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Upcoming Classes | Special Events | PDU Corner | Cheetah Around the Globe
New Product Development
The scoop on Cheetah's new product development
Holding onto the tail of the cheetah
Quotes of Note:
"We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success."
-- Henry David Thoreau
Over-scheduled and under-motivated: A team's effort to finish their
projects on time leaves them with over-scheduling and project mayhem. Find
out what the experts have to say in this issue's Dear
Cheetah column.
Highlights
Improve
your market value as a potential PM
Collect Cheetah Points,
get discounts on Cheetah classes
Cheetah named IACET Authorized Provider; can now offer CEUs for training
Cheetah Career Builder for Project Management
Cheetah Alumni Network:
Expand your career success, FAST!
What's
new...and coming your way!
PM Facilitation Techniques for Project Managers
Conflict Resolution Skills for the Rest of Us
Learn While You Burn with Cheetah Workout
Project Accelerator one-day class now available in-house: Learn it in a day –- use if for life!
Cheetah in the Spotlight
Featured
PMP®
And the winner is...
Congratulations to the winner of Cheetah's Enterprise Wide Project
Management contest!
Cheetah Learning would like to congratulate Brian Shiry of Cambridge,
Ontario. He was the Grand Prize Winner in the Cheetah Enterprise Wide
Project Management contest, which was held in February.
Thanks to everyone who entered our February contest. Be sure to enter our
newest contest (below) to win a free online Project Negotiations course worth
$395, and 20 PDUs if you are a PMP®®.
Congratulations, again, Brian!
Enter
to win a FREE
online Project Negotiations class!
Enter today to win a free online Project
Negotiations class -- a $395 value, and 20 PDUs for PMP®s. Click on this link
for contest entry form and rules. The contest will close on Wednesday, May
13th, so be sure to enter today!
Cheetah expands and grows, with new construction in our Windsor, Connecticut facility.
Do you have
your spots yet?
The Cheetah Store has been open for two months now, and the response has been great. All
of Cheetah's items you've seen in our classes and meetings are now available to everyone.
This month's featured item is a PM Process poster, which is the perfect compliment
to the professional jungle out there. Like a good cheetah, they're going fast,
so be sure to get your own poster soon. Visit www.cheetahstore.com to get your
hot little paws on all of the cool cheetah stuff to outfit your pack.
PMI®® currently expects to publish the Third edition of the PMBOK® Guide in October 2004, which includes translations in all official PMI® languages. To ease the conversion from the 2000 edition of the PMBOK® Guide to this newer edition, PMI® Headquarters is making other plans concurrent with this publication, including an update of all PMI® certification examinations in the third quarter 2005.
PMP® Exam Prep
May 10-14: Chicago, IL
May 10-14: Hartford - Windsor, CT
May 10-14: Washington DC - Fairfax, VA
May 10-14: Houston, TX
May 17-21: Raleigh - Morrisville, NC
May 17-21: San Francisco - Burlingame, CA
May 17-21: Phoenix, AZ
May 24-28: Atlanta, GA
May 24-28: Detroit - Farmington Hills, MI
May 24-28: Richmond, VA
May 24-28: Seattle, WA
June 7-11: Los Angeles, El Segundo
June 7-11: Hartford - Windsor, CT
June 7-11: Sacramento, CA
June 7-11: Cleveland - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
June 14-18: Richmond, VA
June 14-18: Dallas - Irving, TX
June 14-18: New York - Secaucus, NJ
June 14-18: Detroit - Farmington Hills, MI
June 21-25: Seattle, WA
June 21-25: San Diego, CA
June 28-July 2: Hartford - Windsor, CT
June 28-July 2: Denver, CO
June 28-July 2: Washington DC - Fairfax, VA
July 12-16: Detroit - Farmington Hills, MI
July 12-16: San Francisco - Burlingame, CA
July 12-16: Seattle, WA
July 12-16: Richmond, VA
July 19-23: Boston - Dedham, MA
July 19-23: Houston, TX
July 19-23: Atlanta, GA
July 19-23: Hartford - Windsor, CT
July 26-30: Washington DC - Fairfax, VA
July 26-30: Chicago, IL
August 2-6: Philadelphia - King of Prussia, PA
August 2-5: Seattle, WA
August 9-13: Hartford - Windsor, CT
August 23-27: Raleigh, Morrisville
August 23-27: Seattle, WA
August 30-September 3: Hartford - Windsor, CT
September 13-17: Seattle, WA
September 20-24: Sacramento, CA
September 20-24: Hartford - Windsor, CT
Project Accelerator
May 7: Seattle, WA
May 14: Chicago, IL
May 14: Houston, TX
June 18: Detroit-Farmington Hills, MI
Conflict Resolution
June 16-18: Hartford - Windsor, CT
July 14-16: Hartford - Windsor, CT
August 18-20: Hartford - Windsor, CT
Facilitation Skills
May 17-18: Cleveland-Cuyahoga Falls, OH
June 10 -11: Seattle, WA
For a complete list of upcoming classes, check
out our website
at
www.cheetahlearning.com.
Down Under
Online exams back on in Auckland, NZ
The re-introduction of online PMP® exams
in Auckland was greeted with much jubilation and open arms. With the only other testing
center in New Zealand being at
Wellington -- a pen-and-paper testing center, no less -- having the ability to
complete the exam online was clearly well-received. Some students were so
excited about the online exam, they traveled to the Auckland-based course
so that they would know immediately whether or not they passed, rather
than having to wait for the results as in the pen-and-paper exam.
