Archives - Issue Sixteen, October 2005

y Archives - Issue Sixteen, October 2005

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Upcoming Classes | Special Events | PDU Corner | Cheetah Around the Globe

Projects to Profits: Using Project Management to Increase Profitability

The Reality of Return on Investment: Connecting the Value of Project Management to Performance

The "P" in Project Management Stands for People and Profit

Student Testimonial

"I was in the April class in Greenville and wanted to say thanks for helping me pass the test on the Friday after class. Cheetah did a fantastic job prepping me, and I don't believe I could've done it without you! Maybe it was the luck of the draw for me, but my questions were tougher than the practice questions we had. I went down to the wire on time, but was able to reliably predict my score like we did in class.

So, I'm at the testing center and right before the test I'm doing my reverse nostril breathing plus the mountain pose just about the time I feel people starting to stare. At the halfway point, I get up, take a break, and again do my breathing and mountain pose. Fast forward to the end of the exam when I'm with the proctor printing my results. The proctor says to me 'I saw you praying over there during your break, and I just wanted you to know that I was praying right there with you.' I was cracking up inside! After quickly deciding that the true reason behind my stretching required much more time to explain, I managed to muster the response, 'Thanks, I guess it must have worked.'

After reluctantly accepting the whole low-carb, no caffeine, exercise, cheese-eating, rapid learning, yoga-style week provided by Cheetah, the results speak for themselves. So thanks, I guess it must have worked!"

--Mark Hall, MBA, PMP

Finding Consistency: How can this company make their projects consistent, efficient, and effective -- helping its teams go from poor performance to peak performance? Find out what the experts have to say in this issue's Dear Cheetah column.

Happenings

Project Manager Playbook™ Standardizes PM Methodology at Well-Known Bank

On-Par Golf: The First Hole

New PMP® Exam: Be Smart, Not Scared

Communicate Your Way to Success With Cheetah Negotiations -- Get What You Want, Fast!

Cheetahs in Alaska

You're Good at PM, but are You a Master?

Cheetah in the Spotlight

Featured PMP®

And the Winner is...
Congratulations to the winner of the PM Scorecard Online contest!

Cheetah Learning would like to congratulate Paula Burch, PMP, MMS, of the Dallas, Texas area, who was the Grand Prize Winner in the PM Scorecard Online contest, which was held in April.

Thanks to everyone who entered our contest. Be sure to enter our newest contest (below) to win a free Selling PM to Senior Executives course, worth $99 and 5 PDUs if you are a PMP®.

Congratulations, again, Paula!

Enter to Win a FREE Selling PM to Executives course!
We are giving away a free Selling PM to Senior Executives course to one lucky contest winner. This course is a $99 value, and worth 5 PDUs for PMP®s.

Click on this link for contest entry form and rules. The contest will close on August 12th, 2005 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, so be sure to enter today!

Click here for more information on this course, or visit www.cheetahpm.com.

Cheetah Awarded Federal Supply Schedule Contract
To all Federal Government employees:

Cheetah Exam Prep LLC and Cheetah Learning LLC are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a Federal Supply Schedule contract.

What does this mean to you?

If you are one of our loyal Federal Cheetah PMP® Alumnus, it means that we can now help you maintain your PDU®s through a variety of online classes at reduced government rates.

To those of you who have not yet experienced Cheetah -- perhaps you’ve been waiting for us to be awarded this contract -- you can now check us out at reduced government rates.

Customers should use GSA Advantage to place orders.

Questions? Contact Pam Gieras at pam@cheetahlearning.com.

Did you know...?

CertMag’s 2004 Salary Survey Highlights PM Certification as offering big payoff

If you’re really looking to score, get your PMP®. That’s what Certification Magazine’s 2004 Salary Survey suggests to its readers. Their survey found that certifying yourself in certain specialties within the IT world offers bigger payoffs and better long-term career solutions. PMI®’s Project Management certification is one of those certifications offering big results. In fact, it was ranked as the 4th best certification for IT professionals out of a list of more than 80 certifications measured.

Cisco certification led the list for the second consecutive year, with the Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) credential promising the highest salary for certified IT professionals -- an annual salary of $105,140 for its senior-level experts.

Following CCIE, other top-earning credentials in the 2004 CertMag survey were the Planet3 Wireless CWSP program ($94,050), EMC Proven Professional ($93,470), the Project Management Institute's credentials ($89,630), the (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification ($85,960), Cisco Qualified Specialist: IP Telephony ($84,620) and (ISC)2's Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) ($84,310).

Those strong numbers and the impressive salaries for 80 other certification programs measured showed certification is a smart investment for IT experts, who earned on average $67,000 in total compensation for 2004, up significantly from 2003's average salary of $63,540.

The 2004 survey also showed that many respondents received raises or promotions in the first year after receiving their certification.

Respondents cited a variety of other rewards they strongly feel certification provides, including gaining skills for a future job (86.9 percent), proving to themselves they can get the credential (81.7 percent), becoming eligible for a supervisory role (55.7 percent) and being part of a wider IT community (57.4 percent).

Finally, the 2004 survey this year found that employers increasingly seem to be picking up the cost of certification as an investment in a qualified workforce. This year more than 48% of respondents said that their employer paid all of their certification costs, up from 42% the previous year.

Original article written by Tim Sosbe, Certification Magazine, December 2004. For more information you can read the full article by clicking here.

