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Learn to improve your project or program processes to achieve higher quality products, services, and results. You will examine how leading thinkers approach quality and performance with a focus on…

Learn to improve your project or program processes to achieve higher quality products, services, and results. You will examine how leading thinkers approach quality and performance with a focus on fundamental quality management tenets.

Explore the unique considerations surrounding the employment of performance-based acquisition (PBA) methods as outlined in both the Federal Acquisition Regulation(FAR) and agency policies. From…

Explore the unique considerations surrounding the employment of performance-based acquisition (PBA) methods as outlined in both the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and agency policies. From standards of quality to methods of surveillance, you will learn the comprehensive process applied to PBA—including analyzing requirements documents and preparing a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)—with a focus on robust case studies, examples, and exhibits.

Examine concepts crucial to the initiation of an IT project: business case development, project charter creation, estimation techniques, communications development, and stakeholder management. You…

Examine concepts crucial to the initiation of an IT project: business case development, project charter creation, estimation techniques, communications development, and stakeholder management. You will learn about the initialization and integration activities to ensure correct alignment between scope, time, cost, quality, and risk. You will gain the skills to accurately estimate resources using various techniques, create a communications plan, and demonstrate how to analyze and manage stakeholders.

Learn how to write an effective Statement of Work (SOW) to achieve the best value for your organization during an acquisition. In this course, you will practice writing each part of the SOW through a…

Learn how to write an effective Statement of Work (SOW) to achieve the best value for your organization during an acquisition. In this course, you will practice writing each part of the SOW through a hands-on workshop and examine a SOW from a contractor’s perspective. You will explore best practices, analyze legal cases, and recognize the impact your work has on cost, schedule, and quality. You will leave equipped with the ability to write a SOW that reflects actual requirements, elicits competitive proposals, and guides contractor performance.

Build a foundation of essential skills and competencies for managing contracts and ensuring contractor performance meets contractual requirements. This course poses challenges such as: How do you…

Build a foundation of essential skills and competencies for managing contracts and ensuring contractor performance meets contractual requirements. This course poses challenges such as: How do you administer a contract? How do you handle a contract modification? How do you ensure quality of products and services? What kind of oversight does a subcontractor require? How do you handle disagreements with the contractor? You will examine the duties performed by contracting personnel during the postaward phase of the acquisition process and improve your knowledge and skills in managing contract performance.

This course is one of four courses within the Contracting Certification Training Program, based upon specific competencies within the Contracting Training Model. The main objective of this program is to enable contracting specialists to be prepared for a career in the contracting profession.

CON 1400 aims to provide participants with both the government and industry perspective on the management and administration of contracts.

Examine the strategies for applying Agile practices and how to execute them in your own IT procurements using the guidance from the TechFAR Handbook and the Digital Services Playbook. Real-world…

Examine the strategies for applying Agile practices and how to execute them in your own IT procurements using the guidance from the TechFAR Handbook and the Digital Services Playbook. Real-world scenarios will highlight best practices for Agile approaches throughout the IT acquisition life cycle by saving time, reducing risk, and improving IT contract quality.

Dissect challenges inherent in contract administration like contract modification, subcontractor oversight, performance monitoring, quality assurance, and other key phases. You will examine the duties…

Dissect challenges inherent in contract administration like contract modification, subcontractor oversight, performance monitoring, quality assurance, and other key phases. You will examine the duties performed by contracting personnel during the administration phase of the acquisition process and improve your knowledge and skills in overseeing contractor performance. You will gain a deeper understanding of contracts for commercial products and commercial services and those using simplified acquisition procedures.

Agencies need to tell contractors what to do, not how to do it. This is the guidance according to Federal Acquisition Regulation(FAR) Part 37, which requires agencies to maximize the use of…

Agencies need to tell contractors what to do, not how to do it. This is the guidance according to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 37, which requires agencies to maximize the use of performance-based methods when contracting. You will determine requirements by developing high-level objectives, tasks, and performance standards through this workshop. You will develop a performance work statement and quality assurance surveillance plan and apply your learning to intensive exercises and activities.

Explore risk management best practices to ensure that projects adhere to timeframes, budgets, and quality requirements while mitigating risk. You will learn different approaches to risk management,…

Explore risk management best practices to ensure that projects adhere to timeframes, budgets, and quality requirements while mitigating risk. You will learn different approaches to risk management, including how to rank and respond to risk, monitoring and controlling risk, and communicating risks throughout the project lifecycle. Risk is inevitable—but it doesn’t have to completely derail your project’s success.

Discover how to handle inevitable changes on a government contract—changes affecting price, quality, quantity, or delivery. The first step to an effective contractual change is to understand concepts…

Discover how to handle inevitable changes on a government contract—changes affecting price, quality, quantity, or delivery. The first step to an effective contractual change is to understand concepts such as scope, constructive changes, and contract modifications. You will learn to identify and address complex issues related to contract change, to navigate the implications of change, and to recognize the various clauses that allow for change.

