CDU's and PDU's

            The highlights for this week at babsim were Project Management and Business Analysis. 

Dave Wirick was back again (I think he’s just going to move in) with a packed class this week and it was a huge success!  Our PMP class is really hot right now, and the next one on tap is nearly full.  If you want to get some of the best Project Management training in the country you need to sign up ASAP!  Here are the next couple dates:

BAB520: PMP 1-2-3: A Guide to Preparing for the PMP Exam 

8/15/11-8/19/11 and 10/3/11-10/7/11

This workshop is intended to prepare you to successfully take the PMP^® exam, and the flow of the course is directed toward that end. The workshop will employ a case study that will be referred to throughout.

On the Business Analysis side of things, we ran another successful CBAP class this week and we have a full slate of BA classes coming at you for the rest of the year!

BAB609: Business Analysis Principles and Techniques: CBAP Exam Prep

9/19/11-9/23/11

This workshop is intended to provide knowledge of what a business analyst should do and how they should do it. More importantly, however, this workshop is designed to build a strong foundation in business analysis that can allow participants to understand why something should be done. It's that "why" element that allows for understanding and
answering test questions.

BAB608: Business Analysis Essentials

10/17/11-10/19/11

The best way to ensure that projects meet the needs for which they were initiated is to apply a consistent requirements process and requirements management methods and tools. The goal of this workshop is to enhance the skills of project teams including those engaged in requirements elicitation and management and to increase the capability of an
organization to deliver products and services that meet user and stakeholder needs. It provides an overview and application of the processes of requirements management and is intended to allow participants to build requirements management processes that can help them increase the success of their projects

BAB607: Business Analysis Theory and Practice

11/14/11-11/18/11

A critical role in requirements elicitation and management is played by the business analyst. Business analysts serve as the link between the business interests served by the project and the technology that will be employed to deliver the functionality required by it.
They are responsible for translating business needs into language that systems analysts can turn into a solution, for framing the problem and identifying the most appropriate solution. They keep the project focused on the needs for which it was initiated. They are often charged with gathering, documenting, and testing requirements, especially in software development and implementation projects.

I’ll be back next week with updates from the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference!

-Matt

Behold the ScrumMaster!!!

We have another exciting announcement this week at Babsim.  One of our lead instructors for Project Management and Business Analysis, David Wirick, has recently been awarded the Mary Marvel award for Best Instructor at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at THE Ohio State University.  This award is voted on by the graduating class each year, and this is the third time Dave has won this award in the last four years.  I like to think that if we had a similar award here at Babsim Dave would win that one as well.  He’s pretty good to say the least.

In other exciting news this week, we had our first Certified ScrumMaster course over the last couple of days, and the class pretty much had free reign over our lobby.  Tom Mellor (CST) led the class and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience here to Babsim. Tom is a Certified ScrumMaster, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Certified Scrum Professional, and Certified Scrum Trainer . He is a past board member and past chairman of the board of the Scrum Alliance and a frequent speaker at industry conferences.  He has been active in business operations and management since 1980 and has worked in State Farm’s IT department since 2001.  He introduced Scrum into State Farm in 2004 and now champions, trains, and coaches Scrum-based product development throughout the department. He also advocates for use of better software engineering practices and for transformation to a more agile culture and environment.  He leads, coaches and supports various technical product development projects using Scrum and helps teams acclimate and adjust to the nuances of agile-based work environments and collaborative development.   

Here is a photo of Tom (the tall one) and Co-Trainer Brian Levy.   

Here are some shots of the class doing some group activities and problem solving.

 

I mentioned earlier that the group had free reign over our lobby.  I wasn't kidding. 

 When we say hands on learning, we actually mean HANDS ON LEARNING.

We plan to offer the Certified ScrumMaster course again on September 24-25.  You didn’t read that wrong, it is a Saturday and Sunday.  This will allow for students who aren’t able to get time off during the week to attend this unique training.  Please sign up on our website to reserve your seat in the class now!

-MJM  

Cisco, Business Analysis and Scrum

I want to start out this week with a milestone.  The IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysts) recently surpassed the 20,000 member mark!  Below is the announcement from the IIBA.

