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Project management is an area of expertise that has undergone some significant development in the last decade. A business project can have a far-reaching effect on the business and result in either tremendous improvement in the businesses ability to function in the marketplace or a significant setback to that business entity.

The idea of a formalized project management approach has been around for quite some time. So it was not uncommon for any manager to find themselves learning the discipline of a structured project management system. That project methodology takes any given business or IT project through the same standardized steps from conception through implementation. Those steps would include…

- Project definition – Needs analysis and requirements definition – Cost benefit analysis – Project scope – Project schedule and budget – Detailed specifications – Development – Testing – Training – Deployment

By utilizing a standardized process of doing all projects the same way, using the same reporting methods and tools, there is an economy of skills in that the project leaders and team members become adept at navigating these steps. Further, by using the same systems and criteria, a scale of evaluation as to the effectiveness of the system is developed so the ability of project teams to do well over time improves.

It was probably inevitable that this standardized method would become codified and finally developed into a well-developed system that could that moulds all projects to a single standard. By developing an industry wide method that requires strict training and adherence to the same terms, tool sets and definitions of success, the “intuitive” nature of judging project effectiveness is reduced. And so ‘the Project Management Method” was developed whereby project managers can undergo strenuous and exacting training in a standardized method that would be enforced via certification across the whole of the business community.

Whether or not the PMM represents a curse or a blessing to the business world depends to a large extent on individual applications of the method and measurements and observations on whether the method itself introduces efficiency to the process of project management or just another layer of bureaucracy. .

There are definitely significant benefits to utilizing a methodology that is standardized at an industry level. Those project managers who have gone through the certification process can be depended on to implement that system the same way in each business setting. As such, the process of finding qualified project managers becomes simplified because the certification process alone communicates to the business that it can expect the PMM system to be implemented correctly.

Through the implementation of an external method of certification and measurement of excellence, the project manager career begins to take a high level of professionalism similar to in the legal and medical fields. So the PMM movement represents a maturing of the IT and project management disciplines as they move toward greater levels of accountability and control.

The dangers come in implementation of the PMM methodology on a project by project basis. In order for a PMM certified manager to live by his credentials, all projects must conform to a standard mould. The unique nature of each project may not easily fit into the PMM process of systematization.

In addition, the PMM system is heavily dependent on a large amount of meetings to document that the project is adhering to standards and a methodical documentation process from which there is little room for variation or accommodation. The PMM is a complex methodology so the tool sets that must be used to track the process can be expensive and difficult to use.

As a result, the introduction of the PMM system can cause the actual business objectives of the project to take on a secondary priority to the high standards of PMM itself. Project leaders working under the requirements of the PMM can become more accountable to the methodology itself and lose sight of what is good for the business or what is efficient in terms of getting the project completed.

The PMM leaves very little room for creativity or individual judgment and that is problematic because the nature of business problems have historically depended on the judgment and creative problem solving skills of middle management. By dominating the project process with the needs of the PMM methodology, excessive cost is introduced as well as cumbersome requirements that do not benefit the business or the project itself.

We recommend Macresource Computer Training for Microsoft Project classes

As well as using the mouse, Microsoft Word 2007 offers a number of handy options for selecting text via the keyboard. Most of these options involve using the Shift key together with other keys. In addition, there are also some techniques which rely entirely on the keyboard.

Shift-click

Shift can also be used in conjunction with the cursor keys to highlight characters, words, lines or paragraph. To use these techniques, begin by using the cursor keys on your keyboard to position the cursor where you want your highlighting the start. To highlight character by character press the right or left arrow depending on the direction that you want to move in. To select line by line pressed the down arrow or up arrow depending on the required direction. To deselect some of the highlighted text, move the cursor in the opposite direction. To remove the highlight completely, press any cursor key without the Shift key held down.

Using Shift and Control

A more well-known technique is click followed by Shift-click. To use this technique, click to mark the start of the area that needs to be highlighted. Next, hold down the Shift key and click to mark the point where you want the highlighting to end. All text between the two clicks will then be highlighted.

