. Learning what motivates individual team members, for example, can lead to effective execution of group tasks and assignments.

However, managers must also stay abreast of their technical fields and of the business world in general. New technologies are causing an explosion of new data and information. Research in management and behavioral science creates new theories and knowledge almost daily.

Engineering, project, and product managers must absorb and apply new information at an astounding pace, all the while constantly directing, controlling, and motivating their teams. Managers rarely have the luxury of time spent away from the office in learning opportunities, such as face-to-face classrooms or industry conferences. Yet these opportunities for continuous learning offer managers the change to gather new knowledge and best practices. Even if a manager does get away to an expensive conference, s/he spends a good deal of the time addressing emails and phone calls back at the company.

Online Learning

At Simple-PDH, we understand the dilemma of managing and continuous learning. Many engineering, project, and product managers have worked hard to achieve internationally recognized certifications like PEM (Professional Engineering Manager), PMP® (Project Management Professional), and NPDP (New Product Development Professional). Yet, maintaining the credential requires documented continuous learning, as much as 20 professional development hours (PDH) each year.

We understand and we empathize with your dilemma. We also recognize the importance of continuous learning as a fundamental necessity to improve your skills as an engineering, project, or product manager. Online learning offers a simple option to study, learn, and earn continuing education credits (CEUs) and PDHs. Most courses are just one hour in length and allow you to print a completion certificate as proof to validate your continuing education to a credentialing body like ASEM (American Society of Engineering Managers), PMI® (Project Management Institute), or PDMA (Product Development and Management Association).

All courses come with a practice test accessible as many times as you need and a final test to demonstrate mastery of fundamental and new management skills.

Try It Now!

To find out how easy it is to study, learn, and earn PDHs at Simple-PDH, please take an introductory course for FREE! Learn more about NPDP certification by clicking here to register at no cost. Or click on Registration in the upper right corner at www.Simple-PDH.com, then enroll in the NPDP Certification course (see Courses in the top menu).

New courses are being added for PEM, PMP, and NPDP professional development every month, so check back often! If you have questions about existing or upcoming PDH courses, please contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 281-280-8717.

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC

Practice your Profession

Posted on 02.04.16

I saw a clip of a television show about JJ Watt’s trainer. JJ Watt is a star defensive end for the Houston Texan’s football team. He has won all sorts of awards and is at the top of his game.

Yet, the television show was about JJ Watt’s training and pursuit of continued improvement. Athletes all practice hard to get stronger and better at their sports. Tiger Woods practices his swing. Roger Federer practices his serve. And LeBron James practices shooting baskets.

Athletes practice learning new skills, and maintaining the fundamentals, in order to improve their capacity as professionals. We, as professional technical managers, must also practice our skills and learn new techniques. This is the reason why most professional associations require continuing education credits or professional development units to retain a professional credential.

Required PDHs

The Professional Engineering Manager (PEM) certification is awarded by the American Society of Engineering Managers (ASEM). In order to maintain the credential, PEMS must earn 45 professional development hours (PDH) every three (3) years. New Product Development Professionals (NPDP), certified by the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), require 60 PDHs every three (3) years to maintain this elite credential. Finally, Project Management Professionals (PMP®), certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), also require 60 PDHs every three (3) years to maintain the credential.

In addition, beginning in December 2015, PMPs must earn 24 of the 60 PDHs in specific areas of education to match current needs of employers. Eight (8) PDHs must be earned in each area of the Talent Triangle™: Business and Strategic Management, Leadership, and Technical Project Management.

Benefits of Continuing Education

Only the most rigorous certification programs require continuing education. This is, in fact, a differentiating factor that candidates should look for when scoping credentialing opportunities. Continued education within a certification program has several advantages.

First, no industry or field of study stands still. There are new practices and emerging social trends that impact the way in which a professional does his/her work. Technology advancements, alone, have significantly changed the way that an engineering manager or project manage interacts with his/her team. Changes in technical communication have radically changed the way that a new product development manager gathers customer requirements for an innovation project.

Second, continuing education forces a candidate for recertification to revisit the fundamentals. Just like JJ Watt practices blocking and tackling, and LeBron James practices his jump shot, professionals need to practice our fundamental skills. Engineering and project managers need to practice communication and conflict management skills. New product development professional need to revisit the standard processes that have demonstrated success in launching new products and services.