“IIBA is pleased to announce that we have achieved a major milestone—we now have more than 20,000 members worldwide.  We would like to extend a special thank you to our new and renewing members—we could not have reached this significant goal without your support!  We are pleased to have you as a member of the world’s leading professional association for business analysis.  The membership of IIBA doubled in just over two years.  We reached 10,000 members in April of 2009.  There has never been a better time to be an IIBA member. IIBA offers many member benefits designed to support your professional development as a BA and help you perform better in your daily job. And we are adding even more benefits this year.”

Not a member of IIBA? Visit the IIBA website www.iiba.org to learn more about the many member benefits and join today!

For all the Business Analyst out there we have some great Business Analysis courses coming up over the next few months here at Babsim, so please take a look at the schedule below and get you registration in ASAP to reserve your spot!

BAB609: Business Analysis Principles and Techniques 7/11/11-7/15/11

BAB607: Business Analysis Theory and Practice 7/18/11-7/22/11

BAB608: Business Analysis Essentials 10/17/11-10/19/11

Also there’s still time to get a seat in our CSM: Certified ScrumMaster course starting next Thursday 6/30/11. If you’re going to be a master of something, why not Scrum?!?!

I’m also pleased to announce that our first venture with our partners at Sunset Learning into the world of Cisco was a HUGE success.  One of our students mentioned to me that this was the most fun he’d had in a training class in the last ten years.  If you missed out this week don’t worry, there are plenty of Cisco courses popping up on our schedule for the remainder of the year so check them out!

See you next week,

-MJM  

Security and PDU's

Last week we had our Security Seminar, “Hackers are out to get you.  Are you safe?”  It was presented by Tim Pierson and was a HUGE success!  We actually sold out in less than two days.  No need to worry however, we’ll be having the seminar a couple more times this year so be on the lookout for updates.  Below are a couple pictures from the event.  It’s amazing what you can get out of a lunch hour!

                                 Tim showing off his CBS News appearance.

    

This week was very busy also, and the highlight was our full ITIL Service Offerings and Agreements class.  Speaking of acquiring those Professional Development Units (PDU), our Project Management course, PMP 1-2-3: A Guide to Preparing for the PMP Exam, is coming up on June 27^th and seats are filling up fast so sign up now!  Whether you’ve been cramming for the PMP exam on your own for months, or haven’t even begun to study yet, this is the class for you!  Remember, if you’ve taken our PMP class in the past or plan to take it in a couple weeks, you will be able to sit in the class one more time at no charge for up to a year per our Audit policy.  This is a great way to get one last “cram session” in before that pesky exam.

We look forward to seeing you all in our upcoming classes, and remember to check back here next week for more updates from Babsim!

-Matt  

IT Security and Scrum Training

It’s another busy week here at Babsim, and it’s only going to get busier!  This week we welcomed back Tim Pierson to teach our Ethical Hacking Concepts class.  Tim is a world renowned instructor in the security field and has been teaching Babsim IT Security classes for many years.  This Thursday from Noon-1pm he will present the seminar Hackers are out to get you.  Are you safe?  This seminar is FREE and open to the public.  Have you ever wanted to know how hackers are getting into your cell phone, computer or even ATM’s?  This is your opportunity to find out.  Not only that, but you will be provided with ways to protect yourself out there in the digital world.  Seats are limited, so please sign up via the link above to reserve yours ASAP!  If 60 minutes of Tim’s expertise isn’t enough, then join us for other upcoming Security and VMware courses that Tim will lead here at Babsim.  Below are scheduled courses through the end of July!

CISSP Certification 6/27/11-7/1/11

Vmware vSphere 4.1 7/11/11-7/15/11

Ethical Hacking Concepts 7/25/11-7/29/11

Security isn’t the only name of the game this week; we also featured a very successful Agile Management course led by Brian Levy earlier in the week.  Over the next couple months we will feature a variety of Agile and Scrum courses with Brian and others here in the classroom.  Here is a look at the schedule!

CSM: Certified Scrum Master 6/30/11-7/1/11

AGM: Agile Practices for Managers 7/28/11-7/29/11

We hope to see you at the Security Seminar tomorrow during your lunch hour, and remember to sign up ASAP!!!

-Matt