Upcoming U.S. Classes

PMP® Exam Prep
July, 2005
25-29: Seattle, WA (Sold out - wait list only*)
25-29: Washington DC-Herndon, VA (Sold out - wait list only*)
25-29: Washington DC-Fairfax, VA
25-29: Los Angeles-El Segundo, CA (Sold out - wait list only*)
25-29: Detroit-Plymouth, MI (1 seat left)
25-29: Los Angeles, CA (1 seat left)
25-29: Washington DC-Fairfax, VA (Sold out - wait list only*)

August, 2005
1-5: Atlanta, GA (Sold out - wait list only*)
1-5: Washington DC-Columbia, MD (Sold out - wait list only*)
1-5: Englewood, CO (Sold out - wait list only*)
1-5: Richmond, VA (4 seats left)
1-5: Austin, TX (Sold out - wait list only*)
8-12: New York, NY (1 seat left)
8-12: Hartford-Windsor, CT
8-12: Cleveland/Akron, OH (Sold out - wait list only*)
8-12: Atlanta, GA
8-12: Seattle, WA
8-12: New York, NY (5 seats left)
15-19: Atlanta, GA
15-19: Parsippany, NJ (Sold out - wait list only*)
15-19: San Francisco-Burlingame, CA
15-19: Houston, TX (Sold out - wait list only*)
15-19: New York, NY (Sold out - wait list only*)
15-19: Austin, TX
22-26: Seattle, WA (Sold out - wait list only*)
22-26: Sacramento, CA
22-26: Washington DC-Fairfax, VA (Sold out - wait list only*)
22-26: Kansas City-Independence, MO (Sold out - wait list only*)
22-26: Washington DC-Herndon, VA (Sold out - wait list only*)
22-26: San Francisco-Burlingame, CA
22-26: Washington, DC-Columbia, MD
August 29-September 2: Chicago, IL (Sold out - wait list only*)
August 29-September 2: Cleveland-Akron, OH

September, 2005
6-10: Seattle, WA
6-9: Phoenix, AZ
6-9: Philadelphia, PA
6-9: Los Angeles-El Segundo, CA
12-16: Dedham, MA
12-16: Raleigh, NC
12-16: Parsippany, NJ
12-16: Chicago, IL
12-16: Cleveland/Akron, OH (1 seat left)
12-16: San Diego, CA
12-16: Minneapolis-Coon Rapids, MN
12-16: Miami, FL (English course with Spanish speaking instructor)
19-23: DC-Herndon, VA
19-23: New York, NY
19-23: Herndon, VA
19-23: Charlotte, NC
19-23: Hartford-Windsor, CT
19-23: Seattle, WA
19-23: Chicago, IL
19-23: Fort Lauderdale, FL

October, 2005
3-7: Englewood, CO
3-7: Houston, TX
3-7: Cleveland, OH
10-14: Hartford-Windsor, CT
10-14: Sacramento, CA
17-21: Los Angles-El Segundo, CA
17-21: Tampa, FL
17-21: Seattle, WA
17-21: New York-Parsippany, NJ
24-28: Philadelphia , PA
24-28: Detroit-Plymouth, MI
24-28: Washington DC-Fairfax, VA
24-28: Addison, TX
October 31-November 4: Englewood, CO
October 31-November 4: Hartford-Windsor, CT
October 31-November 4: Atlanta, GA
October 31-November 4: San Diego, CA

November, 2005
7-11: Seattle, WA
7-11: Dedham, MA
7-11: Kansas City-Independence, MO
7-11: Richmond, VA
14-18: Chicago, IL
14-18: Miramar, FL
14-18: San Fransisco-Burlingame, CA
14-18: New York, NY
November 28-December 2: Phoenix, AZ
November 28-December 2: Hartford-Windsor, CT
November 28-December 2: DC-Fairfax, VA

December, 2005
5-9: San Francisco-Burlingame, CA
5-9: Seattle, WA
5-9: Cleveland, OH
5-9: Richmond, VA
5-9: Philadelphia , PA
5-9: Dallas, TX
12-16: Dedham, MA
12-16: Chicago, IL
12-16: Atlanta, GA

*To be put on the waiting list, please visit our registration page.

For a complete list of upcoming classes, check out our website at www.cheetahlearning.com.

Cheetah Around the Globe

For international class information and schedules, please visit www.cheetahlearning.com.

Europe

Announcing Our New Classes in Europe!
Cheetah is now offering classes in the following locations:

Stockholm, Sweden
Milan, Italy
Athens, Greece
Glasgow, Scotland
Birmingham, England

Before the end of 2005, we will also be adding classes in Berlin, Germany and Brussels, Belgium.

Congratulations, Andy McClary
Thanks to Andy McClary, Cheetah’s main European trainer! The pass rate in our European classes has been phenomenal across the board.

Asia/Pacific

Additional Classes Scheduled
Cheetah has scheduled additional classes to meet the needs of students who are looking to pass their PMP® exam before the PMBOK® Guide Third Edition comes into effect. You can take a look at the schedule by visiting www.cheetahlearning.com.

Cheetah in India
Since the Indian Government is now requiring that all government project managers be certified, Cheetah Learning has responded by completing a Cheetah Exam Prep for the PMP® course in Mumbai. Further classes have been scheduled to take place in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

New Asia/Pacific locations

Brisbane, Australia

Cheetah is now offering the PMP® Exam Prep for the PMP® course in the following new locations:

Tokyo, Japan
Bangkok, Thailand
Adelaide, Australia
Brisbane, Australia

Bangkok, Thailand

Cheetah to sponsor conferences
Cheetah will be sponsoring the PMOz Project Management Conference in Australia, which will be held in Brisbane, Australia from August 30th through September 2nd. For more information on the conference, please visit www.pmoz.com.au.

Cheetah is also sponsoring the PMINZ (PMI New Zealand) Conference, to be held in Auckland, New Zealand from October 12th through October 14th. For more information on this conference, you can visit www.pmi.org.nz/conference.

Cheetah will be there building a Cheetah Kayak. Please feel free to stop by the Cheetah booth and take a look!

