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training

You Get What You Pay For

Posted on 04.30.20

The old saying goes, “There’s no free lunch”.  I think it’s true.  Almost no one is altruistic enough to offer something free with no strings attached.  My friend pays for lunch this time but next time I pay. 

Training is no different.  Today during (unconstitutional?) “stay-at-home” orders and government lockdowns, a lot of businesses have begun offering free training.  Some courses even come with certificates.  You have to ask yourself what do they expect in return and what is the quality of free training?

Quality Training

A quality training experience involves three things from the user’s viewpoint:

  • accurate information,
  • appropriate new skills, and
  • long-term viability. 

Let’s look at each of these to compare free training with a credentialed facilitation.

Accurate Information

Anyone can put together a YouTube video and type up a reference list.  However, a credential facilitator has demonstrated years of experience practicing in the field and in delivering proven outcomes to other clients.  Experienced facilitators are not only subject matter experts but also are skilled in the education process as well. 

Appropriate New Skills

Occasionally, we take refresher training to remind ourselves of basic skills or competencies.  Sometimes we take training on subjects we already know well because of government or trade association rules and regulations requiring demonstration of knowledge for renewal of a license or certificate. 

On the other hand, a lot of people today are presenting information they read in a book or in a magazine article as “new”.  Unless you have never before been hungry, are you really learning anything knew by watching a YouTube video on how to make a sandwich?

Valuable training and facilitation might cost more than watching a free YouTube video, but you will validate learning new skills as an outcome.  You should expect to do something you could not do before.  You should expect to trial and practice the new skill in the training course and get feedback from the instructor. 

A few years ago, I built Adirondack chairs for our patio.  I did not know how to use the router to smooth the edges of the wood.  So, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos.  But I did not learn how to use the router from the video – that only provided a view of how an expert used a router.  (See a related blog post, Innovation Leaders are NOT Teachers.)

Long-Term Viability

I have never used the router again.  This was not a skill that gave me long-term viability in my profession or my hobbies.  With shutdowns on lockdowns, people are producing crazy things and calling it “training”.  A lot of this free information is definitely short-term in nature, like how to exercise at home without weights.  To succeed as an innovation leader, you need long-term skills that benefit you today, tomorrow, and in five years. 

Real facilitation will give you skills that help you build your career (or hobby) for the long haul.  A credentialed trainer will support you in implementing skills even after the training session has concluded.  S/he will survey you and your manager to ensure you have been executing process steps accurately and that the organization has benefited from the training.  No YouTube video will ever ask you how you are doing three months later!

Why Not Free Training?

You get what you pay for.  Free training is generic and basic.  Customized facilitation from a long serving member of industry targets your needs to help you speed development.  They will work with you before, during, and after the training event to ensure your team gets accurate information, appropriate new skills, and long-term viability.  Expert facilitators maintain credentials with respected trade associations like the Project Management Institute (PMI®), the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), and the American Society of Engineering Management (ASEM). 

Do you want to learn more about training for innovation or for leading cross-functional teams?  Please email me at info (at) Simple-PDH.com for more information on building innovation leaders. 

© Simple-PDH.com

A Division of Global NP Solutions, LLC  

Study.       Learn.       Earn.       Simple.

About Me

I am inspired by writing, teaching, and coaching.  I tackle life with an infusion of rigor, zeal, and faith.   It brings me joy to help you build innovation leaders.  Teresa Jurgens-Kowal is an experienced innovation professional with a passion for lifelong learning with a PhD in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Computer and Information Decision Making.  My credentials include PE (State of Louisiana), NPDP, PMP®, and CPEM, and I am a DiSC® certified facilitator.  Contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or area code 281 + phone 787-3979 for more information on coaching for entrepreneurs and innovators.

How is a Master Mind Group Different than Training

Posted on 12.13.18

The term “master mind group” is sometimes confusing to people.  A master mind group involves several like-minded people coming together to collaborate and share ideas while working toward individual goals.  It’s different than hanging out with friends to vent or complain about problems because you are held accountable by other group members to achieve your goals.  However, like friendships, group members offer support and encouragement while also providing professional tools and resources that help you accomplish your short- and long-term objectives.

