Procept Associate Kevin Aguanno is offering a FREE one-hour webinar to anyone who wishes to register on PMI's new PDU reporting requirements and processes.

On December 1, 2015 the Project Management Institute (PMI) changed the way that project managers must accumulate and claim professional development units (PDUs) for recertification. The new model encourages a more well-rounded view of project management knowledge and skills by having project managers claim PDUs in three separate areas, with new ways of earning PDUs. In addition, PMI has introduced restrictions on how many PDUs you need to collect at a minimum in each category.

Claiming PDUs has always been an administrative chore that few looked forwards to; however, with the confusion caused by the new model, project managers are concerned about how the new process works. Join project management expert Kevin Aguanno as he explains the new PMI Talent Triangle model, the new minimum requirements for PDUs in various categories, the new ways of earning PDUs, and how a project manager should go about claiming them in the new model.

More information and a sign-up form are available by clicking the button below.

Register Online

At the 2015 Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) annual conference, Procept announced that its Project Management for Festivals, Events & Conferences course has been accredited by CFRE International for individuals seeking Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification or recertification. Find out more about this in the video below.

CFRE International has named Procept as an Approved Provider for Continuing Education. CFRE International manages the Certified Fundraising Executive program worldwide. Certification candidates would be able to earn 14 points towards initial certification or recertification for taking our Project Management Essentials for Festivals, Events & Hospitality course.

Procept plans on introducing other courses in 2016 aimed at providing additional management training to the fundraising professional community.  Procept Associate Janice Petley has extensive experience in the non-profit sector and is translating that experience into a richer curriculum of courses.  Stay tuned to www.procept.com for details on these new courses as they emerge.

Visit Procept's booth on November 23-24, 2015 at the Association for Fundraising Professionals annual conference in Toronto at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The Association for Project Management (APM), the national project management body for the United Kingdom and the UK's representative to the International Project Management Association (IPMA) has just announced that it has bestowed one of its highest honours on Procept associate Kevin Aguanno for his pioneering work in agile project management and for his volunteer work and contributions to the project management profession overall. The APM has named Aguanno as a "Fellow" of the association, granting him the right to use the postnominals FAPM to indicate his fellowship status.

On behalf of all associates, Procept extends sincere congratulations to Kevin Aguanno.

As a principal sponsor of the International PM Day celebrations in Toronto, Procept would like to thank all of those who helped make the event a success. Many in the community came out to the event, held Nov. 5, 2015 near the Pearson airport in Toronto, and all enjoyed the excellent presentations, food and beverages throughout the day-long event. Free to all attendees, participants gained valuable insight on interesting topics and earned professional development units (PDUs) for professional (re)certification.

Speakers at this year's event included:

• Consulting Associate Amin Panjwani speaking on "The Role of the PMO in Strategy Execution"
• Procept's Agile Practice Lead Kevin Aguanno speaking on "Choosing the Right Approach: Waterfall, Agile, or Somewhere in Between?"
• Training Associate Hamid Faridani speaking on "Gaining Control of a Troubled Project"
• And as a special guest, noted PM personality David Barrett speaking on the future of project management in "The New Project Manager"

These presentations were recorded and videos of the presentations will be posted on YouTube after editing is completed over the next few weeks.

Please mark your calendars for next year's International PM Day event on November 3, 2016 in Toronto. Details will be available closer to the date of the event.

Procept Associates and PMI-NB are partnering once again to provide specialized project management training in New Brunswick. We are very pleased to have acclaimed author and international speaker, Mark Kozak-Holland, to deliver his popular Lessons from History seminars. There will be three 1-day workshops and people can select a single workshop or register for the entire program. The event will be held in Fredericton, NB, on February 17 – 19, 2016. Seating is limited and early registration is strongly advised.

Managing in the Face of Meddling Stakeholders looks at the complex process of gathering requirements from multiple stakeholders. It examines how requirements (functional and non-functional) need to be carefully balanced so that one does not overshadow the other. It juxtaposes the project that designed and built Titanic and modern projects, examining the difficulties in managing principal stakeholders and the sponsor through the requirements process.