Finally, continued education allows experienced professionals to give back to the professional community and to serve as mentors for newly certified professionals. In sharing our own experiences as engineering, product, and project professionals, we help the next generation to learn. In addition, as mentors, we save the company money and time in developing the work product as well as developing the leaders of tomorrow.

How to Earn PDHs

While the benefits of professional continuing education are many (best practices, fundamentals, and mentoring), we have to admit that we are also busy, busy professionals. JJ Watt’s job is to train and become a better football player. Our job is to make sure the projects we are assigned are moving forward, schedules are being met, and budgets are constrained within guidelines. We don’t all have the luxury of a high paid professional trainer like JJ Watt or LeBron James.

At Simple-PDH, we understand that professionals are busy. Even though you understand the value and benefits of continuing education, your boss cannot afford to let you go to a week-long conference just to maintain your professional certification. On top of the airfare, hotel, and expensive conference fees, you are away from your job for an extended time period. Who knows what disaster might strike the project while you are away?

Instead, you can earn your PDHs and continuing education credits (CEUs) simply online. Each online course is affordable and convenient. You study online materials, including downloadable course noes and articles. You learn emerging best practices while refreshing the fundamental skills required of your profession. Each course comes with a practice test that you can take as many times as you want during the registration period. The practice test helps you to learn and apply course materials to your own business situation.

Finally, you earn PDHs by passing a final exam. Most final exams require a 70% passing score and then you can print your dated completion certificate. It’s really simple. Study. Learn. Earn.

Next Steps

To find out how easy it is to earn PDHs at Simple-PDH, please take an introductory course for FREE! Learn more about NPDP certification by clicking here to register. Or click on Registration in the upper right corner at www.Simple-PDH.com, then enroll in the NPDP Certification course (see Courses at the top menu).

If you have questions about upcoming PDH course, please contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 281-280-8717.

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC

Maintaining Certification

Posted on 01.21.16

Professional certifications like NPDP (New Product Development Professional), PMP® (Project Management Professional), and PEM (Professional Engineering Manager), demonstrate experience, knowledge, and specific skills. The most rigorous certifications require continued learning to validate knowledge of best practices and emerging industry trends. Many accrediting bodies require a number of professional development hours (PDH) each period and may require particular categories of learning.

PDH Requirements

NPDP

New Product Development Professionals (NPDP) demonstrate mastery of skills in the field of innovation. As of first quarter 2016, the NPDP exam covers six key topic areas: strategy, portfolio management, NPD (new product development) processes, market research, teams and organizational structure, and innovation tools and metrics. You can learn more about the initial NPDP certification at www.globalnpsolutions.com/workshops/.

PDMA (Product Development and Management Association), the certifying body for NPDP, requires 60 PDH every three (3) years. For many of us, as busy product development professionals, this is challenging. Conferences are expensive and take us away from important day-to-day work. Email and meetings continue even when we are away from the office.

Simple-PDH offers an easy way to maintain your NPDP certification through online courses. Online PDH courses include appropriate documentation such as course reading notes, white papers, and tip sheets. Course materials are available with video and audio to make learning easy. Each course comes with a practice test and a final exam. Upon achieving a passing score on the final exam (typically 70%), you can download your completion certificate, clearly indicating the number of earned PDHs.

PMP

Project Management Professionals (PMP) demonstrate mastery of knowledge, skills, and practices in the field of project management. Currently, the fifth edition of the PMBOK® Guide (Project Management Body of Knowledge) covers five process groups and ten knowledge areas. Core knowledge areas include:

Scope,
Time,
Cost, and
Quality.

Supporting knowledge areas include:

Human Resources management,
Communication,
Risk management,
Procurement, and
Stakeholder management.

In addition, the knowledge area of project integration management pulls together project management plans and activities from all of the core and supporting functional areas. Learn more about initial PMI certification at http://www.globalnpsolutions.com/workshops/pmp-certification-training/.

As the certifying body for PMPs, the PMI (Project Management Institute) requires 60 continued professional development hours (PDH) every three (3) years. Of these, at least eight (8) hours must be dedicated to each of the Talent Triangle™ arenas:

Business and Strategic Management,
Technical Project Management, and
Leadership.

