Class is in session! Capstone is pleased to offer another fantastic Master Class coming up next month. Business Analyst Breakthroughs is a comprehensive course focused on this diverse role that is always in demand. Business Analysts are investigators and problem solvers by nature and often stumble into their role quite by accident. By enrolling in Capstone's Business Analyst Breakthroughs Master Class, you will be introduced to the formal role and what is expected; plus some helpful tools you'll be able to use throughout your career. Click HERE to learn more and scroll down to our Events section to sign-up. Class begins on June 6th and seating is limited.  

The Capstone team has always believed in the importance of sustainability in the workplace and have practiced and promoted it over the years. Recently our team has come together to formalize and post our Sustainability Guidelines. We are striving toward meeting or exceeding our guidelines everyday. Our team is extremely comfortable working remotely in an online environment cutting down on the need to commute and for business travel. If you'd like to learn about Capstone's commitment to sustainability, click HERE. 

Do you need a new business and/or project management solution? Capstone's PMO Broker helps you select the right tool for your team. Through our proven PMO Broker process and our team's extensive knowledge of the numerous platforms available today, we will find the best solution for you. Click HERE to learn more about PMO Broker. 

Don't forget to check out our upcoming events! Scroll down to get more information and register for our next Encore demonstration and sign-up for our next Master Class: Business Analyst Breakthroughs. 

Access Awareness Week is May 29th - June 4th. For 35 years Nova Scotians have recognized the last week in May to raise awareness on accessibility and recognize and promote inclusion for people with disabilities. Access Awareness Week is the longest running annual event regarding accessibility in Nova Scotia since the Man in Motion world tour. The Capstone team is proud to be working with the Government of Nova Scotia on the Built Environment Accessibility Standard by providing project management services. Creating an accessible province for people with disabilities means more than building ramps and accessible restrooms. It calls for a change in overall attitudes, where everyone is included in all aspects of our society. To learn more and find out how you can get involved, click HERE. 

Data management is becoming more important than ever. Businesses are often making key decisions based on data they can't see or understand. Data management is the practice of constructing and maintaining a framework for ingesting, storing, mining and archiving the data integral to a modern business. It has a symbiotic relationship with process management, ensuring that the actions teams take are informed by the cleanest, most current data available - which in today's world means tracking changes and trends in realtime. 

The Capstone team has some of the best data management and modeling professionals ready to help your business make informed decisions to guide your success. 

Check out all of the services available to you through Capstone-on-Demand by clicking HERE.

Want to learn more about Encore and how this powerful business and project management tool can help your organization? The Capstone team hosts free Encore demonstrations on the last Monday of each month for anyone wishing to attend.

The next free Encore demonstration will be held today Monday, May 30th at 4:00pm AST.

As a solution provider, the business analyst is responsible for investigating business needs and problems. Thereby, capturing requirements for improvement and coming up with a solution that aligns with the business' goals. Furthermore, through research and collaborating with the stakeholders, business analysts build up a solid understanding of the current processes within an enterprise and carefully analyze the information to identify the best way to implement change. 

So you want to be a Project Manager? You think you have what it takes? We're bringing you the 7 essential skills required to be a successful Project Manager, aka a Professional Cat Herder.

• Effective Communication From project kick-offs to stakeholder meetings, project managers are constantly communicating. Researchers have found that project managers spend a whopping 90 percent of their time communicating in some way. As such, project managers must have excellent communication skills in order to successfully lead projects to completion. Project managers should prioritize learning how to communicate effectively which includes knowing how to approach people, create meaningful relationships with co-workers, and articulate a clearly established vision of what you wish to achieve. Taking the time to think about what you want to say—and how you want to say it—prior to communicating is a simple and productive first step toward honing this skill set.

• Negotiation From managing resources, to engaging suppliers, to dealing with team conflict, leading a project means constantly being involved in negotiations. An effective project manager is often a skillful negotiator with the ability to keep involved parties content and working toward a unified goal at all times. Unavoidable discussions about budgets, scope creep, resources, and timelines can easily become adversarial if not handled tactfully, and savvy project managers instinctively know when—and how—to apply persuasive techniques that will encourage solutions and avoid damaging workplace relationships.

• Scheduling and Time Management Naturally, scheduling is a core facet of the project management function. However, if you’re adept at juggling multiple schedules and can anticipate roadblocks before they occur, you’ll increase your chances of delivering successful projects. The most common causes of project failure involve poor planning, and include changing priorities within an organization, inaccurate requirements, changes in project objectives, and undefined project goals. As this shows, time management is clearly a valuable project management skill to attain.

• Leadership When managing a team or project, it’s crucial to have strong leadership skills. By effectively coaching, guiding, and motivating your co-workers, you can help move a project forward and deliver a positive outcome. Strong leaders also foster a productive work environment by communicating regularly with their teams and helping their employees develop important project management skills themselves. Teams also work more efficiently when employees feel they are making a meaningful contribution to the project. You can help team members feel impactful by learning how to delegate tasks, provide constructive feedback, set goals, and evaluate individual and team performance. Be sure to recognize the achievements of your team members so they know you value their contributions, as well.

• Technical Expertise Successful project managers must not only possess the aforementioned soft skills but also have the technical know-how to move projects toward completion. PMs who can “speak the language” of their organization’s subject matter experts will be able to communicate more effectively with their teams and have a better understanding of a project’s inherent risks and potential roadblocks. Additionally, a practical understanding of popular project management software can have a positive impact on a project manager’s work. These types of programs are frequently used to plan, organize, and communicate with teammates while simultaneously managing resources, budgets, and schedules. In today’s world, this means project managers must also constantly evolve, learning how to leverage the newest technologies available to successfully lead a project to completion. 

• Risk Management Risk management, which involves identifying and planning for potential risks, is a critical competency for project managers. The most productive PMs are able to identify risks at the outset of a project and develop proper mitigation plans in the event that the risk does, in fact, occur. Since risks are, by definition, uncertain events, it’s easy for project managers to ignore them and assume they will not happen. But by knowing—and acknowledging—what positive or negative impacts may happen to the project if the risk does occur, project managers can plan ahead to avoid major problems that might otherwise derail a project.

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving While critical thinking is a skill all professionals could benefit from learning, it is particularly useful in the project management discipline. Rather than being reactive, the best project managers are proactive and use their critical thinking skills to navigate through tricky or ambiguous projects. By remaining objective, analyzing the facts, and evaluating options without bias, project managers are able to solve complex problems for organizations while delivering results on time and within budget.

Thanks to Northeastern University for the great content and information.