Currently, the PMP® exams are
available at the Auckland testing center on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
each week. As the Cheetah Exam Prep for the PMP® course runs over five-days,
negotiations are being made to allow the ProMetric testing center to
accommodate Cheetah students on Fridays, to coincide with the last day of
the course.
To book an exam with the Auckland ProMetric testing center, call the Prometric office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
Ph: +60
3 762 83333.
100% pass rates down under
In February we celebrated yet another 100% pass rate from our Sydney
class. This means that every class held in Sydney has been a 100% pass
rate class. We’re on a roll! Join us for some fun –- and
your PMP® certification. Our next courses begin in April in Singapore, Malaysia,
and Auckland, NZ – so come on down!
One of our students in Sydney writes:
"Thanks for all. Cheetah is the greatest. This system really works..."
-- Fawzan A. Malas
Cheetah
Project Management, Project Accelerator is going down under
That’s
right - Cheetah Project Accelerator one-day class is now offered in New
Zealand, with classes stating in May 2004. To register, visit www.cheetahpm.com. Hurry –- seats are
limited!
May 25: Palmerston, NZ
May 27: Wellington, NZ
May 31: Hamilton, NZ
June 1: Auckland, NZ
Middle East
Appreciating new cultures
Think that things work the same all over the world? We beg to differ. Our experiences in the Middle East have come up with some surprising realities to be managed.
Did you know...
-
...that businesses from outside the Arabian world must have a local partner to sponsor their efforts, or they cannot enter the country?
-
...that the standard workweek in Dubai, UAE (and elsewhere) is Saturday to Wednesday? Yes, Thursday and Friday are days off in Dubai.
-
...that in order to schedule their exam, candidates in the Middle East must telephone a number in the Netherlands, even though there is a local testing center?
-
...that the temperature in June through August will hover at 100-120 degrees?
-
...that the class must break for prayers three times per day, for a half an hour each time?
-
...that in order to do certain stretches, a separate space must be made available for women, with a female to guide the stretches?
Professional Responsibility states that the Project Manager has a responsibility to learn about and understand new cultures. We are enjoying that process quite a bit!
There is also a great interest in the Cheetah program, with calls from individuals wishing to become Cheetah partners since we first showed classes online for Dubai. It just goes to show that Cheetah methods translate into success, no matter where you're from!
Asia
Cheetah expands into Asia
As Cheetah Learning’s reputation for providing relevant, fun, and,
of course, fast-paced Project Management training grows, so do the locations
in which our courses are available.
Two new sites have been established for Singapore and Malaysia. Planning is
well underway for Japan, Hong Kong, and China locations later in 2004.
Please contact Diane Bussey for further information at Diane@cheetahlearning.com
or for online registrations or additional course information follow the
link on our website at www.cheetahlearning.com
Canada
Canadian Instructor Scores a Hat Trick
In March, Cheetah instructor Matthew McBride led a class with a 100% pass rate for the third time in a row, and his feet haven't touched the ground since!
That, in and of itself, is very exciting, but there is more to this success story. Of all the trainers who have been with Cheetah since the beginning of 2003, Matthew was the last to lead a class with a 100% pass rate. Now Matthew joins Cheetah instructors Bob Bradley,
Norma Ribich, and Ken Holley in the honor of teaching a 100% passing class three times in a row.
Most incredibly, Canada has had a 97.7% pass rate since December 1, 2003, with 44 out of 45 people passing on their first try.
Congratulations, Matthew, for joining such a successful group of instructors, and we hope that you and Peter (McBride) keep the track record going up in Canada!
Europe
PMP® class in Prague
Peter McBride, PMP promoted the
PMP® class at the PMI® Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, this April.
100% pass rate in Ireland
Congratulations to Peter McBride on his 100% pass rate in a class he recently held in
Ireland.
Congratulations, too, to all of our newest PMP® grads in Ireland!
Mexico
Spanish version of the
Project Agreement
A new Spanish version of the Project Agreement is now available to
download. To download the Spanish version of the template, go to
www.cheetahpm.com and click on the link for the FREE Project Agreement Template. Once you register to get the free download and receive the e-mail confirmation, the page
to which you are directed has two options -- you can download either the English or the Spanish version.
Courses at Alpha
Consultoria a success
Last March, Alpha Consultoria, Mexico’s Licensee for Cheetah Learning innovative products, held three in-house Cheetah PM (Taller Acelerado de
Proyectos) courses for Scotiabank Inverlat, one of the top banking corporations in Mexico, wholly-owned subsidiary of Scotiabank from Canada.
It all started in December 2003, when Francisco Martha was appointed IT Core Business Director in Scotiabank
Inverlat, after leaving a similar position in another Mexican Bank. He immediately became aware of the urgent necessity to establish a broad culture in Project Management within the area at all levels of the organization, starting with a large group of developers under his direct supervision. After analyzing different
alternatives, Francisco realized that the Cheetah PM course, offered exclusively by Alpha Consultoria in Mexico, would provide the company the instruction that they wanted –-
completely, effectively, and quickly.
