Roberts & Roberts Associates - Leading Accelerated Projects

Public seminar information, click here.
Training delivery options, click here.
Visit the Leading Accelerated Projects blogsite.
Charts from an LAP executive briefing.

Course Description:
If your projects continue to miss their deadlines even with a wealth of project management tools and practices at your disposal, this program will show you why and what to do about it.

The problem is widespread and costly! Despite an abundance of project management methodologies, technology-intensive projects overrun their schedules by 84%. This, coupled with the fact that 2 out of 3 such projects are considered failures or functionally obsolete by the time they are delivered, paints a stark picture: Something critical is missing ... despite hard work, pressure tactics, and a raft of elaborate methodologies. And the critical "something" is a leadership void in exploiting the available opportunities for accelerating the project schedule.

In this cutting edge workshop you will learn how to apply the 8 Acceleration Opportunity Levers™ to uncover hidden schedule compression opportunities ... opportunities that are often overlooked because they do not fit a textbook process model, but instead require dynamic adaptation and intervention on the part of a capable project leader. In short, the focus is on a systems-approach to accelerating projects that takes into account the interrelationship between the components of the project and also the project and its environment ... including the inevitable contingencies that are characteristic of accelerated projects.

Leading and managing projects on an accelerated schedule requires special methods, skills, and tools. In fact, many "standard practices" in traditional project management can actually hinder the development of products or services on an accelerated schedule. Accelerated projects not only require ambitious plans, they also place greater demands the execution stage of the project¾a phase of the project that receives little attention in traditional project management training programs.

This course addresses these and other challenges head on. It builds practical skills in planning, managing, executing, and leading projects on a tight timeline. You will learn tools and methods for accelerating your projects but also specific leadership actions and interventions that are essential for delivering fast track projects on-time or ahead of schedule.

– Topics –

What's different about a "systems approach" to accelerating projects?

Critical factors that must be addressed in order to accelerate projects

Crisis-Mode Acceleration versus Systematic Acceleration

What makes for an 'unrealistic' schedule? Facts vs. assumptions

Special risks and challenges of accelerated projects

Actions and interventions required of the project leader

Devising a winning "game plan" for accelerating a project

Selecting and using the right tools for the job

Why and where project schedules get off track

Putting the 8 Acceleration Opportunity Levers^™ to work

Exploiting the leadership element within each opportunity lever

Strategies for compressing the project schedule

Estimating and laying out the compressed schedule

How to manage hand-offs while work is in progress

How to deal with changing requirements and priorities

Managing the risks and minimizing surprises

What's more, you'll learn how to . . .

Build a compelling case for accelerating the project schedule
Break the cycle of finger-pointing that inhibits genuine solutions
Secure commitments and senior management support
Use proven schedule-compression techniques
Prepare a schedule under uncertainty
Manage a project team under pressure
Tighten the critical communications links
Evaluate trade-offs to "buy time"

. . . and more!!!

This course was designed by the author of the book . . .

And the forthcoming book ...

Leading
Accelerated
Projects:
Why Projects Continue to Overrun Their Schedules and What to Do About It

These skills are becoming increasingly important to corporations in a society where 'late' is no better than 'never'.

Duration: 1-day.

Instructors:
Lon Roberts, Ph.D. is the principal designer and instructor of the course. Dr. Roberts has held positions as a systems engineer, college professor, association executive, and is currently a principal partner of Roberts & Roberts Associates, an international training and consulting firm based in Plano, TX. He is also the author of four books and numerous articles and is frequently invited to speak at conferences and professional meetings.

Sharon Roberts bring to the seminar her expertise in dealing with the critical human factors ... factors that are amplified in importance in an accelerated project environment where tensions are high and the margin for error is low.. Sharon is currently the President of Roberts & Roberts Associates and has held positions with Xerox, Raytheon, and Lennox Industries.

Public Seminar Information:
Dates for public seminars are pending.

Visit the Leading Accelerated Projects blogsite. Share your ideas and learn from others.

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Training & Development Programs for
Administrative Professionals

Roberts & Roberts Associates is proud to offer The Platinum Series™ ... a set of top-tier courses specially geared for contemporary administrative professionals and the challenges they face in the workplace. Participants will be issued a certificate of completion that complies with the documentation requirements for CAP^® and CPS^®recertification. Courses are available on demand and are occasionally offered on an open-enrollment basis. The courses are also available for sponsorship by associations, franchises, and other groups. To request information, click here.

