Course Summaries (43)
KCI provides applied management and professional development education in several disciplines. The extensive portfolio of seminars addresses a variety of business interests and needs. We provide various seminars and courses for public and in-house training. These courses are focused on contemporary topics, issues, and skills needed by many organizations. Our courses are designed to provide a broad understanding and clear application focus for all participants.
Description:
Developing skills for BPM is usually done on the first project an enterprise undertakes. Often few or no tools are used or tools designed for other purposes such as graphic tools used for process mapping with no linkage to analysis tools or workflow. This adds risk to the project as the staff must learn anywhere from one tool to a suite of tools plus the methodology framework for the BPM project. The work may be performed by contractors or company staff or even by a tool vendor in some cases. Usually the framework for good process management is an afterthought and the resulting artifacts left in a chaotic state.
The tools used on a BPM project might include an analysis tool, a process modeling tool, a workflow tool and even a repository for saving the results. Positioning the skills at using BPM tools can be a great advantage in doing a BPM project or embarking on a larger BPM effort that requires the use of tools.
This course provides hands on work experience using a case study project designed to highlight the tools in BPM typical of those used today. Related issues such as analysis analytics, process modeling and mapping techniques, process management and project organization are covered as part of the lecture portion of the course. Examples of each artifact used in the course are provided along with a CD that contains trial versions of all products used in the class. This course uses extensive exercises based on a tools suite for BPM. The attendee should have some basic working knowledge of process mapping but no tools experience is needed.
Who should attend: Business process teams, Business planners, Process Analysts, Managers, Professionals, IT Specialists, Business Analysts and IT Architects.
Duration: 3 days
Benchmarking considers the performance concept, the technology, skills, motives and disciplines that management supports in the operation and direction of the enterprise. In this sense, it is much more than looking at the performance of processes even though this is an important component. Benchmarking is related to quality, best practices, and baselines of performance, attitudes and corporate learning. Integrating these concepts together gives management a potent tool for directing the performance of the enterprise.
This course is intended for people who want to put the ideas and concepts of benchmarking into effective use in their enterprise. The focus is on the understanding, organization and focus of the benchmarking effort in the enterprise. A key feature of this course is the differentiation of the different points of focus of benchmarking such as strategic, operational and financial. Added to this list is the idea of IT, cross industry and competitive benchmarking. Methods, motives and techniques for different types of benchmarking along with their core, shared components are covered. Further, the methods and methodologies needed to make benchmarking definitive are discussed in some detail. A short case study is used to help the attendee gain a sense of the effort involved with putting together a benchmarking effort.
Duration: 4 days
Description:
The structure of an enterprise whether a business, government, educational institution or other enterprise changes when management decides to either join with another enterprise or separate a portion of their enterprise as an independent entity or to join with someone else. The typical terms for joining are mergers, acquisitions or consolidations. For separation the terms are divestiture, privatization or spin off. The ability of an organization to deal with the change depends on its skill in assessing the magnitude of that change, especially in the operations of the organization.
Since many structural changes are considered a failure (it has been estimated that 75% of acquisitions and mergers fail to some degree) being prepared as best as possible and reducing the uncertainty of the expectations of the change can contribute to the success of the venture. Many of these failures are the result of incompatible operational environments, systems, organizations, processes and other components of an organization. There are techniques today based on concepts of enterprise analysis that help reduce the uncertainty that shrouds structural changes today. Consolidations, divestures and privatization are also impacted by structural changes that may be unknown and these techniques can help reduce the problems associated with such change.
This course explains an orderly approach to business structure change with the focus on the four stage concept. The successful implementation of a structural business change requires understanding and articulation of the alignment possibilities of the operational environments of the components.
Duration: 4 days
Performance excellence in business depends on high quality, timely data presented in a clear and simple manner to all layers of management. The emphasis today in management is on performance reporting for decision making, not just the everyday factors but enterprise wide performance factors such as key results indicators and key performance indicators coupled with competitive intelligence interests.
Methods and tools have evolved recently that point to best practices in business intelligence. These accepted methods and tools include management disciplines, dashboards, briefing books and reports to analyze the business.
