Performance Management

Course Length: 2 days

Course Description

Performance Management is the heart of the supervision process. It provides a systematic approach to setting performance expectations for employees, ensuring organizational objectives are met, and evaluating employee performance. It is the basis for ongoing, constructive dialogue between employee and manager. It forms the foundation for developing the company’s human resources and for reinforcing the organization’s values.

There are three fundamental managerial skills in Performance Management. The first is the preparation and monitoring of well-written objectives. The second is coaching, which includes the art of feedback. The third is managing the process in a culturally sensitive way to enable the diverse populations of the organization’s workforce to make a full contribution. This course provides managerial tools to prepare plans, deliver appropriate performance feedback, correct and/or reward performance, and evaluate employee progress.

This course is highly interactive and adaptive to participant’s interests and needs. A discussion approach is used and is accompanied by individual and team exercises. The coverage is practical but intense and designed to impart usable skills for each participant. All levels of supervisors and managers who are expected to manage employee performance would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Understand the performance management model—a four stage illustration of a cyclical process
  • Understand the legal basis for performance management practices
  • Prepare well written performance management goals
  • Encourage productivity and employee satisfaction through coaching and feedback techniques
  • Guide staff performance using considerations for individuals from diverse backgrounds
  • Effectively conduct performance appraisals
  • Link teamwork, performance, planning and appraisal
  • Understand the relationship between performance management and staff development

Managing a Culturally Diverse Workforce

Course Length: 1 day

Course Description

This course will increase awareness of how to successfully manage in a multi-cultural work environment. It provides participants with factual information about the changing composition of the workforce. It offers opportunities to examine how personal biases of managers can impact employee performance, retention and morale. The course fosters appreciation for the valuable contributions the increasingly diverse workforce can make to an organization.

This course is highly interactive and adaptive to participant’s interests and needs. A discussion approach is used and is accompanied by individual and team exercises. The coverage is practical but intense and designed to impart usable skills for each participant. This highly participative course is designed for groups of 12-20. All levels of management and human resource staff would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Understand the dimensions of diversity
  • How to find common ground with people who seem different from you
  • Define workplace diversity
  • Explore the changing nature of the workforce and recent workforce statistics
  • Interrupt stereotyping and discriminatory behavior before it becomes harmful
  • Build a dialogue about diversity in your organization
  • Establish an effective work environment
  • Respect, retain and make good use of all employees

Strategic Planning

Course Length: 2 days

Course Description

Strategic planning has become a must for organizations that want to succeed in the 21st century. This course will introduce the key principles involved in strategic planning and provide participants with an overview of the necessary components of an effective strategic plan. Participants will learn about how the planning process affects different organizational structures and participants in the development of a mission and vision statement.

This course is highly interactive and adaptive to participant’s interests and needs. A discussion approach is used and is accompanied by individual and team exercises. The coverage is practical but intense and designed to impart usable skills for each participant. Professionals who wish to enhance skills that will lead to increased productivity and accuracy would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Understand the strategic planning process
  • Identify the steps to break out of an old paradigm
  • Explore culture and applied strategic planning
  • Conduct a strategic planning needs assessment
  • Perform a stakeholder analysis
  • Formulate a mission statement
  • Build a foundation using business modeling
  • Conduct a SWOT analysis
  • Conduct a gap analysis to identify low performance
  • Integrate action plans
  • Conduct contingency planning

Managing Change in Your Organization

Course Length: 1 day

Course Description

Change is prevalent in technology projects, and often miscommunicated and misunderstood. These misunderstandings can lead to a variety of situations resulting in less effective projects, morale issues and other employee-related conflict. Thus, the ability to understand change and effectively deal with it is critical to success. This course will provide participants with a working knowledge of the process of change and the role they can play to ensure that change is implemented in the most effective, efficient and productive manner. Participants will work on a case study in order to apply the concepts learned to actual scenarios.

This course is highly interactive and adaptive to participant’s interests and needs. A discussion approach is used and is accompanied by individual and team exercises. The coverage is practical but intense and designed to impart usable skills for each participant. Individuals who wish to gain a better understanding of how to understand and manage change both in projects and at the organizational level would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Understand change and the key terms surrounding change
  • Understand the skills required to achieve change and become a change agent
  • Understand the levels at which change can be initiated and develop change strategies accordingly
  • Assess the impact that change has
  • Explore the barriers to and the factors influencing change and develop strategies for addressing them
  • Gain insight on common changes inherent to technology projects and explore strategies for managing them
  • Understand the perception of change at different organizational levels
  • Manage change from the top down
  • Explore personal and organizational resistance and develop strategies for working productively with change

Psychology of Change: Leadership’s Role in a Shifting Environment

Course Length: 1 day

Course Description

Managing effectively in an environment of change requires a willingness to reinterpret and reinvent oneself, re-evaluate relationships and identify the everyday methods of operation that disempowered and promote stagnation of personal and professional growth. This course will address the fundamental nature of change and its effects on business and personal environments. It will provide valuable insights for management’s interaction with change as a positive and constant opportunity for development.

