Given the risk of getting things wrong, organizations need to take steps to ensure they give their projects the best possible start. To put a project on a firm foundation Project Managers or those responsible for leading projects need to bring people together, leverage the combined knowledge of the group and make clear and conscious decisions that are aligned with the desired outcomes the project is trying to achieve.

The Project Kick-Off Canvas is a tool that can help achieve those goals. It is a facilitated brainstorming tool that is used to engage people into the project initiation process and to bring focus to a new project. It is used in projects in which the objectives are initially unclear or in which you want to engage key stakeholders into the project’s strategic decision making processes to help build support and consensus for the project.

Figure 1 – The Project Kick-Off Canvas
(click for larger format)

The “Project Kick-Off Canvas” is the core of the method (Figure 1). The canvas is either printed on very large format paper and taped to a wall or drawn onto a white board. The canvas is then used to focus discussion during a facilitated planning meeting. During the meeting the Project Manager, the Project Sponsor or an appropriate equivalent, facilitates discussion and helps guide the group through the different issues on the canvas. Using stickie notes the group writes down their thoughts and ideas and sticks them to the appropriate cells on the canvas. Items can be added and deleted as the conversation develops and as ideas mature. The use of a structured method helps ensure all of the issues needing to be discussed are surfaced, it helps improve communications by standardizing terminology and it ensures that the key decisions being made become visible to everyone.

A full set of instructions for running a canvassing session are included in the following link.

Instructions for running a Kick-Off Canvas meeting

Note: 

1. The Project Canvas and associated instructions are provided for personal use only. If you would like to use in a training class or for commercial purposes please contact us about copyright permissions.
2. The canvassing meeting concept is in part based upon the SCOPEPAK meeting procedure developed by Mr Max Wideman (2001). The format of the canvas itself is in part inspired by the “Business Model Canvas” concept put forward by Osterwalder, Pigneur & al. 2010.

Leadership Research

Want to take a step up in your career? Wanting to sharpen your skills?

Calleam is proud to offer Vancouver’s only leadership program dedicated to those working in Project Leadership type roles. Based on original research (Research Summary), the behaviors, thinking and approach used by the most effective leaders are not only reviewed, but also physically illustrated!

1. We are in the process of moving our leadership class to a new platform.  The new class should launch in Q4 2019 – Check back then for updates.

Course Outline

Leadership capabilities are one of the strongest predictors of career success. If you can lead people you have one of the skills employers value most!

Using a unique participatory approach to learning this training program will leverage real-life captured video of real teams making real decisions, real leaders leading real people and real projects delivering real value. Mixing video based content, in class discussions and personalized learning activities, this class is training brought into the 21st century. Tracking the ups and downs of real teams as they struggle to complete real projects this unique class brings to the surface the skills needed to lead. Providing graphic illustration of the lessons in action the class will challenge you to analyze your own capabilities and develop the skills you need to compete.

At the end of the class you will have witnessed first hand project successes and project failures. You will have analyzed the core skills that lead to success and based on those insights you will have developed your own personal skills development roadmap for ongoing performance improvement.

Format :  Nine classroom based training sessions (once a week in downtown Vancouver), plus pre-viewing video assignments in advance of class spread over a nine week period.  All classes a held in the evenings and timed to help accommodate people’s busy schedules.

Notes:

1. This class leverages video content that has been made publicly available by its rights holders. Participants are asked to watch assigned videos in their personal time in advance of each session (video assignments are approximately one hour per week). Classroom time will be used for facilitated discussion and analysis only.
2. For professional Project Managers seeking Professional Development Units (PDU’s) a letter denoting 30 hours of contact training will be issued on successful course completion.
3. On request we are able to run the “Lessons from Reality” class for group bookings or onsite at your business location. For group bookings the class can be run using breakfast, lunch or early evening sessions as required. Leaving people to complete a normal workday, the flexible timing of the class and the online nature of the interactions allow organizations to slot advanced training into the busy workweek.
4. Additional personal coaching is available at an hourly rate to individuals or organizations who wish to further relate the classroom learning back to individual performance or real life projects.

All Calleam courses are facilitated by certified Project Managers with a minimum of 20 years hands on leadership experience. Your instructor will lead the sessions, will facilitate discussions and support your learning throughout the class.

