Live Webinar July 15th, 2014 – 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm  EDT
Duration: 1 hour webinar Credits: 1 PDU Category A – Free PDU
Sponsored by: PMI Quality CoP® (REP #S019)

PMI® Quality Community of Practice: Our mission is to increase members understanding of Project Management Quality by exploring the Quality Processes as defined in the PMBOK and encouraging members to network by sharing experiences, knowledge and tools.

Monitoring is the systematic supervision of activities in progress to ensure that they are on curse and schedule in meeting objectives and performance targets.

It is a test or sampling on a regular or ongoing basis of a system, program, project or activity for any changes in application performance, transaction, problems and potentials for changes as well as the effectiveness and efficiency.

This involves a systematic collection and analysis of data as a project progresses.

Generally, monitoring involves:

•  Establishing indicators of efficiency, effectiveness and impact
• Setting up systems to collect information related to these indicators
• Collecting and recording the information
• Analyzing the information
• Using the information to inform day-to-day management

Evaluation is the systematic determination of the merits, worth and significance of something or following some certain set standards, an assessment of the degree to which a program, project, system or activity fulfills stated objectives and goals.

This requires a comparison of actual project impact against the agreed strategic plans.

Generally, evaluation involves:

• Looking at what the project or organization intended to achieve
• Assessing its progress towards what it was made to achieve
• Looking at the strategy of the project or organization
• Looking at how it worked

The bottom-line is that both monitoring and evaluation all focus on efficiency, effectiveness and impact of projects, programs or activities and through the two processes, we review progress, identify problems and potentials in planning and implementation, suggest possible solutions, raise questions, stimulate some reflection on the goals and objectives, provide information on insight and make necessary adjustments for improvement.

Join John Morfaw (LinkedIn profile) as he covers Project Monitoring and evaluation.  Johns extensive experience in International Development will bring a new light to issues in project monitoring and evaluation.

John is the author of a number of books on Project Sustainability:

• Fundamentals of Project Sustainability 
  • 169 pages Kindle Price now only: $2.73 USD Reading this book is worth up to 6 Cat C PDUs.
    
• Total Quality Management (TQM): A Model for the Sustainability of Projects and Programs in Africa
• Fundamentals of Project Sustainability: Strategies, Processes and Plans
  • 214 pages paperback Price now only: $8.96 USD Reading this book is worth up to 7 Cat C PDUs.
• Total Quality Management: A Comprehensive Strategy Toward the Implementation of an Effective and Efficient Healthcare Delivery System in Africa
• Project Sustainability: A Comprehensive Guide To Sustaining Projects, Systems And Organizations In A Competitive Marketplace
  • 224 pages paperback Price now only: $9.03 USD Reading this book is worth up to 7 Cat C PDUs.

Presenter: John Morfaw, MBA a faculty member of the International Law Institute, Washington, DC and a Facilitator/Trainer/Consultant for the Hetta Institute of International Development(HIID) in New York. John also has extensive experience with Project/Sustainability with the African Center for Training in Public Administration and Management (CAFRAD) in Tangier, Morocco.

Note: You do have to be a PMI® member to register for this opportunity.

Click to register for Project Monitoring and Evaluation

Live Webinar July 14th, 2014 – 9:30 pm – 11:00 pm EDT or …
Live Webinar July 14th, 2014 – 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EDT
Duration: 1 Hr Webinar Credits: 1 PDU Category A – Free PDU
Sponsored by: RBCS (REP #2986)

Last year, Rex did a series of tweets over a few months, each one calling out a specific test management, testing, project management, or lifestyle best practice—or worst practice.

Rex has collected these practices into a two-part series of webinars.

At the beginning of the series, Rex will discuss the concept of best practices and refute the software testing canard that there are no best practices.

Next, in each webinar, he’ll describe a dozen or more of these practices, including examples of why it is a best practice—or a worst one.

Finally, at the end of the series, Rex will give some ideas on how you can remove worst practices and institute best practices in your organization.