The three courses, with a total population of 80 participants, took place and immediately became a total success. The participants were amused with the methodology employed, the fast pace of the course, and the level of learning they acquired. The feedback we
received through the Lessons Learned sheet, distributed at the end of each course,
was positive, as it contained mostly congratulations. Some of the
commentators even stated that this was the best course that they had ever taken in
their professional life!
At this point, both Francisco and the HR executives, who are responsible for the program, are evaluating the possibility to offer the same program to other areas of the bank.
Thanks to everybody in Cheetah and Alpha for the
success!
Roberto Toledo, PMP
Socio Director
Alpha Consultoría
Cuautla 126, Col. Condesa
México DF 06140
T 5553.0353
F 5553.1700
E rtoledo@alpha-hardin.com
W www.alpha-hardin.com
Expo Capacitate in Mexico
City
Expo Capacitate was an expo specifically designed for training companies
in Mexico City. One of the featured speakers, Tony Buzon, was one of the early pioneers of mind map
technology. He had the audience of about 400 people prove that you could use a paper clip for anything, including eating,
space travel, writing, or even a toothpick! Cheetah Learning attended, promoting its Project Management for the Masses one-day seminar in conjunction with Roberto Toledo and his training company. Cheetah Learning
was also promoting its Senior Project Executive Kayak Course in Cancun, and the PMP® exam prep course.
Mexico City is a vibrant city with a growing interest in Project Management. Companies located there are striving to be world players in business, and especially project
management. The old days of the lazy Siesta at 4:00 pm are quickly going the way of the
dinosaur, as the fast paced environment of international business take its place. To be a recognized and viable competitor, companies are understanding the value of Project Management at all levels of the organization.
Special Events
Cheetah Learning sponsored a coffee break session in Prague, Czech Republic, during the week of April 19th. Linda Fitzgerald, President
of Cheetah Exam Prep, Peter McBride, Licensee for Canada and Europe, and Dan
Novotney, Manager of Shipping, handed out Cheetah World Tour T-shirts to about 300 attendees.
Besides the T-shirts, Johanna Lindquist, PMP won a Cheetah bag and the book, "Cheetah Project Management"; Erwin Dreher, PMP won two seats to the theatre to see Les Miserables, and Antoni Lloret Parellida won one seat to see Les Miserables at the Goja Theatre in Prague.
Peter and Linda also met many interested, and hopefully future Cheetah fans from Poland, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Israel, France, England, Ireland, Turkey, Israel, Spain, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Scotland, Morroco, Romania, Sweden, Pakistan, Hungary, and Slovenia.
PDU Corner
Cheetah PDU Know How for PMP®s
Do you know that you have to provide proof of 60 professional development units every
three years, in order to keep your PMP® certification? Click
here to read about how you earn PDUs in Cheetah's free "PDU Know How for
PMP®s."
New Product Development
The
scoop on Cheetah's new product development
Team Cheetah never sleeps – literally. With all of our creative staff around the world, someone somewhere is always
awake, designing new ways of teaching and implementing Project Management.
To best harness the energy of this creative team, we use a new product development process that Michelle
LaBrosse, PMP, developed from her experiences as an Air Force Officer, and later as a research scientist in systems engineering. All
of the new products we create go through an extensive development process to
make sure that our new courses and tools help you succeed in your
projects.
While the new product development process is proprietary, we can certainly
share the high points with you. Every product we develop goes through
four basic phases before it gets released to the public:
- Concept Exploration: Here we assess the viability and the marketing potential of each new product. Since all our programs come with a robust guarantee that you will achieve results, we need to make sure that every new product will do just that.
- Development and Design: In this phase, we try out various delivery and marketing concepts, and experiment with their acceptance in the market.
- Product Launch: We develop the operational systems necessary to support the new product -- and as anyone who has ever participated in one of our courses knows, these programs are definitely intensive events to support!
- Market Launch: This is where we finalize all the marketing processes required to bring the product to market. During this phase, there are always many ideas coming through the front end, and not many actually coming out the back end into production.
If you'd like to participate in the early stages of our new product development process, and/or if you have ideas for courses or products that you'd like to see us develop, become a part of Cheetah's Focus Group. You will be contacted from time to time to test certain products at various stages of development before they go to market. Or you may be called on to provide your opinion about potential new products, marketing campaigns, etc. For your participation, you'll be rewarded with Cheetah Points that you can use toward future Cheetah courses -- (for more about Cheetah Points, see the article in the " Highlights" section of this newsletter).
Contact jen@cheetahlearning.com if you are interested in joining the Cheetah Focus Group.
Holding onto the tail of the
cheetah
As anyone engaged in product development knows, challenges pop up everywhere in the face of new product launches. Sometimes these challenges proliferate into every stage of the game, and can leave you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.
But guess what? You're not alone. Some of Cheetah's expert product developers have experienced specific challenges -- challenges they have had to face head on in order to solve. For each of our new products, new unique and sometimes baffling posers have awakened and incited the problem-solver in Team Cheetah's developers.
Cheetah PM Public course
The Product Cheetah PM is a one-day, highly interactive course to teach project team members how to do projects
fast, as a team.
The Challenge - Hi speed increasing demand
Cheetah PM moved into the production stage at lightening speed when we started to guarantee the result - people who attend improve their project performance immediately by applying the technique on their projects. Because of the results our clients achieved, the program gained momentum as an in-house course taught at client locations. The product development team needed more resources to support the increasing demand. Considering that our trainers have to go through a rigorous certification process to teach this course, it took some time to get the staff up to speed to meet the demand.