Canada

Full Classes in Canada
We recently completed a class of 23 students -- the largest ever in Canada! That same week we had a class of fifteen in Ottawa. We have had so much interest that we've had to add extra, unplanned classes in each city.

...And a Note of Congratulations
Congratulations to all of our new Canadian PMP®s! Thanks for telling your friends and colleagues about Cheetah!

For class information, and a complete class schedule, visit www.cheetahexamprep.com.

Special Events

Event: PMOz Project Management Conference, Brisbane, Australia
Date: August 30 - September 2, 2005
For more information, please visit www.pmoz.com.au.

Event: PMINZ (PMI New Zealand) Conference, Auckland, New Zealand
Date: October 12 - October 14, 2005
For more information, please visit www.pmi.org.nz/conference.

PDU Corner

Cheetah Offers New PDU Online Class
Selling PM to Senior Executives
Does Senior Management support your projects? Would you like them to be more supportive? Do you know how to get their attention and "buy-in"? This course will show you how to sell PM to Senior Executives so that both you and your organization can soar.

This course consists of three modules that help devise your plan to sell PM to Senior Executives in your organization.

Module 1: Leverage Points - Identify the decision makers and learn how to get their "buy-in"
Module 2: Speaking the Language - Complete a PM Competency assessment for your organization and develop a PM Business Building Case with Return on Investment (ROI).
Module 3: The Plan - Using the information from Modules 1 & 2, you will write your proposal "The Plan" to present to your Senior Executives.

Enter to win a free Selling PM to Senior Executives course! Click here for details.

Course Details:
Credit: 5 PDUs; 0.5 CEUs
Cost: $99 USD
Duration: Five hours (You will have two weeks to access the online content and interact with your instructor.)
Course Location: Online
Access: Instructions will be provided when you
register.

How do PDU Providers Stack Up?

PDU Provider
Courses
# of PDUs
Cost per PDU

Cheetah PM Strength Builder

Selling PM to Senior Executives

Project Portfolio Leadership

PM Scorecard

Cheetah Project Management

Communicating Through Conflict

Cheetah Negotiations

Enterprise Project Management

Building your Consulting Practice

On Par Project Management

Project Kayak

PM Masters Certificate Program Range from 5-60 $20

RMC Project Tricks of the Trade for Risk Management 16 $87

What Makes a Project Manager Successful? 14 $93

Tricks of the Trade for Determining Customer Requirements 7 $114

International Institute for Learning (IIL) Kerzner on Best Practices in Project Management (Online) 6 $41

Kerzner on Best Practices in Project Management (Classroom) 14 $35

Project Quality Management 12 $62

Project Risk Management 12 $62

ESI Project Leadership, Management and Communications (Classroom) 22.5 $84

22.5 $84

1 $30

Projects to Profits: Using Project Management to Increase Profitability

The Reality of Return on Investment: Connecting the Value of Project Management to Performance
by Michelle A. LaBrosse, PMP, Chief Cheetah and CEO, Cheetah Learning

You know that Project Management, or PM, is a powerful business tool. But do you know how you can use PM throughout your organization to boost personal and collaborative productivity, and ultimately show triple-digit return on investment? We’re going to walk you through a few ways to increase your profitability, and we'll talk about how to build a standardized system that embeds best practices into your process.

PM: The Value Builder in Your Organization
Project Management, or PM, is the science of getting things done. The problem in most companies is that there is no set process to get work done effectively and efficiently. According to a February 2003 study conducted by The Center for Business Practices (CBP), the largest PM challenge facing companies is implementing a consistent process. From lost time to inconsistency, a lack of process means a poor performance.

The 3 Ps: Project, Process, and Performance
A project is any activity in an organization that has a distinct deliverable and a clear beginning and ending. When your projects follow a process, you achieve greater performance. PM methods are easy to learn and can be applied with simple web-based and office automation tools. Here are five ways that PM transforms organizations, and allows you to reap the rewards of a uniform approach to PM in your organization.

Five Ways that PM Transforms Organizations

Develops Exponential Effectiveness:
In most organizations, people work in cross-functional teams to complete projects. When people from different departments know and understand a common PM process, they can start to work together without having to design each process for every project.
Empowers Individuals and Team Leaders: When there is a common, simple approach for PM, and the correct tools are available throughout the enterprise, you are empowered to reach your goals together and individually.
Creates Institutional Memory:
Industry standard PM practices require a critical project closeout phase that collects lessons learned and gives your organization powerful historical knowledge from across the enterprise.
Realizes Return on Innovation:
An easy-to-use PM methodology gives you and your organization a framework that makes it easy to move from vision to action with a comprehensive project plan that supports your objectives.
Turns Information into Insight:
You capture best practices and know what is and isn’t working in your organization, giving you a competitive advantage by turning information into insight.

Return On Investment (ROI): PM’s Impact on the Bottom Line
PM impacts the bottom line. In their CHAOS Report, the Standish Group conservatively estimates that 20% of money spent on projects is wasted because companies don’t have a consistent approach to PM. Research by the CBP shows that PM improvement initiatives improve project performance by up to 50% for the first project, and can continue for each new project if the enterprise offers ongoing support with PM tools.

Your PM Power Checklist

Know the business drivers and the Return on Investment, or ROI, for adopting an enterprise-wide approach to PM.
Use a simple and proven approach, such as Cheetah PM, to align the efforts of project teams.
Have people at every level of your organization learn the skills needed to effectively use PM to improve their value to the organization. Cheetah Learning's Project Management Building Blocks to Profits provides training for people at every level of the organization.
Get big wins early on by leading with parts of the organization that have the least skills in Project Management and the most to gain by using a simple PM approach.

Empower people with tools for successful PM, such as:
- BOT International's Custom Web system for sharing Best Practices and PM processes across the enterprise.
- MS Project for simple and effective project scheduling and tracking.
- PM Scorecards to measure the effectiveness of your Project Managers throughout the project.

