• Strategic Planning For Dynamic Organisations
• Organisational Governance
• Managing Finance
• Managing People
• Project Management Essentials
• Project Management and Control
• Leading Development Projects
• Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
• Pedagogy
• Fundamentals of Microsoft Project: Project Management Toolkit
• Leadership and Team Building
• Office Administration
• Publicity and Public Relations
• Securing Grants and Fundraising
• Information Technology Training programme

Strategic Planning For Dynamic Organisations

A strategic plan is an important tool to guide the work of any organisation. It will help maintain a focused, long term vision of the organisation’s mission and purpose, and aid decisions about the allocation of human and financial resources.

You Will Learn How To

Formulate strategic plans to help your organization advance and grow

Detect the strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats (SWOT) that drive strategy

Identify strategies to better position your organization for long-term competitive advantage

Translate strategy into action

Execute strategy and deliver results through people and processes

Establish strategic planning, monitoring and controlling mechanisms that ensure positive results

 

This course will briefly defines strategic planning and outlines some benefits that can be gained from the process and the outcome of  strategic plan for organisations wishing to grow. The training goes on  to provide in-depth guidance on the steps involved in strategic planning for dynamic organisations. Examples of the steps covered includes:

Prepare to plan.

Clarify mandate and scope of work.

Analyse the external environment.

Analyse the internal environment.

Identify the strategic issues.

Define the strategic vision and  aims.

Define strategies to address each strategic aim.

Identify the resources required to achieve the strategic aims.

Draw up an internal capacity building plan.

Cost the plan.

The trainees work on various case studies and are given the necessary expertise to put what they have learnt on immediate practice

Course Benefits

Strategic planning enables an organization to shape and guide its overall business objectives. Through effective strategic planning, an organization creates a framework for developing, adapting and aligning organizational vision, mission and goals to achieve and sustain competitive advantage. In this course, you gain the knowledge needed to formulate, execute and monitor the strategic planning for your organization based on proven analytical techniques and models.

Who Should Attend

Managers, senior executives, business analysts and those involved in planning and/or implementing strategic initiatives.

Organisational Governance

This training programme is designed on the basis that it is only through a system of strong organisational governance that your stakeholders and beneficiaries of your service can be assured that your organisation is established on their behalf and it is indeed serving their best interests. The course identifies the issues of good and bad governance and it  provides guidance on the role of a governing body, Board of Directors and trustees in the effective administration and management of  your organisation. The programme covers area themes such as Good Leadership, accountability and transparency as essential ingredients of organisational success. Specific guidance is provided on how to write an Organisational Governance  documentation, detailing the standard provisions that it should contain. These include:

the aims of an organisation

the powers of the governing body, Board of Directors, trustees or similar groups as custodians of the organisation acting on behalf of its stakeholders, beneficiaries or service users

meetings and administrative procedures

provisions for membership and meetings

financial accounts.

 

Trainees receive  guidance on governing body, Board of Directors, trustees, designing terms of reference,  how to select individuals who can contribute the appropriate skills and experience to the work of the organisation; how to ensure that they perform their roles responsibly; and what to do when individual trustees leave the governing body.

Managing Finance

The financial management procedure and policy is critical for any organisation because it lays down procedures to ensure that the organisation’s resources are put to their proper use and removed form the risks of fraudulent activities that undermines organisational growth. It is important that these procedures and policies are well understood by staff and members of the governing body because they are all responsible for good management of resources.

This course provides guidance on how to develop financial management procedures and policies. Applying such a policy will ensure good financial management and accounting practice that are essential for the organisation’s success. The trainee will be armed with the expertise to design and develop financial management policy documentation. The training will provide guidance on the following areas:

Purpose

Purpose of Financial Policy

Roles and Responsibilities

Accounting Systems

The Budget

Reporting and Monitoring

Financial Reports: Timetable

Specimen Forms for managing finance

In this course the trainee will be provided with the design and use of samples of financial management documentation forms to be used under a given financial management policy.

Course Benefits

All too often, managers' performance is measured by how effectively they oversee departmental budgets. To succeed as a non-financial manager, knowledge of basic financial principles and the budgeting process is critical. This course transforms financial and accounting concepts into decision-making tools you can use successfully every day. You learn to apply the fundamentals of finance to improve budget management, increase potential profits and assess the financial viability of projects.

Who Should Attend

Non-financial managers and anyone who wants to develop their knowledge of financial practices to improve their managerial skills.

 

Managing People

People are complex part of  your organisation, so good people management is far less simple or straightforward than is often thought. How well you manage your people can influence how your organisation perform. People management is a very important part of resources management which requires special expertise focused on delivering high performing organisation.

