"Last year, a colleague used your approach with the state of Mass to develop a statewide initiative for interoperability that got them a 97 out of a 100 rating from DHS for PSIC grants”
"...I found it to be one of the few practical and immediately useful courses I've taken in or out of the Air Force.”
"Mack is one of the most clear-thinking people I've ever seen. He will steadily peel off the layers of confusion and irrelevance until he uncovers the pure center of the issue.”
Instructor:
Mack McKinney, president and founder of a consulting company, has managed projects large and small as a military officer and for Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Joint Forces Command and others. He now teaches project leadership courses and consults with Boeing, Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Raytheon Missile Systems, Joint Forces Command, all the uniformed services and the IC. He has US patents in radar processing and hyperspectral sensing and has managed major defense projects around the world.
Your own personality type and where (and if) you fit on a project team
Latest techniques for innovation and creative problem solving on projects
After this course you will be able to lead a complex project, design and implement a solid project plan, recruit and retain world-class staff and keep them motivated, maintain your sanity as Project Manager and get promoted at the end of the job.
Course Outline:
Advanced Course for Project and Program Managers ready for the next challenge
Techniques for building a cancellation-proof project: Beginning with the end in mind; getting the right start with an Operating Concept for the Project Team
Then going beyond standard PM techniques - - - Why just knowing and applying the correct techniques won’t make your project successful: The three key attributes of successful projects at major defense primes. Using a CONOPS along with a contract.
Making the PM’s Life Livable: Proven techniques in training people to treat you like you want to be treated; Pushing back without blowing up; Making your boss(es) BS diodes!
Dominating the Project Domain: Communicating as the Project Manager. Writing and briefing for clarity and conciseness; recognizing and dealing with flawed arguments.
The all-important contract - - - getting it right is crucial (but not THE determinant of success). Professional standards and ethics. Going beyond the law.
Working with offshore (foreign partners) – lessons in patience, cultural differences and stereotypes. Do’s and don’ts for hiring and managing foreign representatives.
Techniques the grey-beard PMs didn’t learn at Project Management school! The three key attributes of successful projects at a major defense prime. Techniques for Building a Cancellation-Proof Project (beginning with the end in mind and getting the right start with an Operating Concept for the Project Team)
Ethics in Program Management (no-nonsense, one hour look at ITAR and business ethics for PMs - - - meets most corporate standards for quarterly ethics training for employees).
Techniques for working with other scientists and engineers: What drives them, how they think, how they see themselves, results from interviews, proven techniques for working with them. Scientific methods and principles for non-technical people working in science and technology. Proven problem-solving processes; achieving team consensus on types of R&D needed (effects-driven, blue sky, capability-driven, new spectra, observed phenomenon, product/process improvement, basic science).
Increasing the Transition Rate (getting R&D projects from the lab to adopted, fielded systems). Pitfalls and benefits of Agile Development; Rapid Prototyping do’s and don’ts. Disruptive technologies and how to avoid the paralyzing “Catch 22” killer of new systems. Pitfalls of almost replacing an existing system or component with a better one.
Why just knowing and applying the correct techniques won’t make you successful. Solid Thinking is composed of critical thinking, creative thinking, empathic thinking, counterintuitive thinking. When to use (and NOT use) each type in managing projects. Learning to interpret data – spotting people who lie with statistics (inadvertently or not).
Case Histories of Failed Projects - - - what went wrong & key lessons learned: (Software for automated imagery analysis; low cost, lightweight, hyperspectral sensor; non-traditional ISR; innovative ATC aircraft tracking system; full motion video for bandwidth-disadvantaged users in combat: How to do it right!)
Principled Development and Acquisitions: simple solutions and processes to address complex problems. Stereotypes of each profession (origins, dangers, techniques for countering) from ongoing defense-wide survey of professionals in engineering, science, PM, requirements management plus end users. Eye-opening data.
Tuition:
Tuition for this two-day course is $1190 per person per person at one of our scheduled public courses. Onsite pricing is available. Please call us at 410-956-8805 or send an email to ati@aticourses.com.
Mack McKinney, president and founder of a consulting company, has managed projects large and small as a military officer and for Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Joint Forces Command and others. He now teaches project leadership courses and consults with Boeing, Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Raytheon Missile Systems, Joint Forces Command, all the uniformed services and the IC. He has US patents in radar processing and hyperspectral sensing and has managed major defense projects around the world.
