Demystifying Technical Training. Partnership, Strategy, and Execution

Learn to Decode the DNA of Management and Strategy-Execution in an Increasingly Turbulent World Just as DNA contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all living organisms, what if we could decode containing the elements of management and strategy-execution? Traditional management practices are rooted in a mechanical mindset where the problem and solution are known and well-defined, but how do you plan for the reality of today’s increasingly complex world where it is hard to manage the unknown and unknowable? This ground-breaking book offers new perspectives on age-old management challenges and illuminates better ways to organize and manage in an increasingly DANCE-world (Dynamic. Ambiguous. Non-Linear. Complex. Emergent). It puts the management DNA under the microscope, and shows how to develop the DNA elements to build and transform organizational project management and PMO capabilities essential for effective strategy-execution. It provides a framework to measure what matters with a step-by-step approach to define and measure success and business value. The DNA of Strategy Execution: Next Generation Project Management and PMO provides innovative insights for organizational project management and PMO. It builds on iterative, incremental, lean, agile, and adaptive approaches and goes beyond to explore what is required to thrive in a dynamic and complex world. Based on application and learnings from many organizations around the world, this book reveals a playbook for strategy-execution that will help you: Decode the core elements of management and strategy-execution DNA Design and build next-generation Project/Program Management and PMO platform essential for effective strategy-execution Prepare your organization to effectively lead and implement agile transformation and organizational change Improve organizational project management (OPM) and PMO maturity by developing intelligence in each of the DNA areas of strategy-execution Improve overall organizational effectiveness and innovation capabilities Whether you are a part of a startup, or an established incumbent organization, the impact of digitization and disruption and the intensification of the DANCE-world requires a rethink and reset of how we organize and manage. This book presents a holistic approach and a playbook for effective strategy-execution with next-generation Project, Program and PMO capabilities.

Praise for Praise for Performance Management: Integrating Strategy Execution, Methodologies, Risk, and Analytics «A highly accessible collection of essays on contemporary thinking in performance management. Readers will get excellent overviews on the Balanced Scorecard, strategy maps, incentives, management accounting, activity-based costing, customer lifetime value, and sustainable shareholder value creation.» —Robert S. Kaplan, Harvard Business School; coauthor of The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action, The Execution Premium, and many other books «Gary Cokins demonstrates in this book that performance management is not a mysterious black art, but a structured, process-oriented discipline. If you want your performance management system to be a smoothly running analytical machine, read and apply the ideas in this book—it's all you need.» —Thomas H. Davenport, President's Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management, Babson College; coauthor of Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning «Drawing on a deep reservoir of knowledge and experience gained from hundreds of customer engagements around the world, Gary Cokins offers an authoritative examination of the major dimensions of performance management. Cokins not only paints a rich and textured view of the major principles and concepts driving performance management implementations, he offers a nuanced look at the important subtleties that can spell the difference between success and failure. This is an informative and enjoyable text to read!» —Wayne Eckerson, Director of Research, The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI); author of Performance Dashboards: Measuring, Monitoring, and Managing Your Business «[In this] very insightful book, the view of an integrated performance management framework with a goal to link various operational activities with business strategy is an excellent approach to manage and improve business. Gary's explanation of risk-based performance management, for providing the capability to achieve long-term objectives with reliably calculated risks, is definitely thought provoking.» —Srini Pallia, Global Head and Vice President of Business Technology Services, Wipro Technologies, Bangalore, India «Gary Cokins is clearly one of the world's thought leaders in the area of performance management, and the need for integrated performance management, improvement and execution is clearly at a premium in these challenging economic times. This book is a must read for CEOs, CFOs, and management accountants around the globe seeking higher levels of sustainable business performance for their stakeholders.» —Jeffrey C. Thomson, President and CEO, Institute of Management Accountants