Business intelligence requires more than just rolling up data for senior managers. Business data must be delivered in a clear and concise manner in context of pressing business issues. If not, managers may be misled and worst they may make decisions based on bad information.
Business intelligence should exist in context of the entire business and leverage best technical practices including the web, data warehousing and information integration. In addition, to make business intelligence real a view to the future including new technologies and architectures must be leveraged for best value.
Duration: 4 days
Description:
Competitive intelligence today is a growing requirement of all enterprises. Regardless of size, you must have some assessment of the competitors, the markets and the products to understand you chances for success.
Competitive intelligence is much more than knowing what your competitors are doing, it is the translation of that knowledge into insight regarding your next actions and direction moves as a business. Further, intelligence is not restricted to one market or country any longer. It has become a global requirement, a global asset.
- Understanding how well the enterprise is performing based on its internal data
- Understanding how well you are doing against competitors is another.
- Understanding the actions to take for success.
Add to that the capability to view alternate choices and strategies in markets, products and other asset moves and you really have an advantage. This is the realm of Competitive Intelligence, not just data or information, but actionable knowledge that ensures the survival and success of your enterprise.
Duration: 4 days
Thinking about and articulating the direction of a business, government agency or nonprofit enterprise is only the first step in achieving results. While the direction may be correct the execution may falter or the results may be less than expected. Integrating the various perspectives of managing an enterprise helps assure that direction will be flexible and the business structure to achieve those objectives will have a matching flexibility.
This course brings together several different perspectives and components of managing an enterprise. All of these are related to strategic direction in some manner. Key management disciplines are covered that impact the eventual performance of the enterprise. These include:
- The five forces for assessing the competitive environment
- Balanced scorecard to track the performance as relates to direction
- The value chain to determine how to realize the direction
- Architectures of the business, the latest thinking in the adaptive enterprise
- Alternative structures and integration issues for mapping the business to the direction
Each part of the enterprise has its own needs and requirements for meeting the success factors of the business. Understanding when to make a change, what the change should be and assessing the effectiveness of the change is part of the body of knowledge in this course. New concepts of looking at the structure of the business such as architectures, platforms and enablers provide the basis for an enterprise to quickly adapt to a changing business environment.
Who should attend: Strategic planners, executives, business analysts, business development managers, research and development managers, competitive intelligence analysts, business intelligence specialists, corporate development staff, mergers and acquisitions analysts, consolidation specialists and business re-engineering analysts.
Duration: 4 days
Scorecard approaches have received considerable attention as a means to assess both operational and strategic performance of an organization. The balanced scorecard approach has had very good reception and success in assisting management with a way to improve the value to shareholders through an organized view of measures in the enterprise. Further, the approach connects in a logical manner to the strategic needs and direction of the enterprise. Understanding strategic impact is key to the successful use of scorecards.
This course includes some background on various scorecard approaches used in the past and present. The balanced scorecard approach is covered in considerable detail as the current scorecarding technique to gain widespread use and global success. Finally, the economy is changing in many ways and the balanced scorecard approach must change with it to be relevant.
This course also introduces the attendee to the potential changes that may happen in the very near future.
Duration: 4 days
Today's reporting function has moved beyond simple financial reporting into a more structured yet flexible accumulation of general information that can be used to support rapid and accurate business decision making. Emphasis should also be placed on determining why something happened and ensuring that appropriate corrective action is initiated.
Corporate reporting must be designed to provide timely, accurate and meaningful information regardless of destination of the data that will allow management to make decisions and take appropriate action. Understanding the business model and then developing the proper reporting requirements are keys to success.
Duration: 4 days
Description:
Thinking about and articulating the direction of a business, government agency or non-profit enterprise is only the first step in achieving results. While the direction may be correct the execution may falter or the results may be less than expected. Integrating the various perspectives of managing an enterprise helps assure that direction will be flexible and the business structure to achieve those objectives will have a matching flexibility. This course brings together several different perspectives and components of managing an enterprise. All of these are related to strategic direction in some manner. Key management disciplines are covered that define direction and impact the eventual performance of the enterprise. These include:
- The five forces for assessing the competitive environment
- Balanced scorecard to track the performance as relates to direction
- The value chain to determine how to realize the direction
- Architectures of the business, the latest thinking in the adaptive enterprise
- Alternative structures and integration issues for mapping the business to the direction
Duration: 4 days
Description:
Any enterprise that operates in today’s ‘Flat World’ needs to characterize, identify and assess the forces that shape their organizations so that a successful direction can be established. There are two categories of pressure on an enterprise. Those two can best be described by the five competitive forces and the environmental forces that shape the landscape that surrounds the enterprise. Assessing the competitive and environmental pressures using these two categories provides an enterprise with an answer for the direction it might take. It is not enough to know what is going on with competitors but you must have the larger picture of the surrounding business environment. Add to that the scenarios that expose approaches, the decisions needed and alternatives in facing the competitive challenges in the market and you have a plan for success.