Sound familiar? Bring in help
The Product owner realized that she couldn't possibly do it all and needed to ask others for help. When this took off like a cheetah, other members of Team Cheetah took over some of her additional duties and the operational support of the course so that she could focus on certifying new trainers.
Cheetah Workout
Cheetah Workout is a program where people learn innovative business know-how while working out
-- and earning continuing education units (CEUs). The course is in the concept exploration phase, meaning that we are exploring numerous ideas on how to deliver and market this.
The Challenge - New Team Members with Different Ideas
While conceptualizing Cheetah Workout, the product development team ran into trouble when new people jumped onto the team after we had already created a project agreement. The new team members didn't have the same concept of what we were pursuing as the initial project
team did. This caused problems because they were no longer working on the same page as the rest of the team.
Sound familiar? Become part of the solution
Since we essentially had a new project team with new and sometimes better ideas, we went back to square one and revisited the project agreement. We
re-did the project agreement and re-launched the concept exploration project with broader goals before committing to a course of action prematurely.
Cheetahstore.com
Cheetahstore.com is the online store where people can purchase their "spots." It is the online distribution channel where our customers can purchase our logo products and Project Management tools. The challenges listed below were in the product development stage.
The Challenge - Not enough details in the
WBS and opposing goals of the team
members
When first given the task of managing Cheetahstore.com, the members of the product development team had no prior experience in running a retail operation and initially just saw this as another online order capture system that involved a distribution component. The product owner who originally was in charge of purchasing, shipping, and distribution to support our courses was a little overwhelmed, as he tried to determine what items should be included in the product line, how to get images of the items, and at what prices the items should be sold. In speaking with others with experience in this arena, the developer determined how to better attack the project.
The scope and procurement stages of the project proved to be the most difficult areas to manage. The scope was challenging, in that it was important to make sure all the products fit the Cheetah image. The web developer didn't want to include too much, but the purchasing agent didn’t want a site that looked too empty. Getting a fine balance between the two proved to be fairly difficult.
The procurement stage was the second hardest stage to work through. The difficulties here were due to organizing meetings with a virtual team, getting samples, gathering bids, reviewing bids, and then obtaining authorization to get the needed materials.
Sound familiar? With inexperienced team members, figure in more time (and money) for mistakes and
redirects
The solution here was to step up the project status meetings, as the key members of this project team had a low risk tolerance for this project because of lack of experience. When the project was two months over due, the project team started communicating in a more structured format every other day. If project team members don’t have the experience with a specific project they are starting, the PERT estimates need to be far more conservative as do the budgets for doing the project work.
Cheetah's Conflict Resolution Course
Cheetah Conflict Resolution is a two-day program for people who work on project teams to develop the skills to minimize conflict and to use conflict when it does arise to actually improve project team performance.
The Challenge - Word of Mouth Advertising Twists Product’s Main Features
As a growing and ever-evolving company, Cheetah continually learns more and more about our market and customer needs.
By word of mouth, it was understood that people learned conflict resolution skills at our Cheetah PM course.
This was true, but it was an incidental by-product of using our Cheetah Project Management technique. People started showing up at the Cheetah PM course expecting (from the word of mouth) that they were participating in a conflict resolution course. We researched the conflict resolution skills and techniques most effective for project teams and developed a conflict resolution course that uses Cheetah PM techniques.
Sound familiar? Adapt to your customers’ needs
We had a product development team in concept exploration on a course for project team building, when the Cheetah PM team started seeing
the issue of word of mouth marketing, which directed people to a course that didn’t specifically cover conflict resolution. The product development team went back to the drawing board and adapted their course to the needs of our customers. The Project Management process for products in concept exploration allows for this type of redirect,
while still being within the scope of the project.
PM Scorecard
Project Management (PM) Scorecards is a web-based tool to measure Project Management performance in three core areas – meeting business performance objectives, meeting project performance objectives, and meeting project team performance. All the constituents on a project provide input on these three areas with surveys customized for their roles. The project manager can survey all the project constituents up to three times per project to assess performance and make mid-course corrections in their Project Management techniques where needed. The project manager receives a one page summary report called the PM Scorecard each time they survey their constituents. It is a 360 degree feedback tool for the project manager.
The Challenge – Keep highly creative people focused
One challenge that was faced well into the product development effort for Cheetah's PM Scorecards was project/product complexity. As with many new and unique products, software and system developers could think of many ways to improve the product, even as they developed to the defined scope of the project. It was tempting to try to incorporate all of the great ideas that came up during brainstorming sessions within the project team.
Sound familiar? Don’t let Scope Creep creep up on you
To fight "scope creep" and preserve sanity all around, software and system developers kept a very open dialogue and a list of possible improvements. They were able to give feedback on the merits of implementing some of the ideas immediately, which avoided potential re-work later. And in some cases, ideas were shelved until the next version release.
This is a compilation of testimonies from various Cheetah developers, who share their experiences in developing new and innovative products for Cheetah Learning.
Highlights
Improve your market value as a potential PM
How do you market yourself when trying to land a consulting gig? Do you
pontificate profusely about your accomplishments and performance, only to
balk when asked to back up your assertions with facts? Do you rely heavily
and exclusively on previous clients for references?