Friends also get together without specific agendas, just to share time and stories.  Master mind groups convene on a regular basis and are facilitated by a trained expert to help accelerate shared learning and action planning.  Friends will let you off the hook and commiserate with you if you’re still dating that jerk or if you’re not going to the gym, even though you’ve vowed to lose 20 pounds.  Master mind groups will not let you off the hook, and instead will help you find strategies to deal with problems, like booking gym time on your calendar and finding a workout buddy.

What is a Master Mind Group?

Master mind group members both give and receive help.  Friendships are sometimes more one-sided.  I used to hangout with friends that shared a common interest in scrapbooking.  But, over time, they became more interested in their kids and grandkids, while I was always explaining new techniques.  I was the only one who brought new scrapbook magazines to share at our gatherings and it felt very one-sided. 

I can compare that experience to a recent master mind group in which I participated.  The group was focused on collaborative consulting.  Out facilitator would open the discussion with background information, a challenge, or question.  Each of us described how we had successfully (or not) addressed similar situations in our own businesses.  I learned immediate tips from the other members on general consulting topics, like setting the stage and contracting.  Without a facilitator, it would have been fun to chat with the other people, but we would never have made specific, defined progress toward a system in collaborative consulting.

Master Mind vs. Training

Since I’ve praised the facilitator from my master mind group, I want to also distinguish how a master mind group is different than training.  Training is designed to deliver a set of specific knowledge elements within a given time frame. Learning objectives are pre-determined and the training facilitator ensures that each person in training can demonstrate competency at the conclusion of the training event.

Some master mind groups involve training, including watching videos or listening to pre-recorded lessons.  There may even be practice exercises or tests, so the individual can demonstrate competency and mastery of the subject matter. 

For example, in our collaborative consulting master mind group, we had videos and tests to complete prior to each discussion period.  For some, the lessons were reinforcing existing knowledge and for others, preparing for the session by completing training led to new insights. But where we really benefited from the materials was during our master mind group meetings.  Here we shared our “homework”and probed each other to find possible solutions to improve our individual consulting practices.

FYI, training is a part of the Innovation Master Mind (IMM).  When you join the IMM, you will get access to the full self-study NPDP course (NewProduct Development Professional), including practice questions for the certificationexam (a $395 value).

Master Mind vs. Coaching

Master mind groups are different than coaching, too.  In both consulting and coaching, the facilitator’s role is to help the clients come to their own decisions.  I recently helped a company craft their innovation strategy statement.  Since I don’t work in their business, I certainly couldn’t tell them what they should do.  However, in an expert coaching role, I could frame the right questions they needed to answer.  And, I could offer guidance on what works in industry from my own years of experience and experiences other clients have had.

Coaches and consultants are trained to ask open-ended, non-leading questions to understand the client’s perspective.  We’re also programmed to not interfere and let you learn on your own while holding up guard rails to prevent a total train wreck.  Master mind groups, on the other hand, do offer specific advice and ideas.  And that’s the great benefit of the master mind group.!

Rather than fighting all the battles yourself, you can learn from the wars that your compatriots have already fought.  In the IMM, this ranges from sharing experiences with affordable product portfolio management software to recommendations for market research firms.  You pose your question to the group and you get actionable answers – rather than more questions.

Pilot Test a Master Mind Group

If you’d like to see how the master mind group works in action, please Register Here for a free, 2-hour Innovation Master Mind session on 23 January 2019 from 1-3 pm CST. This pilot group is limited to eight (8)  participants and seats are filling up now! 

If you’re ready to commit to accelerating your innovation program, you can join the IMM right now for a discounted rate or you can subscribe on a monthly basis for the 6-month introductory group.  Learn more here.

Also, I’ve just launched my business Facebook page.  Please follow and like Global NP Solutions at https://www.facebook.com/globlnpd/.   I’m new to Facebook, so in the full spirit of a Master Mind group, please give me any feedback to improve the page!

For additional information on master mind groups, innovation training, and new product development consulting, please feel free to contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717.  I love helping individuals, teams, and organizations achieve their highest strategic innovation goals!

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

© Simple-PDH.com

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC  

Organizational Competencies

Posted on 04.28.17

Companies strive for competitive advantage through many avenues.  Some firms focus on access to natural resources to gain cost advantage.  Others develop distinctive and rigorous processes to gain operational efficiencies that their competitors cannot match.  Still other organizations advance by unique business models that capitalize on their culture, people, and special competencies.