Using Shift and Control

The Shift key can also be used in conjunction with the Control key. For example, beginning at the start of the document, if you hold down Control and Shift and press the right arrow, you will select word by word instead of character by character. Similarly if you press Control, Shift and the down arrow, you select paragraph by paragraph.

Using Shift and Control

The Shift key can also be used in conjunction with the Control key. For example, beginning at the start of the document, if you hold down Control and Shift and press the right arrow, you will select word by word instead of character by character. Similarly if you press Control, Shift and the down arrow, you select paragraph by paragraph.

As well as using Shift, you can use Control-Shift. Control-Shift Home will select from the cursor position to the start of the document. Control-Shift end will select from the cursor position to the end of the document.

Shift and click

Let’s finish with a technique that everyone should be using: click followed by Shift-click. To use this technique, click to mark the start of the area that needs to be highlighted. Next, hold down the Shift key and click to mark the point where you want the highlighting to end. All text between the two clicks will then be highlighted.

Author is a developer and trainer with a UK IT training company offering Microsoft Word 2007 training courses, as well as Word VBA training in London and throughout the UK.

Although Excel’s Print Preview facility is very handy, it is purely a preview mode. You can’t work on your data while in Print Preview mode. In addition to Print Preview, Excel 2007 offers two new modes of working which offer similar benefits to Print Preview while allowing you full access to your data. To access these modes, click on one of the buttons on the right of the Excel status bar. Here you will find buttons that can take you from Normal mode to Page Layout or to Page Break Preview.

Normal mode is the Excel’s default mode. In Normal mode, the focus is on modifying and entering your data without thinking too much about pagination. If you print or preview your data, Excel will paginate the worksheet and insert dotted lines to show you the page breaks. This is normally the only feedback you will get which relates to the printed version of your document.

By contrast, Page Layout view gives you a permanent preview of where page breaks will occur and which data will be printed on which pages. When in Page Layout view, zoom out so that you can see more of the worksheet and you’ll notice that Excel displays margins on the left, right, top and bottom, as well as headers and footers. However, the great thing is that Page Layout view not simply a preview mode. You still have access to all the data within your worksheet and you can edit each of the cells it contains. If the printed version of your worksheet is particularly important, you may find it convenient to stay in this mode permanently; particularly if you have the benefit of a large monitor.

Excel’s third mode is called Page Break Preview. When you click on the Page Break Preview button that Excel conveniently zooms out so that you can see more of your worksheet. Page Break Preview mode is not dissimilar to Normal mode. Like Normal mode, it is not WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) and neither headers and footers nor margins are shown. However, the key difference between Normal mode and Page Break Preview mode is that, when you’re working in Page Break Preview mode, the page break margins can be dragged.

This is a very useful facility: if you want to force a given column of data onto the next page, you just drag the blue dotted line representing the page break to the left of that column. It’s a deceptively simple feature. In fact, many experienced Excel 2003 users may even mistake the dotted lines representing page breaks for those which are displayed in Normal mode and may not even realise that these lines can in fact be dragged.

Author is a developer and trainer with TrainingCompany.Com, an independent computer training company offering Microsoft Excel 2007Classes at their central London training centre.

Concatenation is the process of stringing together different pieces of information to form a new piece of data. For example, if we have columns containing people’s title and first name and another containing their last name, we could use concatenation to create their full name. All we need to do is to string together the title, first name and last name.

Excel offers two methods of concatenating data. The first is the use of the ampersand (’&’) which is the concatenation operator: the second is the use of the CONCATENATE function. To use the ampersand in our ‘Title, First Name, Last Name’ example, we would first type in “=” to indicate that we want to create a function. Secondly, we would click on the cell that contains the title to have Excel add a reference to that cell to our formula.

The next step would be to add a space to separate the title from the first name. To do this, we simply type the concatenation operator followed by a space and since a space is a text character, it has to be enclosed in quotation marks. Thus, we would actually type ‘& ” ” &’. Next, we click on the cell that contains the first name, then type ‘& ” ” &’ once more to add a space separating the first name from the last name.

Finally, we click the cell that contains the last name and, to confirm the formula, either press the Enter key or click on the Enter button on the left of the formula bar.

Let’s now look at doing the same thing using the CONCATENATE function. When using the Insert Function command, the CONCATENATE function is found in the Text category. It allows you to string together up to 255 pieces of information. Let’s say, for example, that our title was in cell C2, our first name in D2 and our last name in E2; our formula would be ‘=CONCATENATE(C2,” “,D2,” “,E2)’.

As to which is better; there is not much to choose between them. Simply use the one which you feel makes more sense to you. One argument for using the first method is that the use of the concatenation operator is found in most scripting and programming languages. Some environments use the ampersand; others use the plus sign.

Visit Macresource Computer Training for Microsoft Excel VBA classes

We have started to incorporate technological advancements in almost all walks of life including education as Learning Management Systems are gaining popularity these days. An LMS is completely beneficial to students and other trainees all over the world. It also takes many burdens off the shoulders of course administrators.

Be sure to include multilingual support and scalability if you have planned to utilise a Learning Management System in your organization. Using the Competency Management part of an LMS you can direct your employees’ activities and works towards the attainment of the company’s goals.

E-learning can only go hand in hand with traditional teaching methods and can’t function alone. One can easily manage ILT and e-learning when an LMS with a centralized tracking system is used. This saves a lot of time and enhances the effectiveness of training.

The flexibility of an LMS helps you manage student reports and aids customizing them according to your needs. The LMS encompasses all the necessary details of trainees. Report generation of all sorts including student progress reports can be done just with the click of a button.

The reason for the rising popularity of learning management systems is their user-friendliness and high rate of success. This can be seen evidently through the fact that processes such as batch planning, event notification and trainee enrolments are done automatically.

The skills of employees can definitely be improved using learning management systems. 24×7, multilingual technical support is provided by all LMS makers. Apart from this, course administrators can form collaborative learning communities that help trainees greatly. Geographical distance is not a matter of concern now.

The way in which business is carried out today has undergone a complete transformation and this means that training has to be completed quickly too. Learning Management Systems include all important features of essential training making them the most sought after tools in education management. The local rules and regulations should always be strictly followed while setting up training for employees. The flexibility of an LMS makes this possible.

We can understand the fact that learning management systems are really valuable tools in enhancing the standard of education throughout the world. The modelling of an LMS aids advanced search functionality and easy integration with systems such as ERP, HR and CRM systems.

Data security also is given very high importance by LMS makers hence you can be hundred per cent sure that data loss or unauthorized data manipulation will never occur.

Will a learning management system influence global education? Read more interesting stories on elearning and online training on Coggno’s learning management system blog on http://www.coggno.com/learning-management-system.

When buying a new computer, most often it will come equipped with some version of Microsoft. Not everyone is familiar with how this program works so a little training will be needed to make sure it is being used correctly. There are a few different options to check out when trying to find the best route to take for your Microsoft Training.

With new programs coming out so often, teaching ones self about the program is one way to go. Just by playing around with the icons and the system can teach on a lot. A good book on the subject can also help with teaching yourself on how to maneuver through Microsoft. A bookstore nearby will have books on this subject and will provide more help into the subject.

Online will be all sorts of information on Microsoft. The Microsoft website will be a great resource to seek out. They will have a question and answer section to help you in the learning process. They will also have a number you can call to ask any questions and get help.

The internet will also have courses you can take to help you through this program. Some will be free. Some will require you pay some money. The free courses are generally basic in nature only covering the major topics. This will give you a general overview on how everything works. The courses online that you pay for will give you a deeper look into each topic and will leave you with much more knowledge of the program.

Your local college or university is also a place to check out when trying to learn about Microsoft. They might have a class dedicated for just Microsoft and how it works or it might be part of another class and Microsoft is worked into that. These classes will have books associated with the class and the teacher will be there to answer any questions that there may be.

Microsoft is a computer system that is here to stay. The majority of computers come equipped with this program and will need to be learned. There are many different ways to learn how this works.

The internet has become an immense part of all of our lives. The most commonly employed systems are Microsoft and Oracle. This is a complicated system to learn but with a tad Microsoft Training and Oracle Training, the pro’s and con’s of the system can be learned.

Looking through the history of education, it is incredible to see the enormous leaps that we have accomplished, such as implementing a learning management system to conduct online courses, in striving to further education endeavors.

We are already seeing signs of continuous advancements as technology is ever changing and new state of the art learning management systems are evolving.

Back in the 1700’s classrooms were comprised of 4-5 different age groups, crowded into a little one roomed school house. As time passed the Schools began to grow. They opened their door to all age groups, genders, social classes, and ethnicities. Age groups were divided up and new lesson plans were created for each level. Jump ahead a few centuries to when computers were introduced into the schools. They rapidly made their way into regular curriculum and students were required to take computer classes to learn about how they work and basic everyday skills such as typing.

Technology has taken us another step further as wireless internet has been created and widely made available. You can find it on nearly every college campus, internet cafes, apartment complexes, and in the workplace. Even High School Students are experience a change as schools are turning to the web. Many students are now required to submit all of their course work online in the schools portal. They are also able to see upcoming assignments for their classes. This new tool has enable parents to keep track how the children are doing in school as grades are posted via electronic report card. Colleges have taken a step farther by establish distant learning programs enabling students to receive their degree by attending online classes via learning management system.

Still no signs of stopping, technology in education progresses with bring new means of efficient training resources. Interactive courses and virtual webinars are becoming a familiar and valuable enhancement, as well advanced assessment tools that enable administrators to review student’s work to determine how successful the material is and the comprehension level within the students participating. The different learning methods were also integrated to provide each student a way to accrue knowledge the way that best works for them. Opportunity has been created as doors have opened within the education world to advance learning endeavors. Thanks to technology and an ever changing learning management system, innovated learning has become a thing of today.

Learn about how far we have come with the learning management system on the Coggnolearning management system web blog.

There are a lot of places where LMS makers can find inspiration from. And online courses for children are great sources for this. This has prompted many Learning Management System creators to follow this trend.

The interactivity and user-friendliness of many online courses for children prove to be highly useful for LMS makers. These two factors are indispensable for all kinds of online courses and teaching modules.

One of the most successful online learning programme is the Massachusetts-based Virtual High School programme which has around 12,000 students just in this semester. In fact, it was started off as a federal education grant project.

While analysing the reason of the success of programmes like VHS it was found that they really catered to the knowledge needs of secondary school students. Apart from that they also offered advanced courses like AP and computer science courses which smaller schools cannot

Both the students’ interests as well as the schools’ needs are well taken care of by a Learning Management System. School students are now fortunate as they get to study college level subjects like criminology and American multiculturalism.

Though it is thought that a self-paced learning process is of no use to students, it really helps them become more responsible and keeps a full stop to the need for the constant supervision of students by elders.

Man’s passion for learning new things provides the momentum for developing new trends in teaching. Teaching methods like Montessori and Waldorf have been revolutionary in their own way and have been well received by all.

There is a book by name ‘The Montessori Way written by Tim Seldin and Paul Eppstein. They explain this concept as follows: “Montessori teachers observe children’s exploratory patterns of behavior with an implication of trust and respect. Teachers trust that a child will ‘know’ and pursue what she or he most needs in order to become an adult.” People understand that their intellectual ability has to progress in order to progress in life. Attending learning institutions, reading books are all the ways they adopt to achieve this.

Deadlines and motivation are some things that make people feel motivated always and gives them the drive to meet expectations and standards. Timely assessments and assignments ensure this.

People have now realized the value of online courses as they really succeed in meeting all the requirements of the organization and help it, as well as its employees realize the goals they’ve set for themselves.

Read about the preferred learning management system features your system should have on the Coggno learning management system web blog on http://www.coggno.com/learning-management-system.

Oddly enough, there are a surprisingly large percentage of small businesses attempting to provide internal Excel training to their staff, often quoting that their budgets simply don’t afford them the opportunity to provide an external course. The sad thing is, rather than save money, these businesses for the most part end up loosing money when they provide their own training.

Understandably, there are virtually no small businesses with a professional Microsoft instructor on their books, so when they choose to provide their own training, they need to use one of their more experienced employees. Of course this inevitably means an experienced employee is dragged away from the task they usually do which in turn means loss of work for the business. As any business should be aware of, loss of work means loss of revenue as the two go hand in hand.

These lost hours can cost a lot to a company however the loss often can go beyond the duration spent internally training new staff. Training internally can often disrupt normal work flow of the business. If the experienced member of staff may try to keep up with their day to day work then the student will get a poor Excel training experience.

Another downside to internal training is the fact that it more often than not focuses on specific spreadsheets, while at the same time failing to cover the Excel basics. On the other hand, students learning Excel via an external training course with external training companies will always master the ability to improve themselves and to produce top class solutions.

students will always learn more than just the basic procedures when on an Excel course. Instructors have a professional detailed knowledge of the software and training providers pride themselves on the fact that students and job seekers who attend Excel courses will always go back to the workforce with abilitys that will benefit everyone in the company.

Understandably, many small businesses may well assume that external training courses are better suited to large corporations. However, this is certainly not the case. To the contrary, IT training courses are literally an investment for the future of a business, not to mention the fact that your employees will end up being far more competent.

It’s an undeniable fact that those who have undergone a Microsoft Excel training course will have numerous advantages with regards to finding employment. Most encouraging of all is the fact that Excel training courses are amongst the most affordable courses available.

If you are considering attending exel training courses then make sure you visit Scott Herons IT training courses website for the latest information on training courses and news.

You might very well remember my saying that budget, audience and goals are the 3 most important things to keep in mind while going for an LMS in my Thanksgiving eve post “Choosing a Learning Management System: Three Major Factors to Guide You”. I was able to come out with other valuable pointers while thinking about it later.These three aspects are not equally divided. It is really easy to understand the influence of budget and audience. It is also important to note that there are many other mini-factors that play a role in the third segment called goals. Some of the significant mini-factors are qualities such as creativity, cheerfulness and novel thoughts.

One would really have to do many balancing acts in order to succeed in this. After all, your learning management system course would be greatly effective only if this balance is achieved.

Anyone would find it easy to follow simple course materials when compared to those with heavy content. Do not add excess of animated content in your learning management system material because it doesn’t really serve the purpose. And a downright boring material would also spell doom. A boring course would not even be taken into consideration by potential takers.

Now, let’s look at the objectives part of the course you are going to design. The purpose of the LMS course is very important. What are the advantages of an LMS over other systems of teaching?

Now we shall see the goals part of the learning management system course you have planned to create. You need to have an idea on why the training should be online. You should also be aware of what makes an LMS special.

What things would you like to see in your LMS package? Would your students really find video content to be beneficial in learning the lessons? You should also know if there are any features in particular that would be effective only when both visual and audio media are made use of.

Flash based applications are the ones that are most sought by many LMS makers. A good example for this is Rapid Intake Unison which lets experts create and manipulate Flash-based learning material.

Rapid Intake Unison is special because of its high level of user friendliness. It is not even necessary for you to have great animating skills in Flash to use this tool effectively. You can easily create the content that includes quizzes, games and simulations by filling form-based templates.

Besides these multimedia features you may also give some consideration to the timeframe of the course. The time spent by both the trainer as well as the trainee for the course is very much important. Are both online as well as in-person components essential for the module? The amount of time the instructor devotes for the learning module is important no matter what the answer for the question is.

You can benefit a lot by making the best use of automated assessment and grading tools. The best thing about them is that they save you a lot of time. You can get to know if the training module has been effective by testing the students at regular intervals. You would notice it for yourself that employees don’t make use of all their skills while working. Don’t forget to quiz your students on what they have learnt so that they can remember it for a long time. You can for sure find a lot of takers for your learning management system module if you follow the aforementioned pointers while creating one.

Find out more about accomplishing Learning Management System Goals on Coggno’s Learning Management System Blog site.