Executive Courses:

  • Oil and Gas Risk Management
  • Oil and Gas Project Management
  • MSP – Programme Management
  • MoP – Portfolio Management
  • Earned Value Management
  • OBASHI

 

McAllen Williams EXECUTIVE Courses

 

The McAllen Williams Executive Courses covers proven best practices designed to help organizations achieve its strategic objectives through various strategic business units. The courses are designed as an enterprise-wide approach to be implemented by organizations to achieve more optimally and to gain competitive advantage in the business environment.

 

These courses can be taken as a corporate training for organizations who seek to be or remain at the top in the industry or aspiring individuals who want to position themselves better in their organization or who seek to be the driving force for change. The courses include the following:

 

  • Oil and Gas Project Management
  • Oil and Gas Risk Management
  • MSP – Programme Management
  • MoP – Portfolio Management
  • Earned Value Management
  • OBASHI

 

 

 

Oil and Gas Project Management

Oil and gas project management refers to the unique requirements of managing science, technology, and engineering aspects of projects in the oil and gas industry. McAllen Williams Consulting provides not just the quantitative and qualitative techniques useful for managing the oil and gas projects, but it also addresses the technical and managerial aspects of projects in the oil and gas industry.

 

Thus, the technical project management is the basis for sustainable national advancement, which often depends on the development of the oil and gas industry. As such, managing oil and gas projects effectively is essential for national economic vitality. Project management is the process of managing, allocating, and timing resources to achieve a given goal in an efficient and expeditious manner.

 

Project management represents an excellent basis for integrating various management techniques such as statistics, operations research, Six Sigma, computer simulation, and so on within the oil and gas industry operations. The McAllen Williams Consulting oil and gas project management present an integrated approach to project management for oil and gas projects. The integrated approach covers the concepts, tools, and techniques (both new and tested) of project management.

 

 

 

Oil and Gas Risk Management

Every organization need to manage their risks effectively as part of their daily operations to achieve their objectives and the oil and gas companies are not an exception to this rule. Whether natural, man-made or operational risks, an effective risk management system needs to proffer solutions tailored not only to the industry, but also to the specific area of business unit in which it operates. An approach effective for an offshore installation may not be the best for pipeline installation.

McAllen Williams Consulting is positioned to assist the oil and gas companies to effectively manage risk by identifying, assessing and controlling the risks affecting the achievement of objectives which may include creating a holistic risk management system robust enough to handle all aspect of the business susceptible to risk. Therefore, our training is designed to provide a structured and systematic approach, enabling a risk management plan suitable for an organization. This will ultimately lower project risk exposure, and equally result in reduced cost.

Oil and gas industry is a complex industry and risk management is one of the most important issues facing it. The industry is prone to a lot of uncertainties and is affected by both global risks (political, environmental, commercial and legal) and element risks (operation, construction, financial and revenue generation). These risks encountered both upstream and downstream need to be adequately addressed so as to ensure commercial viability of an oil and gas project. Thus, participants will learn how to manage their risk in a prioritized manner and be able to communicate risk judgment effectively.

 

MSP – Managing Successful Programmes

Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) was developed as a best practice guide on Programme Management. The guide comprises a set of Principles and a set of Processes for use when managing a programme. A programme can simply be defined as a set of project managed together to deliver a set of outcomes and benefits related to the organization’s strategic objectives.

MSP represents proven programme management best practice in the successful delivery of transformational change through the application of programme management.

MSP is very flexible and designed to be adapted to meet the needs of local circumstances.

MSP Framework

The MSP framework is based on three core concepts:

  • MSP Principles. These are derived from positive and negative lessons learned from programme experiences. They are the common factors that underpin the success of any transformational change
  • MSP Governance Themes. These define an organization’s approach to programme management. They allow an organization to put in place the right leadership, delivery team, organization structures and controls, giving the best chance for success
  • MSP Transformational Flow. This provides a route through the lifecycle of a programme from its conception through to the delivery of the new capability, outcomes and benefits.

Benefits for Individuals

  • Utilize best practice in programme management to successfully deliver transformational change.
  • Carry out the coordinated organization, direction and implementation of a dossier of projects and transformation activities to achieve outcomes and realize benefits of strategic importance to the business.
  • Manage the transition of the solutions developed and delivered by projects into the organization’s operations, whilst maintaining performance and effectiveness.
  • Encourage realistic expectations of the organizational capacity and ability to change.
  • Lead business transformation accommodating high levels of complexity, ambiguity and risk.