Managing Projects in a Hostile Environment looks at how a hostile environment can hinder the initiation and execution of a project. In today’s world, executives and senior management are more worried about their projects as they become more aware of high project failure rates across industries. The workshop juxtaposes the "Great Escape" case study and modern projects by looking at common problems like the challenges of initiating a project without sponsors, and getting enough support to get it through early stage gates.

Managing Projects in a Sea of Change looks at how continuous change can hinder the initiation and execution of a project. Change can adversely impact an organization and create a chaotic environment in which it is difficult to predict and to run projects. The workshop juxtaposes the Churchill case study and modern projects and looks at the importance of dealing with volatility and change. You will see how the concepts of agile project management were used to find a resolution to seemingly unsolvable problems in a very short time frame.

Procept Associates and PMI-NB have previously partnered to provide several courses including Agile Project Management, Managing Project Risk, Defining and Managing Business Requirements, and Project Management for IT Projects.

For more information about the speaker or how you can bring this program to your organization, please contact atlantic@procept.com or sales@procept.com.

As the first act in a new partnership, Procept Associates Ltd. has partnered with The Kawartha Learning Centre to bring Procept's project management, business analysis, IT service management and general management training courses to the Kawartha Lakes region around Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Offering public courses in these hot topics helps the high-tech, manufacturing, government and other economic sectors in the region stay current without the cost of traveling to a larger centre for training, such as Toronto.

The first such public offering will be Procept's popular Certified Agile Project Manager course, which will be held November 25-27, 2015 in Peterborough. Kevin Aguanno, Procept's Agile Practice Lead looks forward to the increased availability in the region saying "I've been guest lecturing at Trent University now for several years in a very innovative undergrad project management course combining both waterfall and agile project management. The goal is to better prepare students for the range of scenarios they will face in the workplace. The growth in the course has shown increased interest in the Kawartha region, and I am excited to be able to help companies in the area such as Siemens, GE Nuclear, and others achieve the efficiencies available through the proper application of disciplined agile management methods."

For more information on the course and online registration, please click on the button below.

Details and Online Registration

In a world plagued by natural and man-made disasters, businesses are threatened like never before. While insurance may cover some of the losses, how would one go about rebuilding a business when all of its records, systems, and assets are gone? Catastrophes like the 2001 collapse of the World Trade Centre or the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans highlight the fragility of many businesses. The new area of business continuity management helps organizations plan for disasters, mitigate their impacts, and plan for a quick, orderly recovery, ensuring the survival of the business.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) committees have developed best practices in the area of business continuity management. Most notably, ISO 22301.

Procept is pleased to offer a new 5-day course called Comprehensive Business Continuity Management that leads to the ISO 22301 Practitioner certification exam held on the last day of the course.

The course is immediately available as an in-house training session for corporate clients, and the first public session has been scheduled in Toronto for May 2016.

Details and Online Registration

Procept and its partner, PMI Lakeshore Chapter, announce the availability of seats for a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam preparation course from October 5-7, 2015 in Mississauga, ON. For details and registration, please see the chapter web site by clicking the button below:

More Information and Online Registration

Procept would like to extend its congratulations to the winners of the 5th Annual Project Management Paper Competition, sponsored by Procept Associates Ltd.  This year, the competition was expanded to more universities and added a new "professional" category for those who have left university and are now working in the field.

The 2015 winners are:

ACADEMIC CATEGORY

University	Team	Topic	Status
Trent University	Karina Sarsenbayeva and Alaadin Adda	Berlin Brandenburg Airport	WINNER ! ($1,500 grand prize + $250 finalist award) + T-Shirts and two books.

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

Team	Topic	Status
Peter Stumpf (Siemens Canada Ltd.) and Peter Northrop (Trent University)	Three Lessons Learned: Techniques for Developing Highly-Efficient Project Management in an Ever-Changing Business Environment	WINNER ! $500 grand prize + T-Shirts + 2 books.

Congratulations to the winners!