[b]DEMYSTIFYING RESEARCH FOR MEDICAL & HEALTHCARE STUDENTS All healthcare students need to understand research methods to be able to understand research articles and to actively engage in research where necessary. Most clinical programs include research training within their courses, and many students are required to undertake an assessed research project—both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Breaking down the jargon barriers of research methods, and designed for those new to the world of research, Demystifying Research is a straightforward and highly accessible guide to fundamental research methods, approaches, and skills. This student-friendly resource describes quantitative and qualitative research approaches, mixed research methods, research ethics and governance, research skills and more. Step-by-step, students learn to appraise research in scholarly articles, design a project, and conduct research in the lab, in clinical practice, and other real-life situations. Technical jargon and classic research are explained in plain English, while relevant theory is illustrated through relatable examples of research in practice. Designed to make learning about research easy, this valuable guide: Explains basic research methods in a direct and engaging style Breaks research methods down into manageable, easy-to-digest pieces Defines what research is, and provides an overview of its methods and methodologies Covers all key areas of research, including observational and experimental approaches, and clinical trials Includes real-life examples of successful student research projects Features a companion website containing lecture slides available to download in PowerPoint Demystifying Research is a must-have for undergraduate and postgraduate medical, nursing, other healthcare and social sciences students, as well as professionals looking to refresh their knowledge.

Few business activities can match Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in terms of the potential for reward and for danger. A successful merger or acquisition can allow a mid-tier company to leap into the top tier, bringing rich rewards to that company, and its employees and shareholders. The failure of a merger can, on the other hand, have a devastating impact, resulting a loss of credibility, destruction of value and in some cases bringing the parties to ruin. Depending on how you measure it, between 50% and 80% of M&A deals fail to attain their objectives, before or even after the deal is done. Practical M&A Execution and Integration is all about maximising your chances of success. Merging, de-merging, acquiring or acquired, if your organisation is involved, or likely to be involved, you will need to manage the process, and following this Handbook will give you a clear, simple framework to get the job done and help your organisation move on and attain the benefits and promise of the deal. The book covers the following core topics: Fundamentals of M&A; the reasons for M&A, types of M&A deals and the challenges they present M&A Regulation Successful M&A, covering M&A power and providing a detailed look at the processes and people involved Delivering M&A The unique issues of Banking M&A, which differs significantly from other types of M&A deals. The final section consists of document templates and suggested tables of contents which are designed to be used alongside the advice in the book, thus making Practical M&A Execution and Integration the complete guide to constructing a successful M&A deal.

Demystifying Outsourcing emphasizes the importance of building partnerships with consultants and vendors to achieve results. Training managers who utilize this resource will build their confidence and strengthen their outsourcing capabilities as they navigate complex outsourced projects. As a comprehensive toolkit, the book takes the reader step by step through an outsourced initiative. Numerous stories bring the challenges of outsourcing to light. Practical tips and tools, and worksheets on the accompanying CD can be tailored easily to any project. Topics include: Current trends and guiding principles in outsourcing A strategic sourcing decision model to help managers make wise choices about what to outsource and what to retain Identifying and selecting outsourcing partners The RFP process and contract negotiations Positioning consultants and vendors in the organization Design, delivery and program evaluation of outsourced initiatives Special situations such as dealing with conflict, inheriting a consultant and working with multiple consultants and vendors Debbie Friedman is Operating Vice President at Federated Department Stores, where she heads up the Federated Leadership Institute, a training function whose mission is to strengthen the leadership capabilities of the top 1,800 executives.

Since it was first published almost twenty years ago, Developing Technical Training has been a reliable resource for both new and seasoned training specialists. The third edition of this classic book outlines a systematic approach called the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) process that shows how to teach technical content defined as facts, concepts, processes, procedures, and principles. Whether you teach “hard” or “soft” skills, or design lessons for workbooks or computers, you will find the best training methods in this book. Using these techniques, you can create learning environments that will lead to the most efficient and effective acquisition of new knowledge and skills. Throughout the book, Clark defines each content type and illustrates how to implement the best instructional methods for delivery in either print or e-learning media.

Learn from the concepts, capabilities, processes, and behaviors that aligned around one strategy with the hard-won, first-person wisdom found in One Strategy. Challenging traditional views of strategy and operational execution, this book-written by Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky with Harvard Business School professor Marco Iansiti-describes how you can drive innovation by connecting the potential of strategic opportunities to the impact of operational execution. Lessons from the unique combination of real-world experience managing a large scale organization with academic research in strategy and innovation Reveals what it takes to align a complex organization around one strategy, manage its execution, and reach for «strategic integrity» Written by Microsoft executive Steven Sinofsky with Harvard Business School professor Marco Iansiti-a combined forty years of management and research experience A unique perspective on strategy development, alignment, and execution Drawn from Sinofsky's internal Microsoft blog where he communicated some of the management processes the team put to work while developing a 4,000 person, multi-year project-Microsoft Windows 7-One Strategy shares the hard-won insights you can use to successfully make the leap from strategy to execution.