 

You Will Learn How To

Apply core management skills, tools and techniques to deliver results

Develop a proactive customer-focused approach

Enhance your leadership abilities by developing emotional intelligence

Communicate with, motivate and empower your team

Delegate work to individuals and teams

Develop a management vision for success

This specially designed and case based Knowledge Factory training course provides guidance on how to develop human resources management and the policy that includes the essential elements of managing and leading people effectively, ensuring that they perform to their best and develop personally through their jobs.

Trainee will be taught how to develop  a single human resources management policy document that brings together all the organisation’s policies on the management and development of its people or human resources. The nine elements to will be taught in the training are:

Performance  management

Staff Development

Selection and recruitment

Terms and Condition of employment

Equal opportunities and diversity

Prevention of bullying and harassment

Health and safety

Motivation

Grievance procedures

Trainee will acquire the techniques, documentation and know how in these nine elements. Example documentation, forms and  policies will be used during the training

Course Benefits

When professionals are given new leadership responsibility, their success depends on how quickly they learn people-oriented management skills to complement their expert knowledge. In this course, you gain the key skills, best practices and behaviours of effective managers--leadership, delegation, motivation, empowerment, communication and vision--as well as powerful techniques for getting the best from people.

Who Should Attend

Managers wishing to broaden and improve their skill sets, those new to management, and those who wish to build their knowledge of contemporary management techniques.

 

Project Management Essentials

Many projects fail because of the simplest of causes. You don’t have to be a genius to deliver a project on time, nor do you have to be steeped in a mystical project management methodology to be a project manager. If an averagely competent person  can’t deliver a project successfully after going through this Knowledge Factory Training programme then we will re-train you again free of charge. This course contains the essential tools and techniques to help create, plan, optimise and control projects more effectively, based on current best practices. A detailed case study and practical syndicate exercises will be used to confirm topics learned. The essential topics covered in the course are:

Project management preliminaries

Project start-up

Defining what to do

How to accomplish work

When things happen / further timing influences

Who does what and when

Assessing project risks

Controlling work in progress

Re-planning to stay on track

The trainees will acquire the understanding of the modern methods and techniques available and how they apply to real projects.

TARGET GROUP

This is an introductory training course developed especially for beginners wishing to grow their career in Project Management. This course will be suitable for employees in Industry, Government Ministry/Departments/Agencies, R&D organisations, Universities and any other institutions active in delivering or monitoring projects. 

Project Management and Control

It is a fact that in real business life, every day we are judged by our ability to manage and control project, priorities and deadlines. Your organisation’s success and your own career success depends, to a great extent, on your skills in getting the right thing done, on time and with the desired results. The focus of this training is to bring you proven techniques, guidelines and strategies for staying on top of even the most demanding schedule of competing priorities and multiple projects. The focus of this valuable learning contains practical tools and techniques to help create, plan, optimise and control people and projects more effectively. Emphasis is placed on how teams of people manage one or several projects. This learning is enforced by detailed case studies and practical individual and syndicate exercises.

Project simulation

Project management preliminaries

Developing business case for your projects

Project start-up

Defining what to do

Projects and programmes

How to accomplish work

Planning when things happen / further timing influences

Who does what and when

Making it all happen

Assessing project risks

Controlling work in progress

Re-planning to stay on track

Reviewing after progress

Trainees receive  guidance on the methods used by  advanced project managers to keep track of big budget projects governing body, You will learn the advanced techniques used for planning, managing, controlling  and delivering projects.

TARGET GROUP

The training course was developed especially for those senior staff that will be managing, monitoring and evaluating big projects and budgets for organisations. The training will be beneficial to individuals who need to strengthen their project management skill sets, those new to project management, or project managers seeking a refresher on fundamental project management knowledge, skills and tools. The course is suitable for employees of Government Ministries/Department/Agencies, Local Authorities, Industries, NGOs, R&D organisations, universities and any other institutions active in project cooperation areas with international partners.

 

Leading Development Projects

Donors and international funders such as World bank, United Nation, European Union, United States funders such as USAID, UK government departments such as DFID and other  require projects to be well-thought out and carefully planned as well as executed efficiently. This course presents definitions of projects and the project cycle and then looks at why many community development projects prove to be less successful than anticipated. It goes on to provide some best practice guidance for project management. The following topics will be covered:

Definitions of projects

Stakeholders, Users or Community needs assessment

Concept paper

Project proposal

Logical Framework

Risk analysis

Project Phases

Gantt Charts

Project budget and resources planning

Identify potential funding sources and what they look for

Measuring success

Controlling projects

This training programme will help you to work through the logical framework process and develop skills in planning, delivering and evaluating projects.

TARGET GROUP

The training course was developed especially for government ministries/agencies, NGOs,  industries, r&d organisations, universities and any other institutions active in the  national and international development programme funded by national and international funding organisations such as EU, UK, USA, World Bank, IMF, AU, etc.

Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

Introduction

The principle of Monitor what You want to Manage has implications at two critical levels: one, that each monitoring system should be customized to the needs of the project; and second, the monitoring system should be robust and have the flexibility to adapt to changing capacities of the project over a period of time. Project Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting System  seeks to retain the basic principles of project management yet allow the project to identify, develop and evolve their own monitoring, evaluation, review and reporting systems.

The traditional monitoring system focuses more on the input-output aspects of project management. The monitoring of processes is often overlooked or not given due emphasis. The skills of monitoring, evaluation and review is imbedded into the project delivery processes as an integral part of project management. This  develops process milestones that are regularly monitored throughout the period of project implementation cycle.

Project reporting skills to be developed in this course is focused on developing systems where the project learning of the project implementation team and the stakeholder groups including the target beneficiaries is documented and used for effective project implementation.

Objective

The training programme will be conducted to meet the following objectives:
clarity on the concepts related to project monitoring evaluation and reporting systems;
understanding of the relationship of monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems with the project cycle; and
provide tools to develop monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems within projects.

Pedagogy

The following techniques would be used to conduct the training program:

Lectures/interactive sessions

Games/anecdotes

Group Discussions

Case studies/Group exercises

Brainstorming sessions/ Experience sharing

Training Support materials/ Handouts

Contents

The training programme would cover the following:

Project cycle and Project objectives

Project Management and Project Monitoring

Input and Process Monitoring

Output Monitoring

Community Based Impact Assessment

Process and Tools of Evaluation

Project reporting System

Reporting writing techniques

Target Group

The training is expected to equip the senior and middle managers of project and programmes with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them to develop their own monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems.

Fundamentals of Microsoft Project: Project Management Toolkit

This training course is a comprehensive introduction to Microsoft Project Management Toolkit. Microsoft Project is a computer application - software - made by (published by) Microsoft, one of the largest software publishing houses in the world. Microsoft is based in Seattle, Washington State, USA. Microsoft Project is a software tool you can load on your PC or laptop.

The objective of this two-day training course is to provide delegates with a very strong insight into the concepts of project management and how to use Microsoft Project  to design,  plan, implement, control and deliver projects. This training is designed  to bring you proven techniques, guidelines and a range of toolkit capability and features to help you work on projects, produce detailed schedules, track dependencies and deliver projects on-brief, on-time and on-budget. The following topic areas will be covered:

Project Management Concepts

The terminology used in project management

Software Overview

Starting a Project

Create a Timeline Project

Outlining and Task Relationships

Assigning Resources and Costs

Dependencies and Constraints

Base Planning and Tracking

Printing & Reports

You Will Learn How To

Optimize ways of managing projects

Work breakdown structures and sub-projects

Tools and techniques (eg critical paths, Gantt charts and project life cycles)

Identify Project 2000’s screen menus, buttons and toolbars

Set up a project file

Create a Gantt chart

Schedule a project and specify summary tasks and subtasks

Identify dependencies and constraints

Analyse and allocate resources

Identify and manage costs

Use statistics and reports to check a project’s progress

Rreview and amend schedules using Gantt charts, critical path tools and customised calendars.

 

Course Benefits

Efficient project management can make a significant contribution to the success of any business. With the knowledge you will gain in this training course you should be able to answer question such as:

What tasks must be done to produce the deliverable - what needs to be produced as a result of all the hard work by you and your team?

Who will complete these tasks?

What time will the project really finish

What is the best way to communicate project details to people who have an interest in the project?

When should each task be performed?

How much will it cost?

What happens if some tasks are not completed as schedules?

Who Should Attend

This training course is ideal for delegates with responsibility for planning and managing projects. Staff and individuals at all levels of seniority - from administrators to team leaders and senior managers - will benefit from this course. Delegates who are new to project management will gain great benefit from the concepts and terminology phases of the course.   Following the training course, delegates will be able to produce high quality resource driven project plans and will have a solid basic understanding of the concepts of project management. The easy-to-follow format is perfect for delegates  who are completely new to Microsoft Project, while the high level of detail will suit those who have a basic understanding but want to learn more about the different features and functions.

There are no formal entry requirements, but a basic understanding of project management that can be gained from one of the Project Management training offered by Knowledge Factory will be advisable and some experience of using Microsoft Windows will be helpful.

Leadership and Team Building

The authoritarian management style doesn’t work anymore. Managers need to empower their team and utilise every available talent to meet the expectations of their customers. This programme will help you to create a work environment where your team can work most effectively together. Develop the skills necessary to get the most from your team and overcome your team management obstacles

Know your vision

Manager or leader which one are you?