Well,
stop the madness and give yourself a boost. An answer to your
self-marketing malaise does exist. Project Assurance Technologies (PAT),
one of Cheetah's Project Management services, now offers a unique product
called PM Scorecards, which provides you with an objective proof of your
skill. When combined with a PMP® certification, a series of positive PM
Scorecards makes you a highly marketable commodity, without all the excess
pomp and circumstance.
What is a PM Scorecard?
A PM Scorecard is a web-based utility that takes the best practices of Project Management and applies them to a 360 degree type review. Once you have purchased a PM Scorecard license, just follow the short set-up procedure and we'll do the rest.
You supply the names and e-mail addresses of project participants - the executive sponsor, stakeholders, steering committee members, customers, and team members. A comprehensive evaluation survey is sent to the participants, including yourself, which takes about 8-10 minutes to complete online.
A personal web page will enable you to keep track of participation in the survey. When you kick off the report, all the survey data we've received will be tabulated and returned back as a PM Scorecard report. As part of your purchase we'll send the report to you, and others, if you wish.
PM Scorecards are offered as a subscription -- an individual subscription allows you to evaluate Project Management performance for up to ten projects per year. We'll send your scores to as many clients, agency representatives, etc., as you wish. Each project can be scored up to three times, so you have the opportunity to get objective, concise feedback about how your Project Management performance looks at different stages of the project. The feedback you receive early on in project lifecycle lets you apply corrective actions and improve project performance.
Think of your series of PM Scorecards as your personal Dun and Bradstreet profile for your Project Management capability. No more relying on previous employers for endorsements. No more trying to excessively promote yourself to unrealistic and disproportionate standards. Referencing PM Scorecards in an interview demonstrates self confidence in your Project Management skills, as well as an understanding of the importance of measuring performance.
Let your performance speak for itself, and you'll have a greater voice in the marketplace.
For a comprehensive overview of the PM Scorecard visit www.pmscorecard.com. Have questions? Want to pre-order your subscription? Contact
service@pmscorecard.com or call 866-500-0203.
Stay tuned to Cheetah News and www.pmscorecard.com. In the coming months, you'll discover specific ways to manage your projects to success, improve your Project Management performance, and help you score as a project manager!
Collect
Cheetah
Points, get discounts on Cheetah classes
You read about them in the last newsletter -- now they're here. Cheetah Learning's new referral and customer appreciation program, Cheetah Points, has gone live.
Start earning Cheetah Points today! It's easy:
-
Fill out a Course Evaluation Form after you complete a course
-
Refer friends/colleagues to Cheetah classes
-
Participate in Cheetah research initiatives
Each Cheetah Point is worth $1.00 and there's no limit as to how many Cheetah Points you can earn. The more points you earn, the greater your discount on future Cheetah courses. We keep track of your Cheetah Points in our system, and when you register for a course, you will have the opportunity to redeem your
Cheetah Points. If you have enough points stored up, you may even get to take a course for free!
Visit www.cheetahlearning.com for additional information about Cheetah Learning's Cheetah Points program, or contact
jen@cheetahlearning.com.
PMP®
success stories wanted
Attention all Cheetah PMP® graduates!
We're currently putting together a book called Cheetah Success Stories, and are looking for Cheetah PMP® graduates with amazing stories to tell. Did you make physical or financial sacrifices, juggle your work and/or family obligations, or overcome personal catastrophes in order to obtain your PMP® certification?
We'd also like to know how your effort has benefited you in your personal and professional life, and what you may have learned in the Cheetah Accelerator Course for the PMP® that will benefit you within your life.
If you'd like to participate, please contact Linda@cheetahlearning.com, and put "Cheetah Success Stories" in the Subject Line of your email. Please provide us with the following information:
-
Your name
-
Your e-mail address
-
Your mailing address
-
The year you took the Cheetah Accelerator Course for the PMP®
-
The course location
-
Your instructor's name
We will only print stories that can be verified. All potential contributors will be sent a follow-up questionnaire to help develop their story.
We look forward to reading your own unique success story!
Cheetah named IACET
Authorized Provider; can now offer CEUs for training
We are pleased to announce that Cheetah Learning has been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training
(IACET). Cheetah Learning is now authorized to offer IACET Continuing Education Units
(CEUs) for all current training programs that meet the IACET criteria, as well as any programs created during the next five years which meet the IACET criteria.
Cheetah Learning completed an extensive application, was reviewed by an IACET site visitor, and successfully demonstrated adherence to all IACET criteria and guidelines. Cheetah Learning agreed to comply with the IACET criteria and standards, and will use the IACET name and logo on course promotional materials to designate those courses meeting IACET’s criteria.
Cheetah Learning is now linked to the IACET web site and is recognized as offering the highest quality continuing education and training programs
For additional information or questions, please contact
lansky@cheetahlearning.com.
Cheetah Career Builder
for Project Management
Cheetah
Learning delivers Project Management Training Programs for people at all
levels in an organization and at all Project Management skill
levels. All our programs are delivered with a results
guarantee. If you don’t achieve the results we guarantee, we
refund your money. Click
here to access a PDF file of our Cheetah Career Builder Summary Table
Color Coding: Level of PM Knowledge and Skills Needed for Organizational Responsibilities
|
Basic |
PMP®® | Executive Liaison | Executive |
|
Cheetah Course |
Audience |
Learn How To… |
Results Guarantee |
|
Cheetah PM Project Accelerator 1 day onsite
|
Project Team Members |
...align the project team to accelerate projects. |
Apply techniques immediately and consistently to improve project team performance. |
|
2 days onsite
|
Project Team Members and Project Managers |
...reduce conflict and improve team performance. |
Apply the techniques immediately and consistently to reduce conflict and improve project team performance. |
|
1 to 2 years, courses online, hands-on and practical
|
Project team members ready to move into Project Management |
...be a project manager and lead projects. |
Lead projects. |
|
4 days onsite |
Project Managers with five to seven years of experience who are eligible to become a PMP®® |
...pass the PMP®® exam after four days of prep. |
Pass the PMP®® Exam. |
|
2 days onsite |
Experienced Project Managers |
...lead effective project team meetings, project launches, and project disaster recovery. |
Apply techniques immediately and consistently to improve project team meetings. Be able to launch projects and realign projects out of alignment. |
|
Practical and hands-on activities to learn advanced PM concepts through applications |
PMP®s® |
...improve Project Management skills and earn PDUs to maintain PMP®® certification. |
Apply concepts immediately to achieve improvement objectives. |
|
Senior Project Executive Certificate Onsite and Online 1 to 2 years |
PMP®s® |
...be an executive guiding the portfolio management of projects. |
Qualify to direct strategic decisions influencing projects for which a company should pursue. |
|
1 day onsite |
Senior Executives |
...make sound decisions on how to improve business performance through the correct selection of the project mix and the proper execution of projects. |
Apply the Strategic Project Portfolio decision making process to select the right projects to meet the company’s strategic objectives. |
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Cheetah
Alumni Network: Expand your career success, FAST!
The Cheetah Alumni Network allows alumnus from Cheetah Learning courses to:
- Help each other with PM situations that come up at work
- Share new PM techniques and resources
- Network for career opportunities
The Cheetah staff also share new concepts
that they find useful in both Project Management and accelerated learning. Additionally,
Cheetah has affiliations with job placement agencies specializing in PMP®® job placement, and
Cheetah makes these opportunities available through the Cheetah Alumni Network discussion forum.
It's always a good time to network -- even if you have a fantastic job. In today's environment, it's not
if you lose that great PM job, it's when. Developing a strong network is the best long term strategy for staying gainfully employed.
How it works
The Cheetah Alumni Network lets alumnus connect with each other through an invitation
only discussion forum. To join the discussion forum, you can send an
e-mail message to Ray Strano.
As this network is exclusively for Cheetah
alumni, let Ray know the date, location and instructor for your course.
Since networking has to stimulate the free exchange of information, you
should be open to being helpful without expecting remuneration for every lead or tip, and
you should be interested in pursuing opportunities together with other
alums. You won't be working for free, of course, but if you have
information, resources, or connections that can help someone, it helps to be willing to share it with
him or her. The rewards of this approach are immense, as the connection
between two people who can help each other out creates a reciprocal
relationship. This is the "pay it forward" concept on the professional development level, and can quickly expand your career success.
Cheetah runs networking events around the country where the Cheetah Networking technique
is used to help people quickly connect. These are free to people in our Alumni Network. Register by signing into your student login and follow the link to the PM Networking event.
Professional development opportunities
Cheetah has associations with companies specializing in placing PMP®s® in Project Management positions. These companies offer resume development services for Cheetah
PMP®s® and give them preferential consideration in job placements. When opportunities arise with their customers, they alert
Cheetah's alumni network first. With the Cheetah Alumni network,
companies have a better chance of getting candidates who have learned how to learn fast, recognize the true value of their time, have demonstrated an ability to make good business decisions by getting their
PMP®® in a week, and continue their professional development through the Cheetah Alumni Network.
To become a member of the Cheetah Alumni Network discussion forum, and to access this
service, please contact Ray Strano.
What's
new...and coming your way!
PM
Facilitation Techniques for Project Managers
Learn and practice facilitation techniques to effectively lead project teams!
This is a hands-on course, where you develop your skills as a facilitator through numerous hands-on activities and simulations.
You can also bring one of your most pressing Project Management challenges to class to learn how to use these techniques to facilitate a solution with your project team. It is a welcome addition, but not required.
In this course, you'll learn how to:
-
Run effective team meetings
-
Successfully launch a project in a one day meeting
-
Facilitate project disaster recovery sessions
You'll also learn techniques that enable your project team to:
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Fully contribute
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Buy into the work required to complete the project objectives
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Identify and prioritize project requirements
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Establish the constraints
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Understand the business case of the project
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Develop a risk management strategy
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Identify and use best practices to create the project deliverables
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Define key project milestones
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Co-create the schedule based on deliverable dependencies
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Establish the costs and tradeoffs of the project budget
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Take accountability for their responsibilities on the project
We Guarantee Results!
After taking this course, you'll be able to successfully facilitate project team meetings, project launch events, and project disaster recovery sessions. If you are not successful with these techniques, you can take the course again at no cost. If after repeating the course, and with three attempts at using these techniques, you are still not effective, we will completely refund your course fee. The facilitation techniques we teach work for most people, and we request that our students make a genuine attempt at using them before requesting a refund.
Program Details
We teach this course onsite. Class size is limited to twenty people, to ensure maximum interaction.
Currently, the class is scheduled for the following public sessions:
May 17 -18: Cleveland-Cuyahoga Falls, OH
June 10-11: Seattle, Washington
This course is also perfect as an in-house program. If you have a group who could benefit from this course, please email
barb@cheetahlearning.com.