What will you learn?

This class is focused on helping leaders develop the self-awareness and situational awareness needed to lead. The curriculum includes:

1. Thinking like a leader
2. Building your credibility as a leader
3. How to create a positive work culture within a team
4. How to focus and facilitate decisions
5. Techniques for building effective relationships with stakeholders
6. Setting and communicating vision and direction
7. Methods for maximizing team productivity
8. How to empower a team and leveraging their skills and creativity
9. The art of delegation and how to provide oversight to a team
10. Communications skills and the art of creating clarity
11. How to deal with conflict and mange difficult people
12. The difference between leadership and management (plus the value of both)

Why choose Calleam?

Calleam is a leading Project Management consultancy focused on helping organizations ensure the success of their projects. With more than 25 years of practical experience and more than 8 years experience delivering Project Management and leadership education, we believe that training works best when practitioners teach practitioners. Drawing upon our deep connections an experience in Project Management roles, Calleam’s training leverages three dimensions: practical experience, industry standard practices and our own independent research into what it takes to make a project a success.

For more on Calleam’s unique research into the causes of project failure and what it takes to make a success visit us at our world leading blog: Why Projects Fail.

Who should attend?

Professionals throughout the economy are finding that leading projects or managing teams is becoming a part of their role. This course is suitable for:

1. Project and Program Managers
2. Senior technical resources working in a project environment
3. Project Sponsors
4. Operations managers and line managers
5. Sales managers
6. Supervisors and team leaders
7. Certified Project Managers wanting to earn Professional Development Units in order to maintain their designations.

What people are saying

• “This course was exceptional.  I loved the mix of watching the shows and more academic material in the handouts.  Seeing good leadership in action is critical.  The course enabled us to see it and then discuss it”
• “The MBA course you wish you had taken (but wasn’t available)”
• “This course provided a fantastic base to grow my leadership skills on”
• “Excellent, very helpful to break down leadership to a project context”
• “This course is an excellent way to understand what leadership really is, what is needed to be a leader and how to engage and be effective as a leader”
• “Watching the program, evaluating during class and then applying in my actual job was invaluable and totally relevant”
• “A unique and realistic way of teaching”
• “When it comes to teaching leadership, lectures don’t work. This class DOES!”

Registration

To register for this course please complete the following registration form: Register Now

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Payment and cancellation policy: Payment in full is due at the time of registering. There is a cancellation charge of $85 if you were to cancel more than 30 days prior to the first day of class. Cancellations within 30 days of commencement of the course are non-refundable.

Facilitated by professional development coach Heidi Nucklaus the class has the potential to change your life. Documenting, illustrating and bringing the portfolio of skills needed to lead to life, the class bridges the gap between leadership concepts and leadership applied.

Format: The class is offered in two formats. For those in the Vancouver area, we offer a classroom option. For those in other parts of Canada (or beyond) we offer on online version. Both classes cover the same content and both classes are cohort based (so you will meet other students who are encouraged to share their experiences.

Option A) In class – 9 consecutive Tuesday evening sessions starting Oct 4th at the YWCA, Downtown Vancouver
Price $945 CAD + GST. Early bird discounts available until Aug 15th (contact us for details).

Option B) Online – Flexible learning for those throughout BC, Canada and beyond – 9 weeks starting Monday Oct 3rd.
Price $845 CAD + GST. Early bird discounts available until Aug 15th (contact us for details).

Registration

To register for this course or to request further information please email us at: projectmanagement@calleam.com

Once your registration request has been received you will be contacted by our Registrations Administrator who will collect the payment via credit card (Visa or Mastercard). If you prefer to pay by check please advise the Registration Administrator once contacted.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Payment and cancellation policy: Payment in full is due at the time of registering. There is a cancellation charge of $85 if you were to cancel more than 30 days prior to the first day of class. Cancellations within 30 days of commencement of the course are non-refundable.

1. Private corporate classes available on request – Prices from $545 CAD + GST per person. Contact us for early bird pricing.  Contact Us should you have questions.
2. Next corporate class – Cascade Aerospace – Starting 6th Mar 2018

Course Outline

Leadership capabilities are one of the strongest predictors of career success. If you can lead people you have one of the skills employers value most!