Learn More
Here are three ways that you can learn how to use the power of Project Management to build your bottom-line:

Read our white paper Building Your Business With Project Management. It’s a fast way to get your mind in business-building mode. Experience Cheetah’s proven techniques by going to Cheetah Free Downloads.
Sign up for our Projects to Profits webinar. Get on your way to becoming a prime profit driver in your organization with our one hour webinar. It’s Project Management expertise, Cheetah-style. In just one hour, you’ll have a bottom-line frame of mind. Register for Cheetah webinar today.
Reward yourself and your career with a Cheetah PM course. Register today and reach toward the excellence that you know you can achieve. For more information, visit www.cheetahpm.com

The "P" in Project Management Stands for People & Profit
By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, Chief Cheetah, Cheetah Learning

The "P" in Project Management stands for many things, like process and performance, but a critical P word in the center of successful Project Management is people. If you want a collaborative culture that is performance-driven, the process alone won’t get you there. You need people to buy in to your vision, make it real, and ultimately create profit.

Experience the difference
The best way to get people on board is to let them experience the difference of a Project Management driven culture. When people from different departments know and understand a common PM process to get their work done, they can start to work together without having to design how they are going to do it. They can have fewer time delays and conflicts because there is a common understanding of how the work will progress, how their work together is interdependent, and how they will measure their success.

Empower Individuals and Team Leaders with the Skills to Succeed.
People inherently want to do the right thing and work effectively with others. When there is a common, simple approach for PM, and the correct tools are available throughout the enterprise, people are empowered to effectively reach their goals, together and individually. When people have a choice between success and chaos, they generally choose success.

Create Institutional Memory
How smart is your company? Industry standard PM practices require a critical project closeout phase that collects lessons learned and gives your organization powerful historical knowledge from across the enterprise. A company that can learn and grow, rather than continually repeat mistakes, will move faster and be more profitable. As an employee, it’s frustrating to recreate the wheel. It’s empowering when you see your work building upon others, and vice versa.

Realize Return on Innovation
An easy-to-use PM methodology gives organizations a way to truly put innovation in motion and make implementation a reality. It’s easy for a good idea to get derailed when people struggle to implement the details of the work required to bring the idea to fruition. When people have a framework that makes it achievable for them to move from vision to action with a comprehensive, project plan that supports their objectives, they see how they impact the organization.

Turn Information into Insight
When easy-to-use PM principles are applied throughout your organization, you have a competitive advantage by turning information into insight. You capture best practices and know what is and isn’t working in your organization. You can also get new products to market faster and use the best information out there -- information based on your customer’s insights.

Create Contagious Commitment
People need to see success -- even small victories have a big impact. It’s important to show success with early adopters, so that people will understand what you ’re doing with PM and how they can be a part of the ongoing success.

Give People Power Tools
To succeed, people need power tools. What are you giving them for support A support system with easy-to-use tools will ensure success that has a lasting impact on your organization, and ultimately your bottom-line.

Happenings

Project Manager Playbook™ Standardizes PM Methodology at Well-Known Bank
A well-known banking firm in the Baltimore area recently completed the Project Manager Playbook™ series. Approximately sixty project managers attended class once a month for one year. The goal: to improve and standardize their internal company Project Management methodology, while also improving their Project Management skill set. The class sizes were kept to under twenty project managers per class because of the highly interactive nature of the program.

The bank requested a program that was based on the PMBOK® Guide, while also incorporating their company's PM methodology. At the same time, they wanted the program to teach their project managers how to communicate more effectively, set requirements better, consider risk factors, control scope creep, and handle other Project Management responsibilities more effectively. The solution was clear -- what they needed was Cheetah's PM Playbook™ Series. Each course is a day long, resulting in project managers taking the knowledge back into the workplace to use immediately.

Each project manager finished the series of courses with a reference library. Books on each subject were given to them as the courses progressed. The bank now has sixty project managers who have been trained to use the same language when talking about projects, and have implemented new processes to make their projects more successful.

The personalized Project Manager Playbook that now resides with each project manager who participated in the program serves as a guide for how he or she should do projects. These Playbooks are based on the company's internal PM methodology, are aligned with the PMBOK® Guide, and also leverage each individual's unique strengths as a project manager.

Click here for more information on how you can create a centralized Project Management Methodology across your organization, or contact Brian Smith, Business Development Director, at brian.smith@cheetahlearning.com -- or call 1-800-246-9106 (from within the U.S.)

On Par Golf: The First Hole
By Michael Bales, PMP
Imagine you are on the first tee. The morning is crisp and clear, the birds are singing in the trees, and the green lush fairway is in front of you. It’s a simple 375 yard par four with a sand trap on the right about 240 yards away. The hole is a slight dogleg to the right, which brings the sand trap into play. On the left, trees hug the fairway.

You are playing with a foursome you have not played with before. While you stand in the tee box with tee and ball in your hand, what thoughts are going through your mind? Are you praying to get off the tee with a good shot? Are you thinking about looking good in front of the other members in your foursome? Or are you concentrating on the shot in front of you?

Most golfers grab their driver, take a few practice swings, insert the tee into the ground, and slice away. Invariably, the ball gets into trouble. One of four things typically happens: the ball goes into the trees; bounces into the sand trap; duck hooks breaking the window in the house across the street; or slices into the practice range. Now the feelings of dread and embarrassment come up as you sheepishly head back to the cart hoping that you can have a mulligan.

All this because you didn't take the time to think about what you were doing.

I am an advocate of really looking at the fairway in front of you, thinking about how you want to play the hole, then practice swinging the first shot, and visualizing where the ball is going to land. Then when I tee the ball up, I step behind it and take a really big breath, visualize my desired result, go through my pre-shot routine, and strike the ball. My concentration is on emptying my mind of thoughts, knowing that how I approach the first shot will affect the rest of my round. With this mindset, even if the ball gets into trouble, I am engaged in the game.