Not all the forces will have equal impact. Coupled with the environmental forces such as economic, social, legislative, market and technology an enterprise could suddenly find itself under considerable stress. These environmental forces impact all the competitors but may impact each of them differently and to different degrees.
Global competition from all sizes of organizations demands that an enterprise identify as many of the threats and opportunities as possible in setting their direction. Regional competition on top of the global competition increases the pressure on organizations today.
This course explains the 5 forces idea and provides a means of assessing competition along the five forces dimensions. The course also connects the concept to environmental scanning for a more complete understanding of impact on the business. Successful analysis along with scenario planning reduces the uncertainty most enterprises face in competing in today’s global business scene.
Duration: 4 days
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Any enterprise that operates in today’s ‘Flat World’ needs to characterize, identify and assess the forces that shape their organizations so that a successful direction can be established. There are two categories of pressure on an enterprise. Those two can best be described by the five competitive forces and the environmental forces that shape the landscape that surrounds the enterprise. Assessing the competitive and environmental pressures using these two categories provides an enterprise with an answer for the direction it might take. It is not enough to know what is going on with competitors but you must have the larger picture of the surrounding business environment. Add to that the scenarios that expose approaches, the decisions needed and alternatives in facing the competitive challenges in the market and you have a plan for success.
Not all the forces will have equal impact. Coupled with the environmental forces such as economic, social, legislative, market and technology an enterprise could suddenly find itself under considerable stress. These environmental forces impact all the competitors but may impact each of them differently and to different degrees.
Global competition from all sizes of organizations demands that an enterprise identify as many of the threats and opportunities as possible in setting their direction. Regional competition on top of the global competition increases the pressure on organizations today.
This course explains the 5 forces idea and provides a means of assessing competition along the five forces dimensions. The course also connects the concept to environmental scanning for a more complete understanding of impact on the business. Successful analysis along with scenario planning reduces the uncertainty most enterprises face in competing in today’s global business scene.
Duration: 4 days
Description:
Business analysis depends on successful application of three different types of analytics, financial, quantitative and descriptive. These three legs of the analysis triangle provide a guideline to successful analysis. Business analysis is process and operational focused and hence has an internal focus. These techniques may also be applied to an external view such as for merger, acquisition, divestiture, privatization, consolidation and outsourcing. Business analysis also leads to the development of requirements for process change, application acquisition (application development, package deployment or services articulation) and assessment of change impact. Business analysis also includes topics of operational due diligence, performance measurement, knowledge management, product architecture, process architecture, competitive intelligence and business intelligence.
Duration: 4 days
Description:
Knowledge is of little value if it ‘walks out the door’. To be effective it must be transferred from the source to the destination. The source can be consultants, the web, YouTube videos, seminars, conferences and professional education courses. The most difficult is the transfer of knowledge from an expert to someone in an organization. Effective use is made possible by understanding the knowledge process and connecting the result of knowledge filtering to the execution processes of the organization.
Some of the key steps to successful knowledge transfer and use include:
- Identifying and capturing essential knowledge
- Sorting out the knowledge into categories for future use
- Positioning knowledge at the point of use
- Enabling the transfer through careful mentoring
These steps help to build the solid foundation for knowledge transfer.
Duration: 3 days
Enterprise architecture cannot be done without enterprise analysis. As such, specific techniques of enterprise analysis provide the basis to gather the both the general level of organization definition and successive levels of detail that are matched with the overview. Methods and tools have evolved recently that point to best practices in enterprise analysis. These accepted methods and tools are being introduced into businesses toady.