Learn how the application of Agile methodologies to federal projects is more than just changing product development or contracting practices—it is a mindset. This course addresses strategies,…

Learn how the application of Agile methodologies to federal projects is more than just changing product development or contracting practices—it is a mindset. This course addresses strategies, practices, and quality concepts that help facilitate a transition to effective Agile practices that will transform and empower your organization thereby providing maximum value to the customer and contributing to the long-term success of your organization’s goals.

Gain the systems management skills to address challenges, shifting priorities, and public demand to deliver high-quality results. A foundation in the requirements development process sets the stage…

Gain the systems management skills to address challenges, shifting priorities, and public demand to deliver high-quality results. A foundation in the requirements development process sets the stage for furthering your abilities in decision analysis methods and technical assessments—all in support of systems management. You will apply what you learn by participating in hands-on, experiential exercises. This course is meets the requirements for the Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) at the Mid-Level.

Explore ways to oversee and optimize contractor performance as a COR or program manager in order to maximize your spend while fulfilling mission needs. The processes required to elicit successful…

Explore ways to oversee and optimize contractor performance as a COR or program manager in order to maximize your spend while fulfilling mission needs. The processes required to elicit successful performance require planning, focused monitoring and surveillance, and other remedies that yield high-quality services and deliverables. You will become familiar with the Earned Value Management System (EVMS), chart tools, and remedy processes, such as withholding progress payments and terminations.

Prepare for the closed book Contracting Certification exam through a baseline pre-assessment, relevant content review, discussions, practice quizzes, and a post-assessment which emulates the…

Prepare for the closed book Contracting Certification exam through a baseline pre-assessment, relevant content review, discussions, practice quizzes, and a post-assessment which emulates the Contracting Certification exam itself.

The approach you take to hypothesis building is as important as the hypotheses you create and test. By being strategic in your approach, you can minimize the risks of a hypothesis that is easily…

The approach you take to hypothesis building is as important as the hypotheses you create and test. By being strategic in your approach, you can minimize the risks of a hypothesis that is easily refuted or irrelevant to your goals. In this course, you will learn the essential aspects of how the federal workforce approaches hypothesis building, and reinforce analytic critical thinking skills such as exploring types of reasoning, spotting and avoiding logical fallacies, using effective measurement systems, and selecting evidence in hypothesis building. These skills are required to foster openness and accountability in governance and policymaking.

Examine multiple effective approaches to executing, managing, and completing IT projects. You will learn delivery methodologies used in innovative IT PM and activities that produce successful software…

Examine multiple effective approaches to executing, managing, and completing IT projects. You will learn delivery methodologies used in innovative IT PM and activities that produce successful software solutions, and how to implement process improvement initiatives.

Discover the differences between managing an IT project and other projects and learn how to take a modified approach to activities to fit the needs of an IT project. You will understand the activities…

Discover the differences between managing an IT project and other projects and learn how to take a modified approach to activities to fit the needs of an IT project. You will understand the activities involved in managing IT projects, including time and cost management, risk identification, and planning processes and techniques. You will learn to prepare a scope using predictive and adaptive lifecycles, design a schedule with interdependencies, develop an IT risk management program, and more.

Learn about the activities involved in monitoring and controlling an IT project through the entire lifecycle of the project. This course will cover monitoring and controlling project actuals to…

Learn about the activities involved in monitoring and controlling an IT project through the entire lifecycle of the project. This course will cover monitoring and controlling project actuals to baseline variances, adequate progress and status reporting, project process improvement plans, and critical path methods. You will also formulate a performance analysis on an IT project and complete a product backlog grooming activity using sprint performance results.

Develop a strong foundation in data analysis techniques to gain insight into sound business strategy, an insight critical to problem-solving and decision-making within your organization. You will…

Develop a strong foundation in data analysis techniques to gain insight into sound business strategy, an insight critical to problem-solving and decision-making within your organization. You will learn numerous analytical techniques, including data validation and conditioning, probability distribution statistical analysis, and how to store data to maintain data integrity. Working collaboratively through real-world scenarios using Microsoft Excel, you’ll be prepared to perform the most relevant, mission-critical analyses.

Explore ways that experienced contracting officer's representatives (CORs) can better address the variety of challenges and responsibilities inherent in the projects they work on. This course will…

Explore ways that experienced contracting officer's representatives (CORs) can better address the variety of challenges and responsibilities inherent in the projects they work on. This course will provide refresher training and an update on contracting principles that can build a strong foundation for future contracting work. You will be faced with various relevant simulations to test your critical thinking abilities.