I was pleased to review Dan's new book – pleased because he addresses an old topic in a new way. He is making no assumptions for trainers who are not fully experienced and seasoned. He takes them step-by-step through practical and realistic methods to set up training graduates to actually be on-the-job performers. Enjoy, learn and be inspired. Jim Kirkpatrick, PhD Senior Consultant, Kirkpatrick Partners, USA Daniel Bixby’s approach to Product Training for technical experts is practical, relevant and exactly what anyone who is required to train others on technical content really needs. He writes with candor and with a sense of ease, making the reader feel as though he is right there with you helping to develop your training competency. A must read for anyone on your team required to provide technical training to others! Jennifer Alfaro Chief Human Resources Officer, USA An expert guide to developing and delivering technical product training programs While there are many books on talent development, leadership training, and internal training program development, there are precious few offering subject matter experts (SME’s) guidance on training others to get the most out of their products. Written by a training expert with many years of experience working at top technology companies, Product Training for the Technical Expert fills that yawning gap in the training literature by providing technical experts with a comprehensive handbook on becoming effective product training instructors. When new technology is rapidly transformed into products for popular consumption, technical experts, such as engineers, and other subject matter experts, are the ones tasked with instructing the public on their use. Unfortunately, most them have little or no prior experience or training in adult education and don’t have a clue about how to transfer their knowledge to others. In this book, author Daniel W. Bixby draws upon his vast experience developing and delivering training programs at Honeywell, Delphax, Telex, Bosch, and TE Connectivity, among other technology companies, to arm SMEs with the knowledge and skills they need to add “Product Training Specialist” to their resumes. Addresses an area of training too often overlooked and ignored in the professional literature Equips SMEs with the tools they need to become effective product instructors Covers both the educational and business aspects of product training for SMEs Packed with tables, illustrations, problem-and-solution sets, tutorials, enlightening real-world examples, worksheets, and group or self-study questions Features a companion website with worksheets and other valuable tools: www.wiley.com/go/bixbycert A must-have professional development resource for students and experienced technical experts alike Product Training for the Technical Expert is an ideal guide forengineers, product managers, product marketing managers, and technical instructors looking to expand their repertoires and hone their skills. It also makes an excellent course text for graduate-level engineering programs.

Real-world strategic management practice in an interactive micro-case format The Strategy Pathfinder presents an innovative, dynamic guide to strategic thinking and practice. Using real-world case examples from companies like Apple, the BBC, Hyundai, LEGO, McDonalds, Nike and SpaceX to illustrate critical concepts, this book enables readers to actively participate in real-world strategy dilemmas and create their own solutions. Strategy Pathfinder’s ‘live’ micro-cases provoke discussion about business models, value creation, new ventures and more, while its complimentary instructional content introduces you to the best ‘classic’ and new tools of strategic management. Rather than passively reproducing past and current ideas, Strategy Pathfinder encourages strategic thinkers to learn by doing. The book is designed to help the reader to develop a clear understanding of key concepts while shifting your thought processes towards real strategic action and innovation by enabling you to: Use strategy theories and frameworks to engage in analytical and creative discussions about key strategic issues facing real companies today Form strategic views for yourself, and test them against the views of others Effectively make and communicate recommendations based on solid strategic analysis that stand up to scrutiny from multiple stakeholders Become an active producer of new strategic ideas rather than a passive receiver of past wisdom This third edition has been updated with new chapters and cases to reflect the latest, cutting-edge issues in strategic thinking and practice. And the updated companion website offers students, instructors and managers more resources to facilitate understanding, interaction and innovation. As an active learning experience, The Strategy Pathfinder 3rd Edition engages the reader in the work of strategy practitioners. By arming you with the empirical research you need, and the best strategic management theories and frameworks to better analyse situations you're likely to encounter or already facing in your career, The Strategy Pathfinder teaches you how to improve your strategic thinking and practice, and develop your own strategic pathways for the future.