Using a unique participatory approach to learning this training program will leverage real-life captured video of real teams making real decisions, real leaders leading real people and real projects delivering real value. Mixing video based content, in class discussions and personalized learning activities, this class is training brought into the 21st century. Tracking the ups and downs of real teams as they struggle to complete real projects this unique class brings to the surface the skills needed to lead. Providing graphic illustration of the lessons in action the class will challenge you to analyze your own capabilities and develop the skills you need to compete.

At the end of the class you will have witnessed first hand project successes and project failures. You will have analyzed the core skills that lead to success and based on those insights you will have developed your own personal skills development roadmap for ongoing performance improvement.

Format :  Nine classroom based training sessions (once a week in downtown Vancouver), plus pre-viewing video assignments in advance of class spread over a nine week period.  All classes a held in the evenings and timed to help accommodate people’s busy schedules.

Notes:

1. This class leverages video content that has been made publicly available by its rights holders. Participants are asked to watch assigned videos in their personal time in advance of each session (video assignments are approximately one hour per week). Classroom time will be used for facilitated discussion and analysis only.
2. For professional Project Managers seeking Professional Development Units (PDU’s) a letter denoting 30 hours of contact training will be issued on successful course completion.
3. On request we are able to run the “Lessons from Reality” class for group bookings or onsite at your business location. For group bookings the class can be run using breakfast, lunch or early evening sessions as required. Leaving people to complete a normal workday, the flexible timing of the class and the online nature of the interactions allow organizations to slot advanced training into the busy workweek.
4. Additional personal coaching is available at an hourly rate to individuals or organizations who wish to further relate the classroom learning back to individual performance or real life projects.

All Calleam courses are facilitated by certified Project Managers with a minimum of 20 years hands on leadership experience. Your instructor will lead the sessions, will facilitate discussions and support your learning throughout the class.

What will you learn?

This class is focused on helping leaders develop the self-awareness and situational awareness needed to lead. The curriculum  includes:

1. Thinking like a leader
2. Building your credibility as a leader
3. How to create a positive work culture within a team
4. How to focus and facilitate decisions
5. Techniques for building effective relationships with stakeholders
6. Setting and communicating vision and direction
7. Methods for maximizing team productivity
8. How to empower a team and leveraging their skills and creativity
9. The art of delegation and how to provide oversight to a team
10. Communications skills and the art of creating clarity
11. How to deal with conflict and mange difficult people
12. The difference between leadership and management (plus the value of both)

Why choose Calleam?

Calleam is a leading Project Management consultancy focused on helping organizations ensure the success of their projects. With more than 25 years of practical experience and more than 8 years experience delivering Project Management and leadership education, we believe that training works best when practitioners teach practitioners. Drawing upon our deep connections an experience in Project Management roles, Calleam’s training leverages three dimensions: practical experience, industry standard practices and our own independent research into what it takes to make a project a success.

For more on Calleam’s unique research into the causes of project failure and what it takes to make a success visit us at our world leading blog: Why Projects Fail.

Who should attend?

Professionals throughout the economy are finding that leading projects or managing teams is becoming a part of their role. This course is suitable for:

1. Project and Program Managers
2. Senior technical resources working in a project environment
3. Project Sponsors
4. Operations managers and line managers
5. Sales managers
6. Supervisors and team leaders
7. Certified Project Managers wanting to earn Professional Development Units in order to maintain their designations.

What people are saying

• “This course was exceptional.  I loved the mix of watching the shows and more academic material in the handouts.  Seeing good leadership in action is critical.  The course enabled us to see it and then discuss it”
• “The MBA course you wish you had taken (but wasn’t available)”
• “This course provided a fantastic base to grow my leadership skills on”
• “Excellent, very helpful to break down leadership to a project context”
• “This course is an excellent way to understand what leadership really is, what is needed to be a leader and how to engage and be effective as a leader”
• “Watching the program, evaluating during class and then applying in my actual job was invaluable and totally relevant”
• “A unique and realistic way of teaching”
• “When it comes to teaching leadership, lectures don’t work. This class DOES!”

