Training in Context

Organizations have a need to keep skills in alignment with work processes. They must also develop their staff to work effectively with the people and processes that are essential to project success.

There is a need to train, especially in the context of project management, process management, and a technical environment. It is essential to have instructors with deep industry background and broad training experience. BlackBox delivers training programs to hundreds of learners in dozens of organizations each year and uses instructors with broad industry knowledge and diverse experience.

All training tasks require a strong model for understanding human interactions and development. BlackBox is a Registered Education Provider with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and offers courses that are aligned with PMI methodology and processes. For people and communications classes, BlackBox draws upon the research and paradigms of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) in framing facilitated sessions and coaching relationships that leverage the natural strengths of the participants.

Training should be aligned with the work, processes, and templates of the host organization. BlackBox spends the time to meet students in their local industry context, using examples from the work of the participants. We draw the local context of the learner into the processes and paradigms of the PMI in order to create an actionable result from our training classes.

Oil & Gas Training Speciality

BlackBox specializes in training for the Oil & Gas Industry. Though there is a great need for project management training in the oil & gas industry, most project management classes are wrapped around government and Information Technology (IT) examples and cases. For example, most project management curricula do not include a section on Health, Safety, & Environment (HSE). Nor do standard programs teach or emphasize the need for accuracy in estimation at the “Tender” stage of the development of an oilfield; although the project team will live with estimations made during Tender for years. BlackBox's offers classes to the Oil & Gas Industry that use industry-specific examples of drilling projects and the risks associated with drilling.

Off-The-Shelf Training

BlackBox offers both off-the-shelf and customized course development. Off-the-shelf training offered:

• Executive Overview of Project Management (PMI – REP course)
This one-day course was developed at the specific request of a client who expressed the need for executives to become familiar with the language and goals of a project management initiative, but did not believe the executives would be happy in a 3-day class. This class teaches just the background, processes, and artifacts that should be produced in a well-run project in a workshop environment where the executives assess their own organization's project management maturity and adherence with best practices.

• Introduction to Project Management (PMI – REP course)
Course covers PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) processes and tools: initiation, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing projects with exercises and case studies for practical application. Click here for a pdf Fact Sheet on the Intro to Project Management course, and click here for a pdf Course Prospectus.

• Advanced Risk Management (PMI – REP Course)
Course covers PMI’s six-step risk management methodology and tools for identifying, analyzing, prioritizing, and planning responses to project risks with exercises and case studies.

• Advanced Time & Cost (Project Control) (PMI – REP Course)
Course covers PMI’s processes and tools for managing time and cost on a project, including defining, sequencing, estimating, scheduling, budgeting, and controlling project tasks.

• Writing Statements of Work and Performance Work Statements (PMI - REP Course)
Course covers basic contracting rules, technical writing, and application of communication skills to assist organizations in creating or responding to work processes in requests for proposal. Click here for a pdf Printable Course Description and Flyer.

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Training (MBTI®) Courses or course modules provide a general introduction to the MBTI®, personal type verification, and practical business models that can improve work processes.

• PMP Exam Preparation Boot-Camp ((PMI – REP Course)
This five-day course is takes a student through a rigorous overview of principles of the PMBOK® Guide in order to prepare for the PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP) Examination. This class is organized with the same layout as the PMBOK® Guide, following the ten project management knowledge areas with additional material on professional responsibilities and test-taking tips and practices. The PMBOK® Guide processes that are associated with each of the ten knowledge areas are described along with, for each process, the Inputs, Tools & Techniques and Outputs to each step. This class is recommended for those taking the PMP exam within a month of completion of the class and will provide the required 35 PDUs needed to sit for the exam.

• CAPM Exam Boot Camp ((PMI – REP Course)
This three-day course is takes a student through a detailed but compressed overview of principles of the PMBOK® Guide in order to prepare for the PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Examination. This class is organized with the same layout as the PMBOK® Guide, following the ten project management knowledge areas with additional material on professional responsibilities and test-taking tips and practices. The PMBOK® Guide processes that are associated with each of the ten knowledge areas are described along with, for each process, the Inputs, Tools & Techniques and Outputs to each step. This class is recommended for those taking the CAPM exam within a month of completion of the class and will provide the requisite 23 PDUs needed to sit for the exam.

• Introduction to Microsoft Project (PMI – REP Course)
This course is a one-day introduction to Microsoft Project 2010. It is designed for learners who have had a significant need for structured planning of scope, resources, time, and cost in a project environment.