One view* of organizational competencies pinpoints three interdependent perspectives that lead to competitive advantage.  As project, product, and engineering managers, we can examine these three aspects of organizational competency to build and strengthen our teams to gain competitive advantage.  Organizational competency derives from inputs, management processes, and transformational capabilities.

Input Competencies

Vertically integrated multinational corporations often have a competitive advantage by virtue of access to special resources.  Shell, ExxonMobil, and BP are vertically integrated because of access to oil and gas.  Brining this valuable natural resource to a refinery is a special competency based on the inputs to the process.

These firms also expect to demonstrate operational competencies as they transform oil and gas into high demand products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.  Competencies are further magnified as by-products from the refineries are converted in downstream chemical plants to make plastic, agricultural fertilizers, and food packaging.  Vertical integration and access to special resources leads to input advantages vs. competitors.

Management Competencies

Management of a firm directs its short-term and long-range survival.  Management decisions, policies, and procedures are how a company’s strategy and vision are implemented.  When these actions are taken with foresight and acknowledgement of appropriate risk, a firm can gain competitive advantages.

Project, product, and engineering managers often have special domain knowledge that allows a firm to gain competitive advantage through its decision-making processes.  Managers must be diligent to monitor political, economic, and marketing trends.  Customer insights provide valuable information leading to next generation features for product development, for example.  Management competencies must include data gathering, information analysis, and knowledge transfer.  Of course, such end-user insights are based on cultural competencies of the organization and how it transforms information into actionable learning.

Transformational Capabilities

Data is simply a set of words or numbers.  It is useless without interpretation.  When the data is analyzed, segmented, and categorized, it becomes information.  When project, product, and engineering managers apply that information to make decisions that guide product development and innovation for competitive advantage, that information becomes knowledge.  The transformation of data to information to knowledge is based upon an organization’s cultural capability to learn.

As indicated, the three competencies for competitive advantage are intertwined and interdependent.  Yet, the tie among them is learning.  A learning organization can adapt and grow.  Firms committed to institutional learning will find new ways to access resources, build unique business models, and transform those resources into valuable outputs that meet customer needs.  Learning and transformational capabilities are founded on the team processes and culture of an organization.

Today teams are frequently global in nature and operate virtually, using electronic means of communication as a primary tool to exchange ideas.  Learning organizations need effective teamwork to join the three organizational competencies together in an effective way to generate profit and cost-savings.  Project, product, and engineering managers can encourage team learning as an organizational competency by building open cultures reflecting the diversity of their global teams.

One way to encourage learning capabilities in global teams is through professional development.  Teams charged with innovation must be familiar with the concepts presented for New Product Development Professionals (NPDP).  Project teams led by certified Project Management Professionals (PMP®) are more successful because of the special management competencies demonstrated in planning and executing a project.  Engineering and R&D teams can take advantage of management principles to improve learning competencies through Professional Engineering Management (CPEM) training.  Starting with basic principles and sharing among team members and leaders will begin to build organizational competencies and transformational capabilities for distinct completive advantage.

Applying Organizational Competencies

Organizations that recognize their competencies, or lack thereof, in inputs, management, and learning transformation can gain an advantage over their competitors.  All firms have different inputs and resources that offer a unique perspective to their business.  Whether the company is vertically integrated or has a unique approach to resource development, these input competencies can lead to gains in cost advantage over other competitors in the same industry and market space.

A firm’s vision, strategy, and business model are reflected in its policies and procedures.  These operational tools can bring further cost-savings as well as economy of scale advantages.  Coupled with how the firm converts data to information and knowledge, its management and learning competencies can bring profitable differentiation to any competitive industry.

If you’d like to learn more about building organizational competencies and team processes to accomplish great things, please contact us at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717.  We know that time is really the fourth critical element in managing projects, products, and engineering teams so we want to make it simple for you to study, learn, and earn your professional certifications.

*Lado & Wilson, Academy of Management Review, 1994.

 

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

© Simple-PDH.com

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC

What is Project Management?

Posted on 07.07.16

What is a Project?

Recently, my husband and I spent a few hours over a weekend with caulk and a ladder resealing all of the expansion joints on our house.  Over time, sun, wind, and rain had done their damage and the material had become cracked ladderand warped in places.  It was particularly difficult to work on these areas where the garden bushes needed trimming to prepare space for the ladder and to reach the expansion joints with a full bead of caulk.