Registration

To register for this course please complete the following registration form: Register Now

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Payment and cancellation policy: Payment in full is due at the time of registering. There is a cancellation charge of $85 if you were to cancel more than 30 days prior to the first day of class. Cancellations within 30 days of commencement of the course are non-refundable.

Through our International Project Leadership Academy (IPLA) division, Calleam is proud to offer our online Project Management foundation course to professionals who want to develop the ability to lead successful projects. This 12-week online program (read our brochure) will bring you together with your peers to jointly learn about Project Management practices and what it takes to make a project a success.

1. Next class starts 9 Sep 2016 – $1,395 USD + applicable taxes ($1,395 CAD + GST for Canadian students)^[1]. Register Now or Contact Us should you have questions.

Course Outline

Format : 12 weeks online – Tutor facilitated instruction

“Achieving Project Success” is a practical guide to the skills needed to lead projects in today’s organizations. With comprehensive coverage of what it takes to succeed, the course looks at the tools and techniques used to plan and manage projects. Going beyond the theory in the books, the course acknowledges that managing projects in today’s organizations is more challenging than the textbooks imply.

Designed by practitioners for practitioners, this course offers you the opportunity to develop the skills needed to overcome those challenges. Drawing on the knowledge of highly accomplished practitioners and lessons learned from the past, course content includes:

1. A comprehensive competency model outlining the skills needed to lead successful projects
2. Lectures covering the full knowledge base needed to perform the Project Management role
3. More than 100 diagrams and illustrations to aid comprehension
4. Participatory discussion forums to share experiences and learn as a class
5. Weekly mini-quizzes to help you verify understanding
6. A set of templates for use in creating the Project Management documents used to plan and manage a project
7. A full worked example illustrating the steps used to plan a project in the real world
8. Practical hints and tips
9. “Think lists” that will help you bridge your learning from the classroom to the real world
10. Assignments to help you practice the skills learned.

All Calleam courses are facilitated by certified Project Managers with a minimum of 15 years hands on Project Management experience. Your tutor will facilitate discussions, support your learning and provide feedback on assignments. Students who successfully complete the course will be awarded a Certificate of Achievement from the “International Project Leadership Academy“.

This course is a part-time online course and typically requires between 80 and 100 hours of effort over the 12 week period. The course is fully online and although there are due dates for assignments, the course has been designed to be flexible and there are no specific times when you must be online.

For more details read our brochure.

Why choose Calleam?

Calleam is a leading Project Management consultancy focused on helping organizations ensure the success of their projects. With more than 25 years of practical experience and more than 5 years experience delivering online Project Management education, Calleam’s training leverages three dimensions: practical experience, industry standard practices and our own independent research into what it takes to make a project a success. Drawing from sources such as the International Standards Organization’s ISO-21500 Project Management practice guide, the Project Management Institute’s Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (the PMBOK^® Guide) and other reference sources, Calleam focuses on helping people achieve results by applying knowledge.

For more on Calleam’s unique research into the causes of project failure and what it takes to make a success visit us at our world leading blog: Why Projects Fail.

Who should attend?

You don’t have to be a Project Manager to find yourself in a situation in which you are managing projects. Professionals throughout the economy are finding that leading projects is becoming a part of their role. This course is suitable for:

1. People working in a project environment who see the need to improve their skills
2. Those already leading projects who want to formalize their knowledge
3. Those who want to work towards taking a Project Management role
4. Team members who want to understand the project environment better
5. Managers and Executives overseeing projects or Project Managers
6. Anyone wanting to strengthen their professional toolkit.

What people are saying

• “Excellent course material, fantastic teacher and overall the course exceeded my expectations” – FH – Canada
• “Exceeded expectations. Having completed other online courses, this was by far the best of the bunch” – AD – Vancouver, Canada
• “I feel that I’ve taken the next step in my career. I’m starting to feel comfortable that I can run projects now instead of projects running me” – CP – Ukraine
• “A fantastic introduction to the role and function of a project manager and the methods used to run projects in the real world” – MG – Halifax, Canada
• “Well sequenced. Many opportunities to interact with the tutor and other students” – DC – Mexico
• “My tutor was exceptional. He had the passion and expertise to interact with every single student. I am proud that I had the pleasure to be his student” – RA – Canada
• “Excellent materials and presentation”  – HF – North Vancouver, Canada
• “Arrived with little/no understanding of what to expect and was blown away by the effectiveness of the course material and the effectiveness of the instructor” – PL – Coquitlam
• “Thanks, you made the experience a lot of fun” – HT – Richmond