So how does this relate to Project Management? For me, the most important part of any project is the state of mind before beginning. Too often we are assigned a project and begin working on it, without stopping to ask ourselves how we are going to play the project.

I propose that taking the time to get your mind wrapped around the project is the key to project success. To help get my mind wrapped around each of my projects, I utilize a pre-project routine.

The routine starts before the project agreement. The first thing I do is remember to come from a mindset of "YES, AND". From a "YES, AND" mindset, all things are possible. I am now open to anything as the project unfolds. I take this mindset and then work on the project agreement. Actually, I am visualizing what its going to take to complete the project. This is like stepping up to the first hole and visualizing my first shot. This visualization gets my mind engaged in the project.

I spend a good amount of time on the agreement, asking the sponsor questions about the project, and include detailed aesthetic values so that I have a good feel for the scope of the project. As I work through this process, I think about team members I would like to work with and different ways I can approach the project this time. Because I am constantly evaluating my performance as a project manager using PM Scorecards, I have a good idea of what I need to pay attention to get the best results. With a good pre-project routine in place, I know my mind is focused on the project at hand.

Next time you are asked to do a project, think about how you are going to play the project. Think about who you are and what skills you want to focus on. Moreover, take a moment to see the whole game before taking your practice swings, so that your practice swings get you off on the right track.

If you want more help using golf as a way to work on becoming a project manager, take our On-Par Course and earn 60 PDUs at the same time. For more information on Cheetah PM’s On Par Project Management course, go to www.cheetahpm.com or click here.

Michael Bales, PMP® is the "mountain man" of Cheetah Learning. Michael is the person in charge of special assignments for Cheetah Leaning. He has thirty years of business experience, including Project Management, product development, executive positions, sales, and marketing. He has developed businesses and managed projects in the construction, computer equipment, and civil engineering industries. He enjoys traveling, fly-fishing, building, hiking, kayaking, and is the Cheetah golf pro. Michael’s greatest joy is helping people achieve their dreams.

New PMP® Exam: Be Smart, Not Scared
As everyone knows, the exam is changing September 30th, and Cheetah Exam Prep has seen a rise in customers. However, fear is never a good motivator to do something like take the PMP® Exam -- especially if you are not mentally and physically ready for it. We at Cheetah Exam Prep would like to assure our future customers that we will honor our guarantee as it presently stands, even though the required score to pass the exam is changing from 68% to 81% as of September 30th.

We can do this because we are constantly reviewing our materials and our teaching and learning methodology, to ensure that our students receive the greatest value possible. We were helping students pass the exam in September of 2001, based on the PMBOK® Guide 1996, and sailed smoothly through the transition to the PMBOK® Guide 2000 in March of 2002. As the saying goes, 'Been there, done that.' We are now preparing for the new test and we'll be there to train our future students to pass the PMP® exam without modifying our guarantee.

As a reminder for those who are interested in taking the exam before Sept 25th, here are the guidelines:

Facts about the test based on the PMBOK©Guide Third Edition

August 29, 2005 -- Last day to apply for eligibility to take the test based on the PMBOK©Guide 2000
September 24, 2005 -- Last day to take the test based on the PMBOK©Guide 2000**
September 25 - 29, 2005 -- NO PMP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN DURING THIS TIME.
September 30, 2005 -- The first day the exam will be given based on the PMBOK©Guide Third Edition.
You will need an 81% to pass the new exam (143 correct out of 175 questions.)
You will only be allowed to take the exam three times in one year. If you fail three times, you'll have to wait one year to re-apply for eligibility.

**Please note that if you should fail the exam before September 25, 2005, you have one year from the date you took the exam to re-take it based on the PMBOK©Guide 2000.

Communicate Your Way to Success with Cheetah Negotiations -- Get What You Want, Fast!
As promised in the last edition of Cheetah News, our latest release from MAKLAF Press, Cheetah Negotiations, is now available several places online. You can order your copy from Amazon (www.amazon.com), from the PMI Bookstore (www.pmi.org,) or from our own Cheetah Store (www.cheetahstore.com). This book outlines a simple process for you to become a Cheetah Negotiator. Project Managers spend their days in continual negotiations -- with project team members, project sponsors, project customers, and suppliers. You'll learn how you can get not only what you want, but what you truly deserve with this step-by-step method for setting up and conducting successful negotiations focused on mutual gain. Don’t wait!

Cheetah Negotiations is Book Two in The Cheetah Success Series. Book One in the series is Cheetah Project Management, a handy must-have for any Project Manager wanting to put projects on the fast track and run like a cheetah. Cheetah Project Management is available in the PMI® Bookstore (www.pmibookstore.org) (first listing!), and, of course, in our Cheetah Store (www.cheetahstore.com).

Get yourself a copy of each today and start expanding your own Cheetah Success Story!

Cheetahs in Alaska
This summer Cheetahs descended on Haines, Alaska, home of Cheetah Learning’s Corporate Retreat Center, Alaska Learning Adventures. Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, and Chief Cheetah, invited several different groups to the company’s retreat center to "sharpen the saw" of her own staff. The PMP® Coaches and Cheetah Course Developers had a great week of professional development training amidst the beautiful Alaskan scenery. The Cheetah Sales and Marketing teams also enjoyed a week of team building activities, which included building Cheetah Kayaks.