Characteristics of the ideal leader

Skills for successful leadership

Golden rules for team working

Clashes between your team

How to delegate activities to explore your leadership style

You Will Learn How To

Develop the leadership skills to build and sustain high-performing project teams

Develop effective team performance through the Leadership Services Model (LSM)

Build a strong team identity through vision, purpose and commitment

Foster positive and productive team communication and define ground rules

Protect the team and convert conflicts into advantages that promote high performance

Maximize your leadership abilities when you return to your organization

Course Benefits

To ensure project success, project managers must be leaders who identify and meet team needs in order to achieve project objectives. In this course, you transition to a leader who can inspire a diverse team to work together and deliver customer success. At the end of your classroom experience, you take away a project leadership best practices handbook and a personal development plan for use back at the office.

You Will Learn How To

Develop your teams to maximize their strengths and enhance productivity

Optimize organization and work design for success in service delivery teams

Motivate your team with effective performance measurement

Integrate your leadership behaviours, competencies, and responsibilities into your management role

Leverage the complementary skills and styles of your team

Eliminate barriers and chokepoints that block teamwork

Who Should Attend

Managers and anyone aspiring to a leadership position should attend this course. Basic Management Skills or previous experience managing teams is helpful.

Office Administration

The phone’s ringing, customers are waiting and your inbox is overflowing. Delivering the service customers expect requires organisational and client management techniques.

This course provides advice and guidance on how to ensure a solid and orderly  administrative base for the organisation. Without this, chaos and disorder are almost guaranteed. Members of staff and the public communicate directly with the office through visits, telephone calls and correspondence.  In addition to communicating with the internal staff, you will learn how to communicate with public outside the office. The course provides guidance on how to make visitors feel welcome and how to establish an appointments system and a telephone message system. It gives some tips for sending and receiving letters, and advice on how staff can best communicate internally through memos and office meetings. The following topics will be covered

Work planning techniques

Effective organisation

Communication skills

Dealing with phone calls

Self Management skills

Assertiveness

Prioritizing Tasks

Positive behaviour

Filing systems

Administrative Auditing

This programme will help you to create an approach to being on the front line that keeps you in control and your customers happy, even when your customers are internal staff that depend on the efficient working of the office

Publicity and Public Relations

Any smart organisation will want to publicise themselves to different audiences and in different ways as reputable organisation with high impact programmes. One of the reasons, but by no means the only one, that publicity is important is to raise awareness and create the condition for the organisation to grow. The links between publicity and business or organisational growth are clear. But organisations also want to publicise themselves for other reasons, such as increasing their presence in the market place, increases  membership base, informing potential beneficiaries and stakeholders about the work that they do, and networking more effectively with other organisations.

This course provides guidance on how to achieve publicity for the organisation through the following communication and dissimilation  routes :

Writing documents for public relations

Organisation and corporate Branding

Use of public events

Working with and using the media(TV, Radio, Newspapers, etc)

Use of  internet and websites

Joining and using  networks

Participating in conferences

Designing and producing a brochures

Design and producing newsletters

Having completed this course, the trainee will be equipped to start making immediate impact in their organisation

Securing Grants and Fundraising

To understand the funder’s mindset and know how to search for the right prospect is priceless. This special course concentrates on strategies for finding and evaluating funders prospects and developing the strategy to secure the fund. First, learn to chart your organization’s needs. Then gain hands-on, interactive training in our computer lab to develop a targeted list of prospects.

Most organisations will need to develop a fundraising plan if they are to achieve their priorities and sustainability. This means that you will need to diversify and increase the number of different income sources the organisation has. Organisations need to develop and expand, or consolidate and maintain, the existing workforce and programme or service. You may need to reduce financial dependency on funds received from any one source or any international funding agency. You may need to enhance long term organisational sustainability.

This special course will help you to:

Develop strategies to sharpen your fundraising focus

Learn to articulate your funding requests more powerfully

Develop techniques and expertise for obtaining funding for your organisations

Network with peers and colleagues from  other organisation

The training will cover the following essential topics:

Defining  the aims of any grant seeking and  fundraising

Analysis of funders requirements

What does successful fundraising take?

Developing a “global” perspective on your funding needs

Linking your programs to funder’s  interests

How to start developing a fundraising plan

Designing a fundraising strategy

National sources of funding

International Sources of Funding and grants

Writing funding proposals

TARGET GROUP

The training course was developed especially for government ministries/agencies, NGOs, industries, r&d organisations, universities and any other institutions that want to be active in the  National and International development programme funded by national and international funding organisations such as EU, UK, USA, World Bank, IMF, AU, etc.  Organisations and Institutions active in securing funding and grant for stakeholders and organisational cooperation areas with international partners will particularly find this training very useful.

Information Technology Training programme

Information Technology Training Programme is offered by Knowledge Factory (Nigeria) Ltd in collaboration with Comteque Ltd . In addition the programme delivered through Comteque Ltd, Information, Communication Technologies programmes,  can be tailor made for Private and Public Client. Read more