• Applied Microsoft Project (AMSP) ((PMI – REP Course)
This three-day course provides a comprehensive overview of Microsoft Project. It is designed for learners who have had a significant need for structured planning of scope, resources, time, and cost in a project environment. AMSP introduces students to the MS Project environment, navigation and option setting within that environment. The class also deepens understandings of the establishment of scope elements in a Work Breakdown Structure arrangement, time constraints, resources of varying types, and the elements of cost on a project. This is a hands-on course using student laptops with MS Project - the instructor will demonstrate techniques being taught and then assist the students as they practice the techniques. The students prove and deepen their skills with a comprehensive case study that is followed from scope development to execution tracking.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel (AMSE) ((PMI – REP Course)
This one-day course is an advanced introduction to the functionality of Microsoft Excel. It is designed for learners who have had a significant need for structured planning of scope, resources, time, and cost in a project environment. The class is designed for students who are familiar with Excel but haven't performed all of the advanced functions of the application - logical functions, pivot tables, and advanced text functions, formatting functions, and formulas. The class is framed in project management terms but accessible to all students familiar with Excel. This is a hands-on course using student laptops with MS Excel.

• Executive Overview of Agile Methods (EOAM) (PMI – REP Course approval pending)
This half-day course provides an Executive Overview of Agile Methods of project management and is ideal for executives and managers who are considering implementing Agile methodologies in their projects but who need an introduction to the basic terminologies. This course reviews the most popular variants of Agile (Scrum, Lean and Kanban), discusses implementation techniques and barriers to entry that organizations typically face when implementing iterative techniques.

• Introduction to Agile Methods (IAM) (PMI – REP Course approval pending)
This two-day course introduces the Agile philosophy behind managing projects. The Agile philosophy is a significant departure from "predictive" methodologies, such as waterfall to "non-predictive" (or "adaptive") approaches. Agile methods focus on the continuous delivery of business value and the elimination of non-value contributing activities. The ability for organizations and businesses to quickly respond and adapt to today's dynamic world is a critical success factor for survival. Most important, Agile isn't a set of tools or even a methodology…. it's a mindset. This course expands on all the topics covered in the Executive Overview course, incorporates individual and group exercises and takes students through a mock Agile project to understand the typical flow of Agile projects.

• Agile Business Intelligence (ABI) (PMI – REP Course approval pending)
This two-day course performs a deep-dive into Agile methodology and then marries it to the challenges faced in modern Business Intelligence implementations. The challenges of meeting a growing demand by stakeholders for the ability to harvest information, gain insight, and share knowledge in support of pro-active decision-making grows ever more important as data volume and complexity grow in our dynamic environment. This, coupled with a dramatic evolution of business intelligence and sophisticated analytics, will continue to drive user expectations of "anywhere, anytime, anyway" on-demand intuitive access. The very nature of BI requires an adaptable approach to these constantly emerging and evolving business demands. The application of Agile methodologies to Business Intelligence initiatives is a critical success factor to meeting these stakeholders' expectations.

Other Training Expertise

In addition to our custom courses, Blackbox Partners has training expertise in a wide variety of topics related to Federal Contracting and Project Management. A list of these topics include:
• Managing Projects in a Government Environment
• Managing Projects for IT Professionals
• Managing Projects for Contracting Professionals
• Source Selection: the Best Value Process
• Project Management Professional Certification Test Preparation
• Facilitation in Organizational Objective-setting
• Writing Performance Work Statements
• Schedule and Cost Control
• Task Order Contracting
• Project Control (Oil & Gas focus)
• Special Risk Workshop
• Cost Estimate & Control
• Performance Based Acquisition
• Contract Cost Analysis
• Leading Federal PMs
• Earned Value Management (EVMS)
• FAC-P/PM Level 3 Capstone

Custom Course Development

Customized Course development offered:

• All courses can be customized to meet the specific needs of the client or use client templates and process language to ensure better integration of learning with participant workplaces.

• BlackBox has developed one-, three-, and five-day specialized courses for clients covering project management, risk management, and time and cost control. During their development these courses are integrated with the client’s leadership models and firm-specific language, templates, and processes.

Selected Customers

A selected Customer list includes, by Sector:

• Federal Civilian Agencies: VA (Veterans Health Administration and other agencies), DoI (park Service and other agencies), Treasury (Bureau of Public Debt), IRS, FAA, US Administrators of Court, NSF, World Bank, SSA, DoEducation
• Federal Defense Agencies: DoD, USAF, USNavy
• State Governments: Texas State Government, State of Michigan
• Local Governments: City of Carrollton, Texas, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey
• Oil & Gas: Halliburton, KBR, Landmark, Shell Oil, Exxon-Mobil, BGP, Sinopec, CNPC
• Telecom: T-Mobile, Verizon
• Health Care: MD Anderson
• Defense Industry: General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems, Rockwell-Collins, Pantex, BAE Systems
• Non-Profits: PMI, Project WET, Brazosport College
• Manufacturing: FMC International, Dow Chemical,

(The PMBOK® Guide is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. and is used in conjunction with our license as a PMI Registered Education Provider)

(PMI is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. and is used in conjunction with our license as a PMI Registered Education Provider)