CITI - partners in change » People

Successfully embedding change

Paul Ashton — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:39:31 +0000

This course is ideal for:

Executives who are responsible for strategic change
Managers charged with delivering benefits
Change managers whose role involves making change happen
Project managers expected to deliver benefits from their projects

What are the course objectives?

You will have a clearly defined approach to planning and delivering change; a set of tested tools, and a powerful model which suggests the appropriate tools and techniques for your current change challenge.

What content is covered?

Projects deliver products and capabilities – it is change management that translates them into benefits that are valued by the organisation.

The course analyses the intimate relationship between projects and change, and how one affects the other. It looks at planning and sequencing impacts and what to put in place to ease the transition of roles and responsibilities as the impacts alter processes and peoples’ work patterns.

Translating the costs of a project into benefits involves overcoming organisational cultural barriers as well as altering competences and, often, political balances. Dealing with resistance to change is a common concern and case studies are reviewed looking at what works well. Motivating and energising managers and staff to invest in new approaches is fundamental to the role, and techniques and tricks are examined. But, perhaps the essential aspect is to understand the emotional impact and scale of the impacts necessary for the change to ‘stick’, and have a palette of stakeholder, communication and other tools from which to choose the most suitable for the circumstance.

What are the key topics?

The responsibilities of the change manager
Linking strategic outcomes to operational impacts
Assessing organisational readiness – the barriers to change
Creating the Change Definition Report
The stakeholder playing field – using power and politics
Developing, sequencing and executing a change plan
Performance measures
Transfer to operations

What is the course format?

This course is a mix of interactive presentations that stimulate and challenge delegates current views of change management. Casework is used to further develop understanding. Delegates receive a toolkit to take with them and apply in their workplace.

What is the duration and cost of the course?

This is a 2 day master class.

£900 plus VAT.

For further details contact us on 01908 283 600 or opencourses@citi.co.uk.

Stakeholder engagement

Paul Ashton — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:06:17 +0000

Are you responsible for delivering projects or programmes involving a complex range of stakeholders? Do you need to learn to analyse your stakeholder community? Do you require tools that can be used to gain commitment to the way forward? If you have answered yes to any of these questions – this master class is for you!

You will typically have a least two years’ experience in project management and/or will have attended a general project management development course.

What are the course objectives?

Engaging stakeholders is frequently cited as a common reason for the success or failure of projects and programmes. This course will help you apply real discipline and focus to this cornerstone of project and programme success. It will help you to place the objective identification, evaluation, engagement and management of key stakeholders at the centre of your plans.

What content is covered?

A well-planned project, or programme, has key stakeholders as a central focus. This means understanding what success means to them and ensuring that the project or programme delivers against that definition of success.

This one day master class provides a radical and illuminating assessment of all key issues in stakeholder engagement and practical techniques for maximising the potential benefits of correctly aligned stakeholders.

What are the key topics?

Systematic analysis of the concept of ‘stakeholder’
Identifying the role and relevance of various stakeholders
Understanding the importance of stakeholder perspective
Identifying and using different communication styles
Getting stakeholders ‘on board’
Using the hierarchies of power and influence within organisations
Meeting stakeholders’ definitions of success

What is the course format?

The day consists of a series of fast-moving, short lectures punctuated by individual and group exercises. This includes an immersion into a convincing and complex case study of a major change project which will help you test and develop the full range of stakeholder engagement aspects.

This will be complemented by group discussions, encouraging you to ‘buddy up’ with other like minded professionals to share and review each others exercise results.

What is the duration and cost of the course?

This is a 1 day course.

£450 plus VAT.

For further details contact us on 01908 283 600 or opencourses@citi.co.uk.

Project success through people

Paul Ashton — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:05:12 +0000

Project managers and change managers are often involved in complex project environments, where their daily challenges are as much related to stakeholders and ‘politics’ as to technical delivery.

In these cases a process or method-led approach is not sufficient to overcome the obstacles to success. They need to employ an adaptive approach and style of leadership appropriate to the context of their specific project challenges. If this is the type of environment in which you find yourself delivering projects, then then look no further – this master class is for you!

What are the course objectives?

This workshop will help you to develop the vital soft skills required by project managers or those working in a project setting. It also introduces you to leadership principles within the context of project management.

What content is covered?

This master class exposes you to the complex people aspects of managing projects. It examines how you should manage, influence, lead and direct each of the major stakeholder groups and make the most effective use of the people involved with your project through their active engagement in achieving project goals.

This highly interactive and practical learning event addresses the key people-related obstacles encountered by project managers and provides best-practice strategies and tactics for dealing with stakeholders and project teams. It is the development and application of these critical people skills that make the difference between ‘management by process’ and successful, value-focused and professional project management.

Participants reflect on current behaviours and approaches and then explore and apply strategies and practical tools to enhance personal leadership capabilities and leverage the strengths of others to improve project performance.

What are the key topics?

What is the course format?

This master class focuses on directed discussion and exploration of key issues, supported by short lectures, videos, and unique case studies, exercises and role-play drawn from CITI’s own experience of complex projects. Personal questionnaires (including a pre-course leadership-style self-assessment) are used to help each individual identify and reflect on their personal leadership challenges. Time is set aside for planning how to practically apply the principles and concepts of leadership in the work place.

What is the duration and cost of the course?

This is a 2 day master class.

£900 plus VAT.

For further details contact us on 01908 283 600 or opencourses@citi.co.uk.