At Simple-PDH, courses are clearly identified by the Talent Triangle for easy tracking of your continued education. Course completion certificates also plainly state the number of hours in each subject matter area. (Note that some course will have overlapping content and earned PDHs can count toward multiple categories on the Talent Triangle.)

PEM

Professional Engineering Managers (PEM) demonstrate experience and knowledge covering an Introduction to Engineering Management and ten (10) additional domains. Core domain knowledge includes:

Leadership and Organizational Management,
Strategic Planning,
Financial Resource Management, and
Project Management.

Supporting domains include:

Operations and Supply Chain Management;
Marketing and Sales Management for Engineering Organizations;
Management of Technology, Research, and Development;
Systems Engineering, and
Legal Issues in Engineering Management.

Underpinning all of the subject matter domains is the Professional Codes of Conduct and Ethics domain.

PEMS are required by ASEM (American Society of Engineering Managers) to maintain 45 PDHs over each three (3) year period. Simple-PDH offers course materials online to further your knowledge of engineering management and to help you become a better leader in your organization.

Upon completion of any course on the PEM PDH program, you can download and print your certificate, providing documentation for the PEM tracking form. Most courses are designed for a 1-hour continuing education credit (CEU); however many courses offer two or more PDHs.

Maintaining Your Credentials

It’s not easy to study for and pass a professional certification exam. Maintaining the pride in your accomplishment in your industrial field of study is demonstrated through continuing education. At Simple-PDH, we make it easy and affordable for you to earn your PDHs. Study course materials. Learn the newest best practices in management. Earn your professional development hours (PDH) and continuing education units (CEU). It’s all online, at your own pace. It’s simple.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 281-280-8717.

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC

Welcome to Simple-PDH

Posted on 01.07.16

Welcome to Simple-PDH. Our mission is simple – we want to help you maintain your professional credentials with on-line learning.

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

Lifelong learning is the keystone for any successful professional. In today’s competitive job market, certifications are what differentiates standout candidates from the rest of the crowd. Professional certifications – like New Product Development Professional (NPDP), Project Management Professional (PMP®), and Professional Engineering Manager (PEM) – demonstrate mastery of skills, practice, and theory. Further separating these valuable credentials are the requirements for continued learning in one’s chosen field. Many of these programs require up to 60 hours of continuing professional development every three (3) years.

That’s where Simple-PDH comes in. It’s difficult to get away from our busy day-to-day jobs to attend expensive conferences. Internal corporate training often focuses on regulatory requirements with no time for technical education and growth. Simple-PDH offers affordable on-line courses so you can earn your required professional development hours (PDH) and continuing education units (CEU) quickly and easily.

Study

Simple-PDH offers learning materials in a variety of formats to make maintaining your professional credentials easy. Courses include an assortment of study methods to best fit your needs: reading, audio downloads, video, and practice exercises. You can download or print study materials for later reference as well.

You can study the course materials as much as you like during the course registration period. Depending on the course content and number of PDHs, courses are available for 30-, 60-, and 90-days. Members may choose to bundle several courses for a discount or subscribe to annual access to all courses. Members will be the first to know about new courses, too!

With Simple-PDH offering a variety of learning packages, you can study, learn and earn continuing education units simply and easily.

Learn

The goal of the professional credentialing bodies (like PDMA, PMI®, and ASEM) is to maintain elite candidates growing the body of knowledge in their respective fields. Continuous learning enhances our professional careers as we continue to accomplish new skills and applications.

Simple-PDH recognizes the special qualifications of professional associations and offers specific course content to validate subject matter expertise. For instance, the Project Management Institute (PMI) has recently released Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) to meet the elements of the Talent Triangle™. Our courses are designed to meet these expectations for continued education in Strategic and Business Management, Technical Project Management, and Leadership. Simply search on the class categories to find related courses.

Earn

In addition to study materials, every course at Simple-PDH includes a practice exam and a final exam. You can take these exams as many times as you want throughout the duration of the course. Upon completion of the course with a passing score (usually 70%) on the final exam, you can simply download and print your completion certificate verifying your PDH or CEU credits.

Normally, a one-hour course will have a 10-question exam and longer courses may have a 20-question exam. Don’t worry, though. We keep it simple and after reviewing the study materials and practice exams, the final exam should be a cinch!

Simple-PDH

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple. It really is that easy. Our affordable on-line courses make maintaining professional certifications quick and easy. For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 281-280-8717.

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC