Focus Groups & Survey's

A focus group is a means to elicit ideas and attitudes about a specific product, service or opportunity in an interactive group environment. The participants share their impressions, preferences and needs, guided by a moderator.

 

Focus groups provide an opportunity for individuals to share their own perspectives and discuss them in a group setting. This could lead participants to re-evaluate their own perspectives in light of others’ experiences.

A focus group typically consists of 6-12 attendees , and the topic of the focus group will influence who should be recruited to the meeting.  A trained moderator is required to manage the administrative pre-work, facilitate the session and produce a report on the findings of the focus group session.

 

These can be utilized during any life-cycle state: exploratory, under development, ready to launch, or in production. If the group’s topic is a product under development, the group’s ideas are analyzed in relationship to the stated requirements. This may result in updating existing requirements or uncovering new requirements. If the topic is a completed product that is ready to be launched, the group’s report could influence how to position the product in the market. If the topic is a product in production, the group’s report may provide direction on the revisions to the next release of requirements.

 

Advantages of focus groups:

• Ability to elicit data from a group of people in a single session saves time and cost as compared to conducting individual interviews with the same number of people
• Effective for learning people’s attitudes, experiences and desires
• Active discussion creates an environment where participants can consider their personal view in relation to other perspectives

Disadvantages of focus groups:

• In the group setting, participants may be concerned about issues of trust, or may be unwilling to discuss sensitive or personal topics
• Data collected (what people say) may not be consistent with how people actually behave
• It may be difficult to schedule the group for the same date and time
• If the goal of the focus group is to elicit ideas on a new or changing product, a focus group is not an effective way to evaluate usability

 

 

Certified Business Analysis Professional - CBAP ©

If you are interested in becoming certified in the field of business analysis, please take some time to read through the information below (which was taken from the Internation Institute of Business Analysis website)...

The Certified Business Analysis ProfessionalTM (CBAP®) designation is a professional certification for individuals with extensive business analysis experience. With at least 7500 hours of hands-on BA experience, CBAP® recipients are the elite, senior members of the BA community.

CBAP® recipients are experts in identifying the business needs of an organization in order to determine the best solutions. More and more companies are recognizing the CBAP® designation and the value and expertise that these professionals bring to their organizations.

You will want to consider the many professional benefits of earning the CBAP® designation if you have an advanced level of knowledge and experience and are working in any of the following roles:

• Business Analysis
• Systems Analysis
• Requirements Management and Analysis
• Process Improvement
• Consulting

To earn the CBAP^® designation, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Minimum 7500 hours of BA work experience aligned with the BABOK^® Guide in the last 10 years
• Minimum 900 hours in four of the six knowledge areas
• Minimum 21 hours of Professional Development in the past four years
• Two references from a career manager, client or CBAP^® recipient
• Signed Code of Conduct

Applicants are expected to review the CBAP^® handbook for complete information on the application criteria, fees and details on how to apply.

Project Management Professional - PMP ©

If you are interested in becoming certified in the field of project management, please take some time to read through the information below (which was taken from the Project Management Institutes website)...

PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP)^® credential is the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers. Globally recognized and demanded, the PMP^® demonstrates that you have the experience, education and competency to successfully lead and direct projects.  According to the PMI Salary Survey — Sixth Edition, a PMP increases your salary up to 10% more than your non-credentialed colleagues and peers.

 

Who should apply?

The PMP recognizes demonstrated competence in leading and directing project teams. If you’re an experienced project manager looking to solidify your skills, stand out to employers and maximize your earning potential, the PMP credential is the right choice for you.

 

PMP Requirements

To apply for the PMP, you need to have either:

• A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent) and at least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.
  
  OR
• A secondary diploma (high school or the global equivalent) with at least five years of project management experience, with 7,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.

If you do not meet the PMP eligibility requirements, you may want to look at the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^® certification.

How to Apply

• To apply for the PMP, register and log in to our online system to get started. A printable PMP application form is also available.
• Need more information? Get more information on the PMP’s role and requirements. For a more detailed look, consult the PMP Handbook.
• If you’re ready to take the exam, the PMP exam preparation can get you started.

 

Maintain Your PMP

As part of PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements program, a PMP credential holder will need to earn 60 PDUs per three-year cycle. To learn more about the program, what are PDUs, how to earn and claim them, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to renew your certification, watch the CCR video.

Project Management: Project Governance

The ubiquitous nature of PMO's, and the development of program and portfolio management across enterprises, offer evidence for the need of a systematic and repeatable framework for managing projects & delivering upon strategic objectives. The role of project governance is further evidence in providing a decision making framework that is logical, robust and repeatable to govern an organization’s capital investments.

Project governance provides a comprehensive, consistent method of controlling a project and ensuring its success. It is a management framework within which major project decisions are made. This decision making framework is supported by 3 pillars:

1. Structure - this refers to the governance committee structure. Most projects include the use of a Project Board, or Project Steering Committee, composed of various stakeholders and stakeholder groups who provide guidance, direction and control to a project within an organization. The functions of the committee might including building a business case for the project, planning, providing assistance and guidance, monitoring the progress, controlling the project scope and resolving conflicts.
2. People - the effectiveness of the committee structure is dependent upon the people that populate the various governance committees. Committee membership is determined by the nature of the project.
3. Information - this concerns the information that informs decision makers and consists of regular reports on the project, issues and risks that have been escalated by the Project Manager and certain key documents that describe the project, foremost of which is the business case.

Project governance frameworks should be based around a number of core principles in order to ensure their effectiveness:

• Principle 1: Ensure a single point of accountability for the success of the project
• Principle 2: Project ownership independent of those who have sponsored the project, allowing for a more objective approach to evaluating scope and project requirements
• Principle 3: Ensure separation of stakeholder management and project decision making activities
• Principle 4: Ensure separation of project governance and organisational governance structures

Proper project governance will:

• Outline the relationships between all internal and external groups involved in the project
• Describe the proper flow of information regarding the project
• Ensure the appropriate review of issues encountered within each project
• Ensure that required approvals and direction for the project is obtained at each appropriate stage of the project