Phone: 503-293-3557  Toll Free: 800-577-3528  Fax: 503-293-8499

                                 Continuing Education for Technical Professionals

     Home     |     R&D Services   |   Training   |   Products   |   Resources   |   Contact Us

 

Engineers' BootCampTM

PROJECT PLANNING, COMMUNICATION & LEADERSHIP

 

 

 

Overview

 

Time-to-market delays and cost overruns are issues that can be greatly improved by using the tools and techniques from this workshop.  The cost of delay for most engineering projects is thousands of dollars per day.  More significant products cost businesses tens of thousands per day—or more!  The benefits of improving time-to-market even slightly can be huge.

 

This workshop guarantees to increase project success by improving leadership, planning, and estimating competencies.  The guaranteed results from this course are based on the instructor's direct experience on engineering projects and experience gained from Auxilium's product development consulting business.

 

Case studies, real-life examples and exercises illustrate how the principles apply on the job.  The case studies are drawn from a broad range of product development team environments at small, medium, and large companies serving various industries.

 

Each participant leaves with a comprehensive workbook and a personalized action plan that will immediately benefit their respective organizations.

 

Benefits

 

This workshop enables participants to:

  • accelerate product development

  • assume greater project leadership responsibility

  • improve the accuracy of project estimates

  • increase the level of buy-in and commitment to project schedules

  • select or influence the appropriate project lifecycle model

  • improve project-related communication

  • become more influential

  • develop a relevant learning and growth plan

 

Who should attend:

  • Electronics/Electrical Engineers

  • Software Engineers and Developers

  • Mechanical Engineers

  • Aerospace Engineers

  • Design/Development Managers

  • Project/Team Leaders

  • Engineering Supervisors

  • Prospective Managers

 

Continuing Education Credits:

 

1.3 CEUs (13 PDUs)

 

(PMI Members: Use Category 4 process for PDU credit)

 

 

Instructor:  Gary C. Hinkle

 

 


 

"I'll use the tools from this course immediately to create project schedules, improve my influence skills and especially for influencing team members to make commitments."

     - Rene Valenzuela, Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Mitsubishi Digital

 


 

DAY 1 - PROJECT ESTIMATING AND PLANNING

 

Project Planning Overview

Project planning competencies and tasks

Individual accountability for estimating, planning, and scheduling work

Integrating a high level of commitment into plans

 

Project Planning Details

Project lifecycle

Pros and cons of various lifecycle models

Examples of good planning and the effects of poor planning

How much planning is the right amount?

Dealing with ambiguity and uncertain resource availability

Project documentation

Case Study: Effect of Poor Planning on Successful Established Company

 

Project Estimating

Estimation challenges

Prerequisites for estimation

Comparison of estimation methods

Estimation steps

Estimation exercise

Case Study: Inaccurate Estimate by High-Performing Team

 

Scheduling Practices

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Iterative estimating and scheduling    

Scheduling tools

Gantt and PERT charts

Commitment based scheduling

Cost of delay

 

Detailed Design and Test Plans

Planning steps

Defining roles and responsibilities

“Success” criteria

Project plan template

Planning exercise

Balancing planning with prototyping and modeling

Case Study: Project Documentation Improves Time-to-Market

 

Design Review Planning

Critical design reviews and milestones

Formal and informal design reviews

Preparation for reviews and accountability

Effective design review meetings

Making tough decisions related to design review findings

Engaging experts from outside the team

Third party reviewers

 

 


 

"It focuses on several really important issues that engineers need to understand."

     - Wendell Neumeyer, Manager, Artex Aircraft

 

"Gary is an excellent speaker and very knowledgeable about the material presented.  A '10' on a 1-10 scale!"

     - Karen Wong, Software Engineer, PSC Inc.

 

"Excellent ideas shown about building trust and respect.  The course encouraged me to set a vision and direction for my team."

     - Joel Smith, Project Leader, A-Dec, Inc.

 


 

DAY 2 - ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP

 

What is Leadership?

What leadership is, and what leadership is not

Why leadership skills are important for engineers and technical professionals

Differences between leadership skills and management skills

Self-analysis of key leadership skills to improve

Five levels of leadership

 

How to Develop Trust and Respect

Characteristics that help credibility and perceived integrity

Characteristics that hurt credibility

Self-assessment

 

The Art of Influence

Building rapport with business associates

Helping others to see your view

Influencing your manager and other leaders

Case study: System Architect with Poor Leadership Skills

Understanding the process of “give and take”

Influence vs. authority

Case Study: Positively Affecting Change When Faced With Resistance

 

Self Assessment of Leadership Ability and Potential

Attendees assess abilities in 3 key areas and come up with a score that illustrates strengths and specific leadership skills to develop

 

Additional Project Leadership & Management Considerations

Key leadership skills for projects

Opportunities to distribute project leadership and management responsibilities

Case study: Sharing of Project Leadership and Management Responsibilities

Case study: Outstanding Project Leader (a role model for project leaders)

 


Our Guarantee

If for any reason you are not satisfied, write to us within 30 days after attending the workshop and return the course materials and we'll arrange for you to receive a full refund - hassle-free!


 

Contact us for more information.

 

Auxilium, Inc. Headquarters   10260 SW Greenburg Rd.   Suite 400   Portland, OR  97223                   Privacy Policy

© 2002 - 2008 Auxilium, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.