Jen Hirsch, Cheetah’s Director of Marketing, says of the Sales and Marketing Retreat, “Before our trip, when I told people I was going to Alaska for a team building retreat, everyone had the same reaction -– ‘wow!’ And it truly was a ‘wow’ experience. Until you are there, surrounded by the glaciers, the wildlife, and the snow-capped mountains, you can’t really appreciate what a beautiful place Alaska is. By spending a week together in this setting, so far away from the office, the Sales and Marketing team was able to bond in a way that could never happen in a more typical team-building setting. Our trip to Alaska will most definitely have a positive impact on how Sales and Marketing work together back at home.” Click here to see slides from the Sales and Marketing retreat. (Note: Viewing the slideshow requires that you have the Power Point application. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download PowerPoint Viewer.)

Eagle Nest Lodge

Alaska Learning Adventures specializes in adventure learning for Project Management professionals and corporate executives. For more information, and ideas on how to make your team’s next retreat an experience they will never forget, please visit www.alaskalearningadventures.com.

You're Good at PM, but are you a Master?
Bach was a master of music composition. Gandhi was a master of peace. And Babe Ruth was a master of baseball. When people have passion for what they do, and they want to be the best in their industry, they are masters. That’s why we created The Cheetah Project Management Master’s Certificate.

Learn How to Lead with Bottom-Line Results
When you master Project Management, you learn how to lead with bottom-line impact. Your projects can show measurable growth in return on investment. You can point to results such as sales growth, customer satisfaction and retention, market share, time to market, employee satisfaction, and employee motivation. You’ll move from managing tasks to making strategic moves that matter for your organization.

An Online Platform for Success
200 hours. Seven courses. Like our other Cheetah courses, the PM Master’s Certificate is fast, convenient, and guaranteed. It’s an online program than you can complete from the desktop without leaving the office. It’s efficient for both employees and corporations, and can be completed as early as eighteen months and up to two years.

Special Accelerated Program for Cheetah PMP®s
Did you take Cheetah’s PMP class? If so, we have a program reserved especially for you. It’s an accelerated program for Cheetah PMP®s who want to attain an even higher level of professionalism and take their performance to the next level. Click here, or contact Chris Fleming, Business Development Director, at chris.fleming@cheetahlearning.com or you can call 1-800-246-9106 (from within the U.S.)

Enroll and You Could Be Building a Kayak in Alaska
If you enroll in Cheetah Learning’s PM Master’s Certificate program by September 30, 2005, you could be randomly selected to come to Cheetah’s Alaska Learning Adventures facility where you will build kayaks with a team of people and enjoy all that Alaska offers. Cheetah will randomly select five registered students to come to Alaska in the summer of 2006. It’s a chance to leave your computer behind for a few days and experience Project Management in the awe-inspiring beauty of Alaska. Don’t miss out on this opportunity-- Register today.

Is it time for you to be a master in Project Management? Get skills that you can use immediately and that will give you the speed you need in your career advancement. Click here or contact Chris Fleming, Business Development Director, at chris.fleming@cheetahlearning.com or call 1-800-246-9106 (from within the U.S.).

Cheetah in the Spotlight

Norma Ribich, PMP, Master Trainer
Norma teaches the Cheetah Exam Prep for the PMP. Prior to her experience at Cheetah Learning, she worked in the healthcare and IT sectors, both as a Business Administrator and as a Project Manager. She has managed medical clinics, has been Project Manager for medical management software companies, and worked closely in the managed care and hospital environments. She has also been the Information Services Director for a large 25-location, multi-specialty clinic, and has created Project Management methodologies for software companies’ web development projects where none existed. She is a member of the Association of Professionals in Business Management (APBM) and Project Management Institute (PMI). Norma holds a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Long Beach, and makes her home in Central Oregon.

CN: Are there any special goals you'd like to accomplish in the near future?

NR: Personally, I would like to travel the Orient. This is one part of the world I have not been to and it intrigues me. Professionally, I feel I have reached my goal of having a job that I love.

CN: What are some of the projects you've been working on?

NR: I have been working on the upgrade for the new PMBOK® Guide Third Edition. I am on the upgrade team along with five other trainers, and we have been “heads down” working on the task of updating the Cheetah materials in order to continue to be the leader in PMP® Exam Prep.

Also, I do the Quality Assurance observations for all the U.S. trainers. This provides assurance that we are all teaching the Exam Prep course as it is intended. This contributes to the overall quality and success of the course.

I am also the mentor/coach for all new U.S. trainers. Having a “go to” person as they work their way through the Cheetah certification process is crucial to their success as a trainer. I have been on jobs where it is “baptism by fire” in order to learn your job. Cheetah had the foresight to provide a mentor to the new trainers and, once again, it has proved successful.

CN: When did you get interested in the work you do?

NR: I have been a Project Manager since 1998 and fell into it quite by accident. Previously, I had managed medical clinics for over fifteen years. The software company, whose software was used in the clinics, approached me about coming to work for them as an Account Executive/Project Manager. It has been a love affair ever since. There is a lot of satisfaction to bringing a project to a successful completion.

CN: What is the most challenging part of your job?

NR: Sometimes the travel can be challenging. I can truly say that working with Cheetah Learning has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. If we could just figure out a way to “beam” us to where we needed to go, it would be perfect.

CN: Would you like to improve anything about yourself in your career, or is there anything more you'd like to learn?

NR: There is always more I want to learn. When we stop learning, we stop living. I am always looking for new ways to streamline processes for myself and, in general, learn new skills.

CN: Is there anyone who has been a mentor to you, or someone who has influenced you?

NR: Probably the person who has influenced me the most has been my husband, Frank. He is a counselor/therapist and is certified in Choice Theory/Reality Therapy. He keeps me grounded and I continue to learn from him. I can always count on him to be my voice of reason.

CN: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

NR: Simply put, RETIRED.

CN: What do you do for escape?

NR: Garden, read, listen to music, walk, and believe it or not, travel for leisure.

CN: Of all your accomplishments, what makes you the proudest?

NR: My two children. They are the best!