Credits - 16 PDUs; 1.6 CEUs
Cost - $1350
Register at www.cheetahpm.com.
Conflict
resolution skills for the rest of us
Provide your team members with the tools and the skills they need to minimize conflict, and efficiently and effectively handle
the conflict that does arise.
This course is for ordinary people - you don't need to be a psychologist or an aspiring therapist to learn these techniques. Conflict is the leading reason people
who work together don't perform as well as they should or could. In this
course, you experience how to reduce conflict and lead a team to reach a significant accomplishment in a short period of time. You'll learn
the key sources of conflict, and how to structure team interactions to eliminate the sources of conflict.
You'll also learn techniques that turn conflict into cash -- that is, to use conflict that does arise as an opportunity to improve team performance.
We use the concepts of Choice Theory so that you experience the effects of different choices and responses you can make
on situations you encounter during the simulation.
In this class, you'll:
- Learn common sources of conflict, and how to structure teams and team events to eliminate the sources of conflict.
- Develop internal feedback mechanisms to choose reactions to situations in order to prevent conflict or resolve contentious situations.
- Establish methods to diffuse contentious situations in teams.
- Experience how these techniques can eliminate conflict and leverage conflict that does occur for the mutual gain of all parties.
We Guarantee Results!
After taking this course, you'll be able to successfully contribute to the development of a team to eliminate the most common causes of conflict. You'll be able to consciously choose your response to situations, and
to diffuse contentious situations that arise. If you are not successful with these techniques, you can take the course again at no cost. If after repeating the course, and
with three attempts at using these techniques, you still are not effective, we will completely refund your course fee.
The conflict resolution techniques we teach work for most people, and we request
that our students make a genuine attempt at using them before requesting a refund.
Program Details
We teach this course in two days, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., onsite. We need approximately 200 square feet (10 feet by 20 feet) per four people to complete the simulation. Class size is limited by the size of space
that is available in order to run the class. In our own training facilities, we limit class size to
twelve people.
The class is scheduled for:
June 16-18: Hartford - Windsor, CT
July 14-16: Hartford - Windsor, CT
August 18-20: Hartford - Windsor, CT
We will also bring this class to your location if you can provide us with a group of students and a room that meets our requirements as stated above. Contact
jean@cheetahlearning.com for information.
Credit - 20 PDUs; 2.0 CEUs
Cost - $1350
Learn while
you burn with Cheetah Workout
Are you tired of your current exercise routine? Or maybe you aren't exercising because you haven't found something that motivates you enough to exercise regularly? Too busy to spend a lot of time at the gym? Do you need to earn CEUs or
PDUs?
If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then you should check out Cheetah Workout.
Cheetah Workout is a thirty minute innovative exercise program designed for busy men and women of all skill levels, to improve both body and mind. It is designed so that while you are working out, you are learning valuable information. Not only are you burning calories, improving your overall mood, and strengthening your body and mind simultaneously, but with Cheetah Workout you can earn Continuing Education Units
(CEUs) or Professional Development Units (PDUs) while you work out! How great is that? If all this doesn't motivate you to maintain your exercise routine, we don't know what will!
Cheetah Workout will make its debut in our Windsor, Connecticut Cheetah Learning Training Center-- with plans to open up other workout sites in locations across the country during 2004.
More information to follow this month. If you are interested in Cheetah Workout, or have questions, please contact
christine@cheetahlearning.com.
Project
Accelerator one-day class now available in-house: Learn it in a day -- use
if for life!
Interested in reducing your travel and your training budget? Don't look now -- here's Cheetah to the rescue! We're now scheduling in-house Cheetah Project Management Project Accelerator one-day classes to meet your Project Management training needs. We'll show up at your door with all the training materials needed for the day, and leave you with the tools and a team-based Project Management methodology that you can use the very next day.
As with all of our courses, we guarantee results. We guarantee that
when you attend the course and use the techniques learned at least three times within
two weeks of the course completion, you will see improved project performance.
If your project performance does not improve, we'll refund the price you paid for the course.
Please contact barb@cheetahlearning.com for inquiries and scheduling.
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Terrie Forte - Vice President of Business Development
Terrie is the Vice President of Business Development for Cheetah Learning. She is a graduate of Pace
University in New York City with a BBA in Marketing, and a graduate of the
University of New Haven with an MBA. Terrie holds over twenty years of experience in sales, management, and training in publishing and advertising.
CL: Are there any special goals you'd like to accomplish in the near future?
TF: Professionally, I would like to become PMP® certified.
Personally, I would like to start exercising more, which I will be able to do with our new
Cheetah workout facility.
CN: Are there any new realms explored by Business Development today, anything that you want to elaborate on?
TF: We do an outstanding job at customer
service -- it's the bench mark in our industry. It's the service that makes the sale. We'll continue to focus on meeting customer needs.
Ultimately my goal in Business Development is simple: to call on all of the bad habits I have been
exposed to over the last twenty years in other organizations, and to not repeat them.
CN: What are some of the projects you've been working on?
TF: I very recently have been given the task of managing the
Business Development department. My immediate goal
is to bring a sense of team to the department, to continue our strong hold in the area of customer service,
and to continue to find opportunities for revenue growth at Cheetah Learning.
CN: When did you get interested in the work you do?
TF: I am a third generation salesperson, so I believe it was predetermined.