Tune in and take part in the discussion.  After all, continuously improving your skills and knowledge is one of the best practices!

Presenter: Rex Black (Amazon profile) is President of RBCS, a leader in software, hardware, and systems testing. RBCS employs the industry’s most experienced and recognized consultants, RBCS conducts product testing, builds and improves testing groups and hires testing staff for hundreds of clients worldwide. As the leader of RBCS, Rex is the most prolific author practicing in the field of software testing today.

Check Out some of Rex Black’s Great Books:

1. Foundations of Software Testing ISTQB Certification
2. Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing
3. Advanced Software Testing – Vol. 1: Guide to the ISTQB Advanced Certification as an Advanced Test Analyst (Rockynook Computing)
4. Advanced Software Testing – Vol. 2: Guide to the Istqb Advanced Certification as an Advanced Test Manager
5. Advanced Software Testing – Vol. 3: Guide to the ISTQB Advanced Certification as an Advanced Technical Test Analyst
6. Critical Testing Processes: Plan, Prepare, Perform, Perfect
7. Pragmatic Software Testing: Becoming an Effective and Efficient Test Professional
8. ISTQB Foundation Exam Preparation Guide
9. ISTQB Advanced Test Manager Exam Preparation Guide 2nd edition

Click to register for the 9:30 pm – 11:00 pm EDT presentation of   Testing Best–and Worst–Practices: Part 2

Click to register for the 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EDT presentation of Testing Best–and Worst–Practices: Part 2.

Live Webinar – July 15, 2014 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT
Presented by: Eclipse Project Portfolio Management
Duration: 1 hour 1 PDUs Credits: Category C 1 PDU- Free PDU

Project Portfolio Management (PPM) initiatives are expected to provide significant benefit to multiple roles within an organization.

Intuitively, most staff can understand the potential value in the organization, process and technology changes involved with a PPM initiative. However, the lack of change management practices through a PPM initiative’s implementation is one of the most common reasons for their failure. Symptoms of this issue can include poor executive commitment, resistance or political pressure from functional management and compliance issues with project teams.

Eclipse will review common misconceptions about PPM initiative implementations, provide some guiding principles for successful change and detail the steps and key communication messages necessary to gain buy-in from executive and functional management as well as from project teams.

This webinar will also provide tips that can be incorporated into the initiation and planning of your PPM initiative to increase your odds of success.

Who should attend this webinar?
C-Level Management, IT Directors and Managers or Directors of PMOs

NOTE: You may have to hit the MORE… link to register for this session on the registration page.

PDU Category C (PMBOK 5) documentation details:

Process Groups: Planning, Monitoring & Controlling

Knowledge Areas: 4 – Integration

• 4.1 Develop Project Charter
• 4.2 Develop Project Management Plan

As a Category C ‘Self Directed Learning Activity’ remember to document your learning experience and its relationship to project management for your ‘PDU Audit Trail Folder’

Click to register for Effective PPM Change Management

Live Webinar – July 15th 2014, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT
Duration: 1 hour 1 PDU/CDU Credits: 1 PDU Cat B – Free PDU
Hosted By: Systemation

In 2010 and the years that followed a fun, somewhat silly and very revealing group design exercise called “the marshmallow challenge” helped highlight some important insights into team dynamics, prototyping, group performance, skills development, and how incentives shape the outcome of a task.

Tawnya Sawyer (LinkedIn profile) will cover the highlights of the marshmallow challenge and help you implement some of the fundamental concepts to achieve better design outcomes.

Note: How to Receive PDUs for Attending a Live Systemation Webinar – You can earn one PDU per live webinar attended.  All you have to do is fill out PMI’s online form or download the PDF version and claim the PDUs in Section 4 as Category B (Systemation’s address is: 12503 E. Euclid Dr. Suite 55. Centennial, CO 80111).

Click to register for The Marshmallow Challenge: Improving the Design Process