Benefits for Organizations

  • Align corporate strategy, delivery mechanisms for change and the business-as-usual environment.
  • Continually monitor progress, assess performance and realize benefits.
  • Apply a common framework of understanding for all programmes.
  • Add value by focusing on benefits.
  • Encourage feedback in order to refine future strategies based on evidence from programmes.

Foundation Level

The purpose of the foundation level is to confirm you have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the MSP guidance to interact effectively with those involved in the management of a programme or act as an informed member of a Programme office team, business change team or project delivery team working within an environment supporting MSP. The foundation qualification is also a pre-requisite for the practitioner certification.

Exam Format

  • Multiple choice
  • 75 questions per paper with 1 mark available per question
  • 5 questions to be trial and not counted in scores
  • 35 marks required to pass (out of 70 available) – 50%
  • 60 minutes duration
  • Closed book.

Practitioner Level

The purpose of the practitioner level is to confirm you have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the MSP guidance to act as an informed member of a programme management team. This level is also required for programme management professionals progressing toward the advanced practitioner certification, and those aspiring to become programme management professionals in the future.

Exam Format

  • Objective testing
  • 8 questions per paper
  • 40 marks required to pass (out of 80 available) – 50%
  • Two-and-a-half hours duration
  • Open-book (only the MSP Guide is allowed).

Advanced Practitioner Level

The purpose of the advanced practitioner level is to confirm you could lead a programme of transformational change.

Exam Format

  • Essay based
  • up to 3 questions per paper, 75 marks available in total
  • 38 marks required to pass (out of 75 available) – 50%
  • Three hours duration
  • Open-book (other material in the form of course notes, examples, copies of presentations, etc. can be used during this examination but no electronic aids, such as laptops, may be used).

 

 

 

MoP – Management of Portfolios

Portfolio management is defined as a coordinated collection of strategic processes and decisions that together enable the most effective balance of organizational change and business as usual.

Management of Portfolios (MoP) approaches the management of change projects and programmes from a strategic viewpoint. It provides an overview of all change activities including what is in the portfolio, what it is costing, what risks are faced, what progress is being made, and what the impact is on business as usual and the organization’s strategic objectives.

Benefits for Individuals

  • Ensure successful delivery in terms of time, quality, budget and benefits realization.
  • Improve engagement and communication between senior management and staff.
  • Offer more informed resource allocation, improved delivery and greater benefits realization going forward.
  • Prioritize programmes and projects in terms of their contribution to your organization’s strategic objectives and overall level of risk.
  • Provide a means for greater efficiency in the delivery of change initiatives via improved resource planning, dependency management and streamlined procedures.

Benefits for Organizations

  • Remove redundant, duplicate and poorly performing programmes and projects.
  • Improve coordination of existing functions and processes.
  • Ensure constrained resources are allocated to optimize strategic impact, coordinate delivery and maintain strategic alignment.
  • Invest in programmes and projects in the context of the current environmental conditions and better coordinate investment in programmes and projects, improve the management of risk and encourage collaborative working.
  • Enhance transparency, accountability and corporate governance.

Foundation Level

The purpose of the Foundation certification is to confirm you have sufficient knowledge and understanding to work as an informed member of a Portfolio Office or in a range of portfolio management roles. The Foundation level is also a pre-requisite for the Practitioner certification.

Exam Format

  • Multiple choice
  • 50 questions per paper
  • 25 marks required to pass (out of 50 available) – 50%
  • 40 minutes duration
  • Closed book.

Practitioner Level

The purpose of the Practitioner certification is to confirm you have achieved sufficient understanding of how to apply and tailor the MoP guidance and to analyse portfolio data, documentation and roles in relation to a scenario situation. You should, with suitable support, be able to advice on the implementation of appropriate practices and techniques, and apply the method to a live portfolio, but may not be sufficiently skilled to do this appropriately for all situations. Your individual expertise, the complexity of the portfolio, and the support provided will also influence the impact the Practitioner can achieve.

Exam Format

  • Objective testing
  • 4 questions per paper with 20 marks available per question – all question items will be worth 1 mark, making the total number of marks available per paper 80
  • 40 marks required to pass (out of 80 available) – 50%
  • 3 hours duration
  • Open book exam (MoP guide only).

 

 

 

Earned Value Management

Earned Value Management (EVM) is a project control process based on a structured approach to planning, cost collection and performance measurement. It facilitates the integration of project scope, time and cost objectives and the establishment of a baseline plan for performance measurement.

The establishment of a Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) is essential to conducting successful EVM and consists of:

  • Defined scope and assumptions
  • Activities scheduled in logical sequence
  • Resources / costs (labour and materials)

APMG-International is working in partnership with the Association for Project Management Earned Value Specific Interest Group.