CN: Is there anything you'd like to be able to do, something you've dreamed of?

NR: Having the guts to paraglide and scuba dive. But I have to work up the nerve first.

CN: What's most important in life?

NR: Family.

Dear Cheetah

Q: In my company, we have no common strategy for getting projects done. A lot of times it seems as if one person is doing one thing, while someone else is doing something completely different. This would be fine, except for the fact that it always seems like we're floundering, with no sense of control or consistency. How can we reach some common ground when it comes to completing our projects?

A: Project Management is the science of getting things done. It’s what every organization and individual needs to do to succeed. The problem In most companies -- and it sounds like your company is one of these -- is that there is no set process for Project Management. According to a February 2003 study by The Center for Business Practices (CBP), the largest Project Management challenge facing companies today is implementing a consistent process.

What happens when there is no common process for getting things done in an organization? From lost time to inconsistency, no process means poor performance.

The signs of poor performance can be many. Some of these signs are:

Lost Time: Teams spend too much time creating and recreating processes.
Duplication: Efforts made within the project can be duplicated.
Lost Knowledge: People do not benefit from the best practices that others have discovered.
Inefficiency: Teams are inefficient because they are using poor processes.
Inconsistency: Teams achieve inconsistent results.

In order to achieve a greater performance with your projects, there are what we call the "3 P's". These are Project, Process, and Performance. A project is any activity within an organization that has a distinct deliverable and a clear beginning and ending. There is an interdependence between processes and projects, because organizations are made up of processes (activities that are performed repeatedly) and projects (events with a distinct beginning and end.) When your projects follow a process, then you achieve greater performance.

As the quality movement showed in the 1990’s, the biggest improvements in operational productivity resulted in addressing process improvement and control of operational processes (both manufacturing and administrative.) According to the Standish Group’s CHAOS Report, which reviewed over 40,000 projects in the last ten years, when there is not a consistent process for performing Project Management in a company, companies waste up to 20 percent of all project dollars spent. Beyond dollars, poor Project Management processes result in schedule delays, lost customers, and can cost organizations a competitive advantage when they are late to market.

The power of Project Management is a competitive tool for your organization that is easy to learn and can be applied with simple web-based and office automation tools. The performance benefits of a uniform, repeatable approach to Project Management are not just for the Global 2000. It’s a realistic achievement for companies of all sizes.

Here are five ways in which Project Management can transform organizations:

Develops Exponential Effectiveness
In most organizations, people work on cross-functional teams to complete projects. For example, a company working to automate their bookkeeping system will have a project team consisting of computer programmers, and specialists in finance, accounting, and computer hardware. When people from different
departments know and understand a common PM process to get their work done, they can start to work together without having to design how they are going to do it. They can have fewer time delays and conflicts because there is a common understanding of how the work will progress, how their work together is interdependent, and how they will measure their success.
Empowers Individuals and Team Leaders with the Skills to Succeed
People inherently want to do the right thing and work effectively with others. When there is a common, simple approach for Project Management, and the correct tools are available throughout the enterprise, people are empowered to effectively reach their goals, together and individually.
Creates Institutional Memory
How smart is your company? Industry standard Project Management practices require a critical project closeout phase that collects lessons learned and gives your organization powerful historical knowledge from across the enterprise. A company that can learn and grow, rather than continually repeat mistakes, will move faster.
Realizes Return on Innovation
An easy-to-use Project Management methodology gives organizations a way to truly put innovation in motion and make implementation a reality. It’s easy for a good idea to get derailed when you struggle to implement the details of the work required to bring your idea to fruition. A comprehensive project plan that supports your objectives makes it achievable for you to move from vision to action.
Turns Information into Insight
When easy-to-use Project Management principles are applied throughout your organization, you have a competitive advantage by turning information into insight. You capture best practices and know what is and isn’t working in your organization. You can also get new products to market faster and use the best information out there -- information based on your customer’s insights.

There are three key variables that impact the success of an enterprise-wide approach to PM:

Focus on Departments Who Will Receive the Most Benefits and Make Best Use of the New Capabilities
They are your internal public relations team because they are living the power of the results.
Create Contagious Commitment
When you show success with early adopters, people will want to understand what you’re doing with Project Management and be a part of the ongoing success.
Give People Tools
A support system that is easy-to-use, with tools that people will use, ensures success that has lasting impact.

To motivate change, it’s best to work with the key levers for change in the organization. Instead of rolling out a large change effort for the entire organization, focus on smaller, high profile improvement activities in the areas where there is a high value from using a standardized project management method. For example, marketing is an area of a company that will receive a high return on investment by adopting a standardized approach to Project Management. People attracted to the marketing field are generally adept at internally promoting their efforts. By getting the people who will spread the word about the effectiveness of the new techniques as early adopters, you increase the chance of your success throughout the organization. Additionally, marketing projects tend to be less complex and produce faster, high-profile results. People want to be part of a successful initiative. When you go after the early wins where there are big payoffs, the rest of the people in the business will jump on board much faster. Nothing sells like success.

Addressing the human elements of an enterprise-wide PM initiative is critical for a successful launch, but for long-term sustainability there has to be a system that supports the staff’s implementation of standardized Project Management practices. A web-based Project Management performance measurement tool can help to easily measure a project manager’s performance. Holding project managers accountable for their performance will create long-term sustainable changes in the way your operation manages projects.

Finally, once you understand why people in various elements of the organization adopt a standard, enterprise approach to Project Management, what their critical success factors are, and how they can achieve them, then you’re ready to implement an enterprise-wide approach to Project Management.