This course is highly interactive and adaptive to participant’s interests and needs. A discussion approach is used and is accompanied by individual and team exercises. The coverage is practical but intense and designed to impart usable skills for each participant. All levels of personnel within a corporate structure experiencing rightsizing, reorganization or any form of change, and individuals who desire to become proactive to trends and future business requirements would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Explore Kaizen and understand the process of stable and incremental betterment
  • Establish a process to identify low yield and disempowering structures
  • Create an effective system of communication to choose inclusion and cohesion over avoidance
  • Examine the natural cycle of creation and implementation
  • Understand the connection between courage and imagination and reaching beyond the comfort zone
  • Provide an energized and vital work environment
  • Discover the energy and synergy generated by downward aimed service
  • Explore the Japanese concepts of Shugyo (discipline) and Metsuke (focus)

Capital Asset Planning and Exhibit 300

Course Length: 3 days

Course Description

This course will provide participants with a working knowledge of the President’s Management Agenda and how it is being implemented using the Exhibit 300 and OMB’s related directives. This course is highly interactive and how-to oriented. Discussion of concepts and principles is followed by hands-on exercises. The emphasis is on the practical application and adaptation of selected tools and processes. Government personnel would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Interpret the OMB guidance for completing A-11 circular Exhibits 300 and 53
  • Meet federal legislation requirements
  • Analyze and apply appropriate investment decision models
  • Meet and fulfill scoring criteria
  • Apply cost benefit and Earned Value (EV) analysis
  • Identify risks

Effective Supervision of People

Course Length: 1 day

Course Description

This course is a multi-dimensional look at the responsibilities that face managers every day. In today’s business environment, the manager and his or her staff have a different relationship than ever before. The successful manager has to master the art of motivating, managing and taking charge of projects and people. Effective Supervision of People will address the pertinent issues facing today’s managers and develop real world solutions based on real world issues. The course will also illustrate an effective approach to implementing an action plan against field performance or development plans.

The format of the course is highly interactive and how-to oriented. Discussion of concepts and principles is followed by exercises. Experienced and newly appointed managers responsible for direct supervision and training of staff would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Develop effective communication skills
  • Establish your style of leadership
  • Assess responsibilities against abilities
  • Define and delegate responsibilities against deadlines
  • Formulate an action plan
  • Set and communicate measurable standards against corporate objectives
  • Develop a team environment by building spirit, motivation, role modeling and empathy
  • Give effective performance appraisals
  • Implement corrective actions
  • Develop solid record keeping skills
  • Learn how to manage difficult employees and situations proactively
  • Understand the psychology of change and leadership’s role in a shifting environment

Human Capital Management in Government Agencies

Course Length: 3 days

Course Description

Creating a more effective Government depends on attracting, developing, and retaining quality employees from diverse backgrounds and ensuring that they perform at high levels. Sound investment in human capital is essential if agencies are to achieve their missions. Agencies have taken up the challenge presented by the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) and are already making progress.

Various human capital models and guides have been developed to help agencies. Under the PMA, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) established Standards for Success for each of the five initiatives, including Human Capital. This class is based on the Standards of success in each of the five initiatives.

This course is highly interactive and how-to oriented. Discussion of concepts and principles is followed by hands-on exercises. The emphasis is on the practical application and adaptation of selected tools and processes. Government personnel would benefit by taking this course.

Course Objectives

  • Understand what human capital is
  • Develop a human capital program
  • Understand the strategic alignment of human capital programs
  • Plan and deploy your workforce
  • Plan and implement leadership and knowledge management
  • Establish a results-oriented performance culture
  • Identify ways to get and keep the best talent
  • Develop, implement and maintain an accountability system

Personnel Administration in Government Agencies

Course Length: 3Days

Course Description

An organization’s most valuable resource is its human capital – the knowledge, skills, and experience of employees, at all levels. Supporting the President’s Management Agenda, this course will provide participants with tools and techniques to help them implement the Government’s Strategic Management of the Human Capital Initiative. Participants will learn creative measures to effectively manage the workforce, employ up-to-date solutions to complex management challenges, and to identify additional tools for recruitment, selection, and evaluation of their workforce. This course is highly interactive and how-to oriented. Discussion of concepts and principles is followed by hands-on exercises. The emphasis is on the practical application and adaptation of selected tools and processes. This course is beneficial for all current or new supervisors and managers.

Course Objectives

  • Write manageable and measurable position descriptions
  • Use proven methods to enhance performance
  • Understand the labor management relationship
  • Recognize outstanding performance and enhance poor performance
  • Know when and how to use EAP, EEO and Workman’s Compensation offices

Consulting Skills for Leaders and Managers

Course Length: 2 days

Course Description Participants will be exposed to concepts and tools that will enable them to facilitate successful interventions. Building consultant integrity and interpersonal dynamics provide the course’s cornerstone. The transference of the knowledge will take place in an interactive atmosphere promoting hands-on exercises and insightful discussion. Upon completion, the attendees will have a working knowledge of all of the tools and processes they will need to understand the practice of professional consulting.

The format of the course is highly interactive and how-to oriented. Discussion of concepts and principles is followed by team exercises using a real project chosen by the attendees. The emphasis is on the practical application and adaptation of selected tools and processes to small projects. Anyone assuming the role of an advisor, coach or mentor would benefit from attending this course.

Course Objectives

  • Explain the function and role of consultants
  • Define the practice of consulting
  • Understand the logical life cycle of a consulting assignment
  • Understand how to prepare for each phase in the consulting assignment life cycle
  • Understand the critical issues associated with each phase in the consulting assignment life cycle
  • Understand the necessary project management principles and tools to effectively manage and control
  • the implementation phase of the assignment
  • Understand the steps to closing a consulting project