Registration

To register for this course please email us at: projectmanagement@calleam.com

Once your registration request has been received you will be contacted by our Registrations Administrator who will collect the payment via credit card (Visa or Mastercard). If you prefer to pay by check please advise the Registration Administrator once contacted.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Payment and cancellation policy: Payment in full is due at the time of registering. There is a cancellation charge of $85 if you were to cancel more than 30 days prior to the first day of class. Cancellations within 30 days of commencement of the course are non-refundable.

[1] For payments originating outside of Canada additional financial transaction fees may apply. Should such charges apply, you will be informed in advance.

PMBOK is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Duration: 1 day

Who should attend?

1. Project Managers
2. Project coordinators
3. Program Managers
4. Product Managers
5. Engineers who participate in the planning process
6. Contract Managers
7. Project Sponsors, and,
8. Anyone who feels that the scope of their projects is a source of frustrations.

Format: In-class hands-on workshop

Projects are an integral part of today’s commercial, governmental and NGO organizations. Used as tools for creating new products and services, as a framework for running events and as vehicles for bringing about change, projects are the stepping-stones of progress that make things happen.

In a fun and participatory workshop you will learn how to plan a project by participating in a facilitated planning session. Using the “learning through doing” approach, the session will immerse you in the Project Management methodology and teach you what it takes to create a meaningful plan. Covering the essential core of the Project Management Institute’s PMBOK Guide^® this course not only explains what the guide means, but gives a practical demonstration of how to apply the processes.

Using a real life case study you will participate in defining the project objectives, establishing the project scope and creation of the project plan. Guided by an expert in Project Management, the session will include mini lectures followed by immediate application of the skills discussed. Topics covered will include:

1. Defining your project and setting objectives
2. Establishing project scope and decomposing the deliverables
3. Establishing activities and estimating resources and durations
4. Building a schedule
5. Creating a budget
6. Risk identification and mitigation
7. Process and control planning
8. Project execution

At the end of the session you will have completed the planning of a project and experienced the end-to-end structured processes through which Project Managers plan and manage their work.

This course can be presented in accelerated 1-day format or in a more comprehensive and in-depth 2-day session.

Who should attend?

This course is an introductory course aimed at anyone who has a role to play in a project or who is taking on a project leadership role for the first time. It is suitable for those with no prior Project Management experience or for those who have done projects before but now want to learn about how to do things right.

Workshop outcomes

At the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Define the basic Project Management terminology
2. Explain the “Product Based Planning” approach
3. Define project objectives
4. Identify stakeholders
5. Define the scope of a project
6. Create a project schedule and a project budget
7. Create a risk register
8. Create a basic project plan for a project

Course handouts include a fully worked example illustrating the use of the tools discussed in class.

Contact us for more information and to make a booking.

The PMBOK Guide is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

The gap between the knowledge gained through the traditional classroom learning and the skills needed to function effectively in the modern workplace has been known about for many years. While the body of classroom learning focuses on preparing for standardized tests or doing simulated case studies, the dynamic and complex workplace requires applied skills that are impossible to distill simply from textbook knowledge. In years gone by the gap was less of a concern. Although it existed, employers were willing to hire, mentor and develop fresh graduates. As the global economy has become ever more competitive fewer organizations are willing to make such investments.

That shift leaves graduates entering the workforce for the first time with an up hill struggle. How do secure that first all-important job when you lack the practical skills needed? Youth unemployment is approximately double the national average here in Canada and similar patterns are found across the developed world. Add in the number of graduates who have had to put their new degree to one side as they accept jobs as baristas and you have a picture of the tough reality fresh graduates find themselves facing.

Given this new reality I see a growing realization among both students and academia that something needs to change. What are the new skills schools need to help their graduates develop? How can we better prepare under-graduate students for the competitive job-market they need to enter? Given the speed with which the global economy is transforming, such questions are pressing issues that need the urgent attention of educators at all levels of the educational ladder.

