Archive for the ‘Cheetah Students’ Category

Jean Binder, PMP – Winner of the PMI Literature Award for Global Project Management

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
Jean Binder, PMP - Author of Global Project Management

Jean Binder, PMP - Author of Global Project Management

I met Jean Binder, PMP at the PMI Global Congress 2008 Awards Ceremony. Jean was the recipient of the PMI Literature Award for his book Global Project Management.

Jean agreed to answer a several questions I had about his book:

1. What inspired you to write Global Project Management?

Back in 2003 I accepted a project management assignment in a small English town, without knowing about the project teams I would be leading. I was expecting to meet them during my first day of work, when I discovered that 90% of my team was based in Switzerland, and the key customers were in London, a 3-hours drive (at best) from my office. My first reaction was to panic, thinking about all the hours I would spend on the road and away from my family. My second reaction was even worse, after I discovered that my mission was to reduce travel to a minimum and make use of the audio and videoconferencing services. I will never forget the sentence from one of the company directors: “You have a modern video-conferencing room, good audio-conferencing bridges, face-to-face meetings are not really important”.

After I calmed down, I tried to look for research and books in the area, and I discovered several disconnected pieces of information, with recommendations that were more applicable to virtual teams (when the manager has the hierarchical power). I then realized a big gap in the project management knowledge and decided to create a holistic framework, at first by academic research, and then by writing a textbook.

2. How have your approaches to doing project management changed because of what you learned writing the book?

I am much more optimistic. Besides knowing the challenges of global projects, now I also understand how to make use of global teams to increase the levels of creativity and collaboration. I also use many techniques that avoid misunderstanding and reduce the time I spend on the communication and administrative tasks. I learned to focus more on the project objectives and use only the tools and templates that really add value to the project management activities.

3. What is the biggest contribution your book has made to the field of project management according to the people who have read it?

The book provides a comprehensive framework that covers most of the challenges people face in real projects, and the key recommendations from academic studies, textbooks and practitioners. Using the book you don’t need to spend time surfing the web and online bookstores to find different pieces of information. The framework provides the main recommendations, and also references to other sources of information, for the readers that want to have a deep understanding of selected topics.

4. What are the top three things people need to do to improve the way they manage projects globally?

Based on my personal experience, I believe that the first step is to not despair and realize that global projects require a different skill set and a very strong understanding of communication and collaboration techniques. The second step is to understand which modules from the framework are relevant to your own situation, as each project is different. The third step is to use the knowledge in each selected module to build solid skills on cross-cultural project management across time zones, using collaborative tools and techniques, and to organize frequent lessons learned sessions to collect feedback from your project team, continuously improving your skills and the tools, processes, techniques and templates available.

5. What are your plans on updating techniques that are technology driven (which changes very rapidly)?

In the book I only discuss the overall concepts and general techniques, talking very briefly about software and hardware tools. I created a website (www.GlobalProjectManagement.org) to capture a more detailed list of tools and services, which can be easily kept up-to-date. This site also collects standpoints from other authors that are of interest to global project managers, allowing a continuous improvement of the framework and the knowledge within.

6. How do you think that world is improving because of this fantastic body of knowledge you have assembled?

The modest side of me thinks that this book is like a wave to the ocean of the project management body of knowledge, having a very limited influence on the “world”… the other side believes that global project managers can learn to see the positive side of the challenges from cross-cultural and virtual teams, and use innovative techniques to improve their work-life balance and reduce the level of conflict and stress in their projects. If a handful of people provide me such a feedback, I believe that my mission to improve the world is well accomplished!

Jean Binder, PMP is also an alumni of Cheetah Learning’s Accelerated PMP Program.

Real Results from Real Cheetahs

Friday, October 31st, 2008

Quoting Alexander Hall (Cheetah Action Project)- “ In my opinion the most valuable part of the course is applying a complete, concise and easy to use project management methodology (via the templates) to a personal project. Many times in professional endeavors a reduced set of documentation is used, and thus only a partial project management methodology is implemented. This course was a nice reminder of using a complete methodology and how to document as such.

Jean is a very smart, personable, and supportive instructor. Considering how much I have going in my life and that my original schedule for this class was compromised due to a few unforseen “curveballs”, I really appreciated Jeans positive attitude, understanding, and support in keeping me moving until I completed the course. Jean is awesome!

Alex used his Cheetah Action Project Class to complete a project that hit him very close to home- organizing his childrens’ closets. Well done Alex! (see what other have done at http://www.cheetahlearning.com/events/online/CHAP/examples.asp)

Alex used his Cheetah Action course to complete a project that hit home- organizing his childrens' closets.

Before

After

After

From the Mouths’ of Cheetahs

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Quoting C Ackerman (Cheetah Action Project)–  ” …. I love this class, Loved the setup, love the concept….. This has been the most useful class I’ve had in a while, and for sure for the Project Management Courses.   Very Practical and easy to follow.  I’m glad I tried taking one on line at least this once.  Thanks   c.      “       

 

Quoting Sarah E Franklin (Cheetah PM of Weight Loss)- ” Using a real life situation for the project was great and helped me toward achieving a personal goal.