When I was six years old, I sold greeting cards door-to-door in my neighborhood.
My first sale was to a very nice lady who just couldn't say no. She also couldn't pay for
her order. I learned a great lesson in customer qualification that I carry with me today.
It's not a sale until the credit card clears.
It's also very satisfying to sell in an educational environment. It's very gratifying as a salesperson to have a
customer take the time to call or e-mail and say "thank you, you helped me achieve my goal."
CN: What is the most challenging part of your job?
TF: Keeping everyone
happy.
CN: Would you like to improve anything about yourself in your career, or is there anything more you'd like to learn?
TF: I believe I have a lot to learn, and I take every opportunity as a learning adventure.
CN: Is there anyone who has been a mentor to you, or someone who has influenced you?
TF: Over the years I have been fortunate to meet some very inspirational people in business. I have to
include Michelle LaBrosse in that group. She empowers her people to be the best
they can be, and she stresses the importance of self motivation. (Michelle, does this earn me another $20?)
CN: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
TF: I hope to continue to live a healthy and happy life.
CN: What do you do for escape?
TF: Travel. I recently returned from a trip to beautiful Italy. I also enjoy tennis and basketball
as a spectator, and have recently acquired a passion for the bicycling
life.
CN: Of all your accomplishments, what makes you the proudest?
TF: Three things come to
mind. I paid my own way through college, and as an adult I earned my MBA while working full-time. Also,
and most importantly, I have a wonderful relationship with my partner.
CN: Is there anything you'd like to be able to do, something you've dreamed of?
TF: I would love to be able to put my thoughts to paper and write a book, and ultimately a screenplay.
CN: What's most important in life?
TF: Health,
happiness, a wonderful woman named Jeanine, and a crazy little cat named Sassy.
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Q: Our project team
always seems to come so close to the wire, and towards the end we scramble
to get things done. We've recently had a lot of late nights with our
latest project. Due to this over-scheduling, the projects seem to suffer
in the end because no one seems to do their work very well. How can we
better take care of our over-scheduling problem?
A: Okay, sure. People are capable of doing the occasional
marathon week to complete a project. If this becomes routine, however,
they will find ways to get out of work responsibilities during the work
day.
We all need to take care of our basic living needs, such as a dentist appointment, home care, and grocery shopping. We also have a need for socialization, connection with family, and time to relax and unwind.
If people are overscheduled because of project work, they will create ways to take care of their responsibilities while they are doing their project work -- thereby multitasking and becoming less efficient. The next thing that happens is they get further behind, necessitating more over-scheduling. It is best to prevent this from happening by having the team members create a schedule that they can do in a normal work week. If things get in a crunch, you should not require people to work more than one extended work week at a time. This keeps the project moving along. If extended hours become necessary, it is better if team members take turns during the crunch.
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.
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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.
Ray Supan, PMP began his Project Management experience within the banking sector, and then moved to the telecommunications industry six years ago. Since then, he has been assigned to projects that involve developing a network infrastructure for the Internet in Australia and the Asian region.In his experience, Ray had found that clients often prefer to deal with certified accountants, licensed medical practitioners, and registered lawyers. He concluded that similarly, clients would likely be more inclined to want to work with a certified project manager, and, therefore decided to embark upon his journey towards PMP® certification.
In Australia, the RegPM accreditation is offered by the Australian Institute of Project Management. Ray chose to obtain accreditation through PMI®, however, which would grant him an international accreditation so that his professional skills would be recognized anywhere in the world.
In his own words, Ray was attracted by Cheetah's approach to the PMP® accreditation because of Cheetah's "guarantee, guarantee, guarantee. Before I attended the Cheetah course, I was not sure how they could guarantee a passing mark in four days. It was funny, because on the first day Linda and Diane (the course instructors) told us that by the end of the course we would be confident of passing the exam. I said to myself, ‘Fat Chance!’. On the last day, I was not confident; I was over-confident!"
A year before he enrolled in Cheetah's course, Ray had bought Rita Mulcahy’s book in preparation for the PMP® exam. He soon found that his personal circumstances did not allow him to focus on preparing for the exam without external assistance. Due to projects in the works, Ray discovered that it was impossible to find the time to study, which is precisely why he found the methods used in Cheetah's PMP® Exam course to be so advantageous.
"Cheetah’s technique of simulating the examination environment during those four days was the prime factor that helped me most in passing the exam," Ray avers. "Admittedly, this is a simplification of a holistic approach that the program offers to students. There were so many little tips that hardly add value in themselves, but when they are put together, out comes one of the most innovative courses I have ever attended in Project Management. Before I attended the course, I read in the Cheetah brochure that students actually look forward to the exam. I thought that was a marketing ploy, until I experienced the same feeling on the fourth day."
Ray offers the following advice to those thinking about getting PMP® certified. "You can do the hard slog and study yourself," he says. "Or you can buy a book just like I did before I attended the course, and still pass the exam. However, if you value ‘learning-how-to-learn’ and want to apply down-to-earth principles on how to acquire knowledge in a seamless environment, then this course is for you. The value of the course does not stop after you pass the exam. You will find that you'll be applying the Cheetah techniques in aspects of both your personal life and your business life as a project manager."
Ray Supan, PMP lives just outside of Sydney, Australia, and is currently in the Telecommunications profession. His
most recent project involves digital media, and building networks for digital television.