To me, one of the solutions to the problem is to transition more classes from the traditional textbook centered “sage-on-the-stage” format to the “Project Based Learning” (PBL) approach. Project Based Learning (PBL) is a learning strategy in which participants plan and execute real life projects in order to develop their skills. The PBL approach relegates the textbook to a background role and instead focuses on having students experience real world projects that they have to plan and more importantly execute!

While students are used to working on projects (many traditional course do include a degree of project work), rarely do those projects involve both planning and execution. The trouble with that traditional approach is that real lessons are only learned when you do need to execute upon your plans. As I often tell my students a plan without execution is simply a bunch of ideas floating around in a vacuum. The PBL approach goes beyond those traditional student projects by forcing students to put their plans into action to see how well they fly.

I have been utilizing the PBL method for my under-graduate “Applied Project Management” course at the University of British Columbia (UBC) for a couple of years now. The course places students into teams who start by selecting a real world project they want to accomplish. As a team they then plan the project out, execute their plan and then reflect on the outcome they attained. Challenging students to face the difficulties of making things happen in the real world students need to raise their own funding, identify and engage stakeholders, work as a team, overcome obstacles and manage risks. Is it sometimes frustrating? Yes. Does it always go according to plan? No! Do the students learn real world skills? Absolutely!

The students do still get instruction in how to plan and manage a project and as such the course is still a course that teaches the Project Management tools and techniques. Using a flexible online “Project Based Learning” kit that gives mini-lectures (in written form supported by illustrations and diagrams), samples and templates, students have access to a repository of knowledge they can draw upon as needed. The goal of the course however is put that teaching into context. The guidance I give them and the material in the Project Based Learning kit is aimed at providing solutions to the here-and-now needs of their projects or to problems the students are facing as their projects move forward. As such the learning is in context and student lead rather than a one-way street of information flowing into an out of context world that is void of need.

The results from the course are fascinating to see. There is often an awakening of how hard it is to sell ideas, engage people, making things happen on time and communicate clearly. There are high points when the team is motivated and low points where enthusiasm has dropped. All teams do eventually finish their projects, although not every project fulfills its original objectives. At the end of the day teams get the exhilaration of having accomplished something and realization of that today’s toolkit of professional skills is going to take some time to master.

If we can agree that the correlation is a valid one, then it seems sensible that one of the most important questions Project Manager’s should be asking themselves is whether or not they have created the conditions in which the team can make effective decisions. Of the Project Manager’s I talk to few have ever directly considered that question, however once the question is posed most realise that it actually represents one of the most important questions Project Managers should be asking themselves.

Although the exact conditions needed to make effective decisions may vary according to the project and its environment, there are a number of general conditions that need to be present. The following list represents a starting point for having a discussion about what the right conditions might be;

1. The team needs to have sufficient people with the right level of technical skill and knowledge
2. The team needs to have sufficient subject matter experts who have an in-depth knowledge of the target business environment in which the product produced by the project will function or exist
3. All stakeholders need to be engaged and committed to the success of the project
4. The people involved need to be collaborating with each other effectively
5. The team needs to have sufficient communications skills for the knowledge and information to be flowing effectively between people
6. The team needs to have a clear picture and agreement of where they are trying to get to so that they can align their decisions with that goal
7. The incentives and objectives of the various groups and organizations involved need to be aligned so that groups can work together towards one integrated solution
8. The team needs to establish and maintain situational awareness of their environment and the many forces and factors that are influencing the team, the product and the environment in which they are working
9. The needs to have people with sufficient authority to make key decisions actively engaged in the project
10. The people responsible for making decisions need to have accepted ownership of those decisions and be willing to commit to the decisions once made
11. Sufficient time to be able to make effective decisions

I’ve been using the list (and a slightly more sophisticated version of the list) above for quite some time now and when used properly it’s proven to be a remarkably powerful tool for assessing the likely chances of success for a project. Where teams can genuinely say that they have those conditions present, effective decisions will generally be made and the chances of success are high. Where one or more of those conditions are missing or serious degraded, then the chances of failure are high.