My instructor, Jean, was very helpful – I hope to have her as an instructor again!  I will definitely sign up for more Cheetah courses.

Some others similar to this would be great. “

 

 

Congratulations Perry Simpson, CAPM

Monday, October 27th, 2008

A big congratulations to Perry Simpson who recently passed the Project Management Institute’s Certified Associate of Project Management exam after participating in Cheetah Learning’s 3 day CAPM accelerated prep course.

Perry is the Director of Government Business Development for The
Corporate Research Group in Ottawa, Ontario,   Below he shares his reasons for pursuing the certification and what he learned in that pursuit.

Why did you want to get the CAPM certification?

As a member of the management team for a company that’s revenue
is entirely generated from consulting on government contracts, I noticed
that an ever-growing number of RFP documentation was requiring all team
members to possess not only a university degree, but a professional
designation as well.  One of the government Standing Offers our company
had won was specific to project management, and as luck would have it,
the Associate Vice President in charge of our Project Management
division was Mr. Frank Townson, PMP and Cheetah Instructor.  Frank was
aware of the need for professional designations and recommended the CAPM
certification to the President of our company.  As part of a select
group, I was asked to participate in Frank’s CAPM course.  Were I to
attain the CAPM certification, my billable per-diem would more than
double.  Obviously a strong reason to pursue the designation!

What did you learn by preparing for the CAPM exam “cheetah style?”

Personally, I learned that I had the ability to retain the
copious amounts of information with which Cheetah’s CAPM course
inundates the student, and the tenacity to put in the after hours effort
required to achieve the CAPM designation.  I was able to take in enough
information from the PMBOK, in it’s entirety, to enable me to pass the
CAPM exam, and in only 3 full days of classroom instruction.  I also
learned the benefits of taking different learning styles and combining
them for maximum memory retention.  The MP3 players with PMBOK
terminology definitions, the memory mapping, the use of timed exams to
train you to work well under pressure, the tracking tool to enable you
to understand which questions you were confident with and which you
weren’t so you could go back and verify your responses, the test taking
tips which were instrumental, etc…  To get all that and more into the
heads of the CAPM students in only 3 days is a daunting task, and Frank
Townson did an excellent job!!

How do you anticipate the CAPM will help your career?

As mentioned above, the CAPM has enabled my name to be added to
Standing Offers and contracts that require a professional designation,
and increased my value to my company.  PMI’s designations are in demand,
whether it be PMP or CAPM.  CAPM has taken my career to the next level
in it’s evolution.

Thank You Perry and Best of Luck In Your Career.

Congratulations Paula Shippee, PMP

Monday, October 27th, 2008

A BIG Congratulations to Paula Shippee, PMP!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Kelly,

Well, it worked!  I PASSED!  I really didn’t know how it was going to turn out as I went through the test but was very relieved to see that “pass” at the end.  Really appreciate all your help – you did a great job conducting the course and it was very beneficial.  I would recommend it to anyone seeking the PMP certification.

Thanks again
Paula Shippee, PMP

Congratulations to Craig McElfresh, PMP

Friday, October 24th, 2008

Craig  was one of our online PMP students.   He  just passed the PMP exam today.

“Good news … I passed the exam. Thanks for the support of you and the Cheetah team. The learning process was excellent with the various methods for helping me retain and recall what I learned. It really helped me relax during the exam. I appreciate your rapid and informative responses to my homework, exams, and questions along the way. It feels good to have achieved the PMP certification. Now I can celebrate with my wife and all who supported with the time and moral support I needed to be successful.”

Thanks,

Craig McElfresh, PMP

Interview with Kristen L. on Becoming a CAPM

Friday, October 24th, 2008

Interview with Kristen L. CAPM

Kristen, you recently passed Project Management Institute’s CAPM exam (Certified Associate in Project Management). You did this after using Cheetah Learning’s four week online CAPM exam prep course.

Why did you take the course?

Kristen – I took the course to pass the CAPM and to demonstrate I knew the basics of project management.

What did you learn preparing for the exam “cheetah style?”

Kristen – While my friends are still in classes “gettting ready” for preparing for the CAPM.. I blew by them and whap- I have the credential already. The four weeks were a bit intense as I had to juggle work, house hunting, two business trips, and dating a new great guy, but I pulled it off.

What are you going to do now that you are a CAPM?

Kristen – This is going to help me work with others on my team when working on projects. I got a promotion at work because of the CAPM (and a pay increase). And now I’m in line to become a PMP and take on even more challenging projects. THANK YOU CHEETAH LEARNING.

Kristen can be reached on twitter at kristencapm and via email at kristenkent123@gmail.com.

Kristen Studying for the CAPM

Kristen Studying for the CAPM