There are other chores that we perform on a regular basis.  For example, I clean the floors in the house, do laundry, and wash the dishes.  My husband takes out the trash twice a week and puts out the recycle for pickup every other week.

In the first instance, we worked on a project.  Projects have a particular set of activities to conduct with a start and end time.  Caulking the expansion joints was a temporary task in nature and accomplished a specific outcome.  This is the definition of a project.

My weekly chores, however, are routine work.  The activities are on-going and do not necessarily accomplish a unique result.  After all, it seems that the dishes need washing every time they get used!  Similarly, routine work can be contrasted with a project because chores are not temporary – except that that the floor, too, will need sweeping as soon as it gets dirty again.

One approach to managing a project is very different than the approach to managing day-to-day work.  Projects require planning, scheduling, and acquisition of special materials and talents.  We needed to buy the caulk and set up the ladder.  On the other hand, dishwashing soap is always at hand and the mop and bucket are stored for frequent use.

Project management is the set of skills used by a leader to accomplish the work of a project including initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing of the project.  The project will produce a unique product, service, or result.

Project Management Skills

Project managers need to master a number of important skills together with the activities involved in successful implementation of a project (planning, scheduling, and budgeting) and in leading the people in a project (team members, stakeholders, sponsors, and customers).  Many of these skills are learned on the job and with experience, while others are quite specific and require transfer of knowledge based upon observed best practices.

For instance, planning for a project requires a set of skills that can be transferred from one project or project manager.  Planning for a project should consider:

  • Stakeholder requirements,
  • Scope of work,
  • Schedule,
  • Budget,
  • Human resource requirements,
  • Communication,
  • Quality, and
  • Risk.

These plans must be in place regardless of the type of project that is undertaken – from major construction or new service development, and even for a simple home maintenance project.  Without successful integration of project plan elements, the outcome can be delayed, cost more than expected, or fail altogether.

Learning Project Management Skills

Learning project management skills is just like learning any new skills.  It requires observation, training, and practice.

Observation

skillsWatching and questioning those that are skilled in a behavior helps us to learn.  Observing how a weight lifter positions his body for a dead lift demonstrates proper form.  We can then mimic his actions as we try to perform the same maneuver and learn a new behavior.  We can ask him how he positions his feet and hands to gain deeper insight into the task as well.

Observing an experienced, respected project manager is a great way to learn new project management skills.  Watch how s/he interacts with team members.  Inquire how s/he develops the schedule and budget for a specific type of project.  Study the documentation and artifacts produced by the project in the planning stage and in a lessons learned review.  You can use these as templates to plan another project in the future.

Training

Education and training formalize best practices and yield supporting theory to our observations.  Project Management Professionals (PMP®) require 35 hours of formal training and education in order to become certified.  This training covers best practices from a variety of industries and validates your observations of what makes a successful project manager.

Training for project management is fulfilling in that PMP candidates learn to apply theory and practice in several knowledge areas, including:

  1. Project Integration Management,
  2. Project Scope Management,
  3. Project Schedule Management,
  4. Project Cost Management,
  5. Project Quality Management,
  6. Project Risk Management,
  7. Human Resources Management,
  8. Project Communications Management,
  9. Project Procurement Management, and
  10. Stakeholder Management.

PMP training is offered in a variety of formats to fit your needs:  self-study, facilitated on-line, face-to-face, and customized for your firm and industry.  Check out the schedule for upcoming PMP training opportunities.

Practice

Observation and training provide the backbone or foundation of skills development.  The only way to really learn is to try it.  Most organizations will assign small projects of limited risk to new project managers.  This allows the candidate to determine if s/he likes project management and provides a mentor to observe and give feedback.  Growing beyond small and medium-sized projects often takes time for a project manager to establish a reputation as a skilled practitioner.  PMP certification is often required to be appointed as a project manager of large, complex, or higher risk projects.

Project Management Skills

Project managers are adept at balancing a number of different tasks, priorities, and people issues at the same time.  They must understand the technical challenges of the project as well as be able to manage the scope, schedule, and budget.  Project managers are skilled leaders and communicators, and are flexible in environments defined by uncertainty and complexity.  In short, project management is a fun

To learn more about PMP certification, please review eligibility requirements here, or phone us a 281-280-8717.  You can check out our PMP training schedule here to study, learn, and earn.   It’s simple!   Good luck in your projects

 

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

© Simple-PDH.com

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC

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