Here is one way to implement an enterprise-wide approach to Project Management in three steps:

Select an enterprise-wide approach to Project Management. Understand your organization, best practices
within your organization, and those available in your industry. Do a guided study on the best way to do Enterprise-wide Project Management in your organization. You can hire a consulting organization or take an online course where you work with your online coach to determine your approach to enterprise-wide Project Management.
Teach the appropriate Project Management techniques to people at all levels of the operation. There are a number of Project Management training companies that offer a wide range of Project Management training courses. Your team can select from a wide array of courses suited to their responsibilities in the operation, their career aspirations, and their innate strengths.
Provide ongoing support and motivation to
use the enterprise Project Management methods. Web-based support tools, such as BOT International PM Process On Demand WebSystem®, lets you access the Project Management tools that work in your operation for effective Project Management. PM Scorecard™ measures a project manager’s performance, because what gets measured gets done. MS Project® and EPM® are easy to use, and help in project scheduling, resource management, and are effective project tracking tools.

We hope this information helps you and your company achieve more consistent and efficient projects. May you transform your projects from poor performance to peak performance!

Have a problem that needs solving? Need some help with your most recent project? Bogged down and burned out?

Let the experts at Cheetah help you get things straight - write us at email@cheetahlearning.com today, and we'll attempt to answer your question by publishing it in a future newsletter.

Featured PMP®

In each issue, Cheetah News features a newly certified PMP® who shares his or her ideas, insight, and experience with potential PMP®s considering certification.

In April of 2002, Richard Schmidt, PMP, took the local Project Management Institute (PMI®) chapter Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam Preparation course, which was taught by individuals from the local PMI® Chapter. The course provided an indepth review of the PMBOK® Guide, as well as testing on each chapter to get familiar with the testing techniques and the chapter material. Richard passed the final exam in the course with a few questions to spare, and realized that he would need to do some independent study if he planned to take the PMP® certification exam within three months. He submitted his project history to PMI®, obtained eligibility to take the certification exam, and subsequently got booked on a project and didn’t follow through.

A few years later, Richard attended the Shell IT4Shell US PM Conference in Houston, a conference sponsored by Shell Information Technology International, Inc., where he is Senior Project Manager. Richard heard a video message from Jeroen van der Veer, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, saying that Project Management was important to Shell’s survival and its achieving world class status. He also heard the new V.P. of IT Project Management, David Kirby, say that significant improvements were needed in project results -- on schedule, on budget, on scope. Richard decided that if he was going to be part of this wave to improve Project Management, his personal professionalism in being a project manager could also stand improvement, and therefore PMP® Certification was no longer an option, but a requirement.

Richard heard about the Cheetah Learning course that was offered in April 2005 at the Pennzoil Building, and spoke to several of the individuals that attended that session. They gave him a run-down on the course and he decided that what he had heard was what he needed.

"Cheetah offers a guarantee that you will pass the PMP® Exam or they will pay to have you attempt to take it twice more," Richard says. "Should you not pass at that point, they will refund the cost of the course. This sounded good to me. From what I understood, Cheetah used a number of techniques to aid the learning process, and I wanted to take advantage of these in being successful in my quest for the PMP® certification."

Richard found that the techniques Cheetah employs, from diet to sleeping to yoga exercises, helped him prepare for and successfully pass the PMP® exam. He also found other practices helpful. "A really cool technique that Cheetah recommends is scoring every one of your practice tests, which helps you predict your scores before getting the official answers," Richard states. "It is based on the concept that on some questions you will absolutely know the answer, on other questions you can narrow it down to two possible answers, and on some questions, you’re clueless. By assigning appropriate probabilities to these three groupings of questions, you can predict your actual score within 5-6 percentage points or will be able to do so by the time you have done it sixteen times during the class."

Richard decided upfront that he would do everything that Cheetah recommended, even though he found that he might initially be uncomfortable in performing some basic yoga, or listening to a tape that has audio frequencies, as well as PMBOK® definitions, that would relax him and help him get to sleep within five minutes. "I’m still waiting to see if at a party someone snaps their fingers and I start to do an imitation of a chicken…or maybe a Cheetah," he says with a grin.

Another thing that became obvious to Richard was that Cheetah Learning recognizes that everyone learns differently. Some are visual, others learn from hearing the material, and yet others need to involve tactile means to reinforce the information into their brain cells. "Cheetah makes use of all these techniques. I think that it works to their advantage to use this approach, and I expect has a lot to do with the high success rates their students experience," says Richard.

At the beginning of the week of the Exam prep class, Richard was very anxious. By Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m., he was confident that he would pass the exam, and so were the Cheetah instructors. Richard took the exam the next morning, and used all of the four hours to take the test, review his answers, and predict his score.

Richard has these words of wisdom for potential PMP®s: "If you are considering taking this course, you need to clear your schedule for the week of the prep course. It is absolutely necessary to go through the PMBOK® Guide before you get to the class, and to do the memory map that they ask you to do before you get to the class. That reduces stress during the evenings when you are at the class. If you want the certification, it is very possible and do-able. Give it your best, and you won’t be disappointed."

Richard Schmidt, PMP, is a Senior Project Manager in Shell Information Technology International's (SITI) Information Technology Infrastructure Projects (ITIP) organization. He is based in Houston, at Shell's Information Center. Richard works on both domestic and global IT Infrastructure projects for Shell. He has been actively involved in Project Management for the last five years.

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Cheetah News is a quarterly newsletter designed to bring you up-to-date information on programs, new Cheetah Learning Centers, PMI® updates, special events, and other pertinent information on Project Management. We hope you find this a valuable resource for information on Project Management. Check back every quarter for news, updates, and tips!

Questions? Suggestions? Hot news tips? Call us at (888) 659-2013 (from within the U.S.) or send us an e-mail message at email@cheetahlearning.com. We’d love to hear from you!

For more information on Cheetah Learning, check out our website at www.cheetahlearning.com.

Cheetah Learning is a PMI® Registered Education Provider.