Here is a synopsis of the courses in the series:

Analytical Skills for
Administrative Professionals™

This 2-day course builds skills in three areas: 1) detecting and preventing potential problems - making others aware of problems before they escalate or spiral out of control; 2) making real-time decisions by rapidly assessing the facts and assumptions; and 3) identifying logical errors, false conclusions, and unsubstantiated assertions. You will also learn how to use MS Excel to analyze data and create compelling charts and graphs. A customized 1-day version of this course is also available. (For more details on this course, click here.)

Practical Project Management for
Administrative Professionals™

In this 2-day course you will learn how to use a 10-step framework to plan and organize projects that are of the scope and variety that administrative professionals typically encounter. You will also learn how to use certain tools in the project manager’s “toolkit” to assist in executing projects, tracking progress, and dealing with the difficult “human challenges” that are known to accompany high-pressure, high-profile project. A customized 1-day version of this course is also available.

Multitasking Skills and Tools for
Administrative Professionals™

This 1-day course is designed to deal with the challenges that virtually every administrative professional faces: How to juggle multiple tasks while supporting multiple internal customers—each of whom feels that his or her projects and tasks should take top priority. In this course you will learn practical skills in managing multiple tasks and dealing with competing and concurrent demands for your time, energy, and attention from multiple sources.

Tact and Diplomacy Skills for
Administrative Professionals™

Administrative professionals are required to be masters at communicating their thoughts and ideas. They must be adept at asking questions, presenting facts, expressing opinions, and getting their point across in delicate situations ... without coming across as abrasive or insensitive. This 1-day course emphasizes practical skills in dealing with these very difficult challenges. Scenarios and exercises are used throughout the course to reinforce the skills.

Negotiating and Persuasion Skills for
Administrative Professionals™

Whether negotiating with superiors, customers, peers, or vendors, administrative professionals encounter negotiating "opportunities" every day. In this 1-day course you will learn practical skills for negotiating with peers and associates in situations involving task assignments, priorities, resource utilization, and other matters that are internal to the organization. You will also acquire skills in negotiating with vendors and suppliers for issues involving costs, features, terms, and conditions.

Writing and Editing Skills for
Administrative Professionals™

Whether writing a memorandum, e-mail message, or department manual, it is important to apply certain principles to ensure the information you wish to convey is communicated clearly, accurately, and succinctly. In this 1-day course you will learn skills for enhancing your writing ability. You will learn how to frame your message to get the reader's attention and evoke a response when needed. You will also learn how review and tactfully recommend changes to documents that have been prepared by others.

Conducting Internal Surveys and Needs Analyses™

This 2-day course is designed for administrative professionals who are called upon to conduct internal surveys to collect data in support of organizational decisions and initiatives. Surveys may be used to assess training needs, the effectiveness of internal communications, or employee attitudes toward a recent policy change ... to name a few. Participants will learn how to design a valid survey instrument, administer the survey, use incentives to increase the response rate, compile the data, and create a report of the results.

Delivering Presentations to Co-Workers and Managers™

As the responsibilities of administrative professionals have expanded many are now asked to deliver presentations to their peers and managers. For example, they may be called upon to brief co-workers on the use of a new office system, or they may be asked to deliver a summary presentation to managers on the results of a recent internal survey. In this 1-day course, participants will learn how to analyze the information needs of the audience and then prepare and deliver a compelling presentation with confidence.

Excel for Right-Brain Thinkers™

This 1-day course is for individuals needing a basic knowledge of Excel and who might also describe themselves as "right-brain" thinkers ... non-analytic types who learn best by starting with the "big picture" rather than memorizing an array of commands and functions. The course uses an innovative approach based on examining actual worksheets and then giving the participants ample opportunity on their own to produce modified versions of the examples. This engaging "side door" approach enhances both comprehension and retention.

To inquire about an on-site or customized workshop, call us at (972) 596-2956 or
send an e-mail message to: info@r2assoc.com

Roberts & Roberts Associates Home Page
http://www.R2assoc.com

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