Benefits for Individuals

  • Enhance tracking, monitoring and project and financial management skills.
  • Facilitate the integration of project scope, time and cost objectives and the establishment of a baseline plan for performance measurement.
  • Demonstrate to stakeholders whether or not they are getting value for money and make suggestions as to how value can be increased.
  • Provide an objective measurement of what has been achieved on a project in relation to cost, scope and timescales.
  • Enable accurate forecasting for projects and programmes and detailed project comparisons across programmes.

Benefits for Organizations

  • Apply to a wide range of projects regardless of size and complexity.
  • Identify the value of what will be delivered from a project and track progress.
  • Build on and enforce superior project management practice and underpin good corporate governance. Introduction of EVM can drive the cultural and organizational change key to supporting these objectives.
  • Provide project management information in a format that is easy for all stakeholders to understand and act upon.
  • Acts as an early warning system that allows the timely identification and analysis of progress and cost issues and corrective actions to identified.

Foundation Level

The Foundation level course provides a comprehensive overview to EVM terminology and methods. It is designed for Project Managers, managers, department heads, and others who need a better understanding of the elements of EVM. The Foundation exam tests the candidate’s knowledge of Earned Value terminology.

Exam Format

  • Multiple Choice
  • 40 questions per paper
  • 26 marks or more required to pass (out of 40 available) – 65%
  • 60 minutes duration
  • Closed book (simple calculator).

Practitioner Level

The purpose of the Practitioner certification is to confirm whether you have achieved sufficient understanding of the theory and application of Earned Value Management to allow you to work successfully in an Earned Value Management environment.

As a successful Practitioner candidate you should, with suitable direction be able to start applying the method to a real project, but may not be sufficiently skilled to do this appropriately for all situations.

This certification is aimed at people who have worked (and are working) in an Earned Value Management environment for a period of two years. This will include a wide range of people working on Earned Value based projects including project managers, control account managers, project planners and project analysts.

Exam Format

  • Objective testing
  • 4 questions per paper, 20 marks available per question
  • 40 marks or more required to pass (out of 80 available) – 50%
  • Three hours duration
  • Open book (Earned Value Management Handbook).

 

 

 

OBASHI

OBASHI® is a breakthrough in Information Technology thinking that will enable you to clearly see how your business actually works facilitating better decisions as a result.

OBASHI allows you to create a visual map that shows:

  • how your business works
  • the assets that make it work
  • the inter-dependencies between those assets
  • a clear pathway for refining company processes and procedures.

With OBASHI you can design, monitor and optimize your business better; in a way which is easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to communicate across the rest of the business.

Whether your challenge is reducing costs, driving competitive advantage or both; you need to think OBASHI.

The OBASHI methodology is sequential and consists of 6 layers:

  • Ownership
  • Business Process
  • Application
  • System
  • Hardware
  • Infrastructure

These layers are mapped out in a Business and IT diagram (B&IT) which provides the framework to store this information usefully.

The OBASHI B&IT diagram is a universally useful tool because it helps simplify business complexity in a way which everyone can see and understand. For the first time you will actually be able to see how activities, processes and the supporting technical infrastructure are linked to deliver the required business outputs. If you can see and understand the challenges that your business face, then you are better placed to make the right decisions in order to help make your business better.

Benefits for Individuals

  • Provide a structure for capturing and showing the relationships and dependencies between business assets, IT assets and resources.
  • Create a visual map of an organization in order to understand the current state of the business before implementing change.
  • Map how data flows around a business to highlight how the business works and document logical and physical relationships.
  • Connect silos that exist within a current operation without compromising existing IT structure.
  • Deliver benefits at every level of the organization and facilitate corporate strategic thinking.

Benefits for Organizations

  • Get a clear picture of how the business works and accurately understand cost and value of IT to the business.
  • Use a common language and universally understood methodology to overcome departmental silos and attain better understanding of operational risk.
  • Transform productivity by effectively managing budget cuts while maintaining output levels.
  • Offer a transparent and holistic view of the current business state when developing business cases or dealing with mergers and acquisitions.
  • Assess how best to reduce electricity consumption, meet sustainability targets and support ISO/IEC 20000 compliance.

Certification

This level aims to measure whether you can act as an informed member of a management team which is using the OBASHI method to understand and assess an organization. To this end you need to show you understand the principles and terminology of the method.

Exam Format

  • Multiple choice
  • 50 questions per paper
  • 30 marks required to pass (out of 50 available) – 60%
  • 60 minutes duration
  • Closed-book.