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What is agile?

Agile is a project management methodology that uses short development cycles called “sprints” to focus on continuous improvement in the development of a product or service.

The principles of agile

There are 12 key principles that still guide agile project management today.

Customer satisfaction is always the highest priority and is achieved through rapid and continuous delivery.

Changing environments are embraced at any stage of the process to provide the customer with a competitive advantage.

A product or service is delivered with higher frequency.

Stakeholders and developers collaborate closely on a daily basis.

All stakeholders and team members remain motivated for optimal project outcomes, while teams are provided with all the necessary tools and support, and are trusted to accomplish project goals.

Face-to-face meetings are deemed the most efficient and effective format for project success.

A final working product is the ultimate measure of success.

Sustainable development is accomplished through agile processes whereby development teams and stakeholders are able to maintain a constant and ongoing pace.

Agility is enhanced through a continuous focus on technical excellence and proper design.

Simplicity is an essential element.

Self-organizing teams are most likely to develop the best architectures and designs and to meet requirements.

Regular intervals are used by teams to improve efficiency through fine-tuning behaviors.

The benefits of agile

Agile provides a way for developers and teams to deliver a better product, in a faster manner, through short, iterative, interactive sessions/sprints. Agile can help ensure company-wide process and methodological alignment. In terms of business benefits, both the digital workplace and agile provide:

Increased flexibility

Increased productivity

Increased transparency

Higher quality deliverables

Decreased risk of missed objectives

Increased stakeholder engagement and satisfaction

Advantages of agile for project management

In the project management field, agile provides project teams, sponsors, project leaders and customers many project-specific benefits, including:

More rapid deployment of solutions

Reduced waste through minimization of resources

Increased flexibility and adaptability to change

Increased success through more focused efforts

Faster turnaround times

Faster detection of issues and defects

Optimized development processes

A lighter weight framework

Optimal project control

Increased focus on specific customer needs

Increased frequency of collaboration and feedback

Agile project management and scrum

Scrum is a powerful framework for implementing agile processes in software development and other projects. This highly adopted framework utilizes short iterations of work, called sprints, and daily meetings, called scrums, to tackle discrete portions of a project in succession until the project as a whole is complete. There are three key roles within Scrum: the Scrum master, product owner, and Scrum team members:

The product owner creates and prioritizes a product backlog (work to be done).

Teams select items from the backlog and determine how to complete the work.

Work must be completed within a sprint (usually two to four weeks).

The Scrum master meets with teams briefly each day to get progress updates.

Sprint reviews are conducted at the end of each sprint.

The process starts again until all work or backlog is complete.

Agile project management certification and training

As agile methodology picks up speed, so does the demand for professionals with agile knowledge and experience. Here are seven agile-focused certifications to provide a benchmark for your knowledge.

PMI-ACP Certification Training

PMP Certification Training

As competition is continually increasing and time to market is also shrinking, agile offers numerous benefits and limited drawbacks. As more companies make the shift to a digital workplace that is highly dependent on speed, flexibility and increased productivity, agile or hybrid methodologies will become increasingly necessary. Its application in multiple industries and alignment with the benefits offered by a digital workplace model, indicate that agile adoption rates will continue to increase across industries around the world.

What Is COBIT?

information technology (IT) management and IT governance. COBIT provides an implementable “set of controls over information technology and organizes them around a logical framework of IT-related processes and enablers.”

The COBIT framework

COBIT was initially “Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies,” though before the release of the framework people talked of “Cobit” as “Control Objectives for IT” or “Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology.” The framework defines a set of generic processes for the management of IT, with each process defined together with process inputs and outputs, key process-activities, process objectives, performance measures and an elementary maturity model. COBIT also provides a set of recommended best practices for governance and control process of information systems and technology with the essence of aligning IT with business. COBIT 5 consolidates COBIT 4.1, Val IT and Risk IT into a single framework acting as an enterprise framework aligned and interoperable with other frameworks and standards

What is COBIT 5?

COBIT 5 is the only business framework for the governance and management of enterprise IT. It is the product of a global task force and development team from ISACA, a nonprofit, independent association of more than 140,000 governance, security, risk and assurance professionals in 187 countries.

COBIT 5 incorporates the latest thinking in enterprise governance and management techniques, and provides globally accepted principles, practices, analytical tools and models to help increase the trust in, and value from, information systems.

COBIT 5 builds and expands on COBIT 4.1 by integrating other major frameworks, standards and resources, including ISACA’s Val IT and Risk IT, Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) and related standards from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

COBIT 5 goals and components

According to the ISACA, COBIT 5 was updated to:

Streamline information sharing across an organization

Reach corporate goals by incorporating IT into the strategy

Minimize and control information security and risk management

Optimize the cost surrounding IT and technology

Better integrate ISACA research and the COBIT framework

The five main components of COBIT 5 include:

Framework:

Process descriptions:

Control objectives:

Management guidelines:

Maturity models:

The main framework of COBIT guides organizations through best practices and standardization surrounding IT processes and infrastructure. The goal is to align IT with the overall business goals by getting IT on the same page as the rest of the company and to help other executives and senior managers better understand IT objectives.

COBIT includes language that anyone in the organization will understand — so that CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and other key players will easily understand terminology, processes and descriptions. It can help establish a solid ground for communication between IT and outside departments.

This section offers an overview of high-level requirements that can help develop and improve every IT process, allowing businesses to adapt these to their own needs and goals.

The COBIT guide offers best practices for establishing objectives, process and assigning task items or responsibilities across the organization. It also gives guidance on measuring performance and how the framework can integrate with other IT management frameworks.

COBIT maturity models help businesses assess the maturity of their organization, understand how the process will grow with the organization and identify any potential problems that might arise down the line.

COBIT certification

You can get certified in COBIT 5 through the ISACA, which offers training and exams with two different paths: the Assessor Path or the Implementation Path. Both paths require you to complete a COBIT 5 Foundation and exam before you choose which path you want to take.

COBIT 5 Implementation Path teaches you how to apply the COBIT 5 framework to specific business problems, potential risks and other process issues within the organization. To obtain this level of certification, you need to complete the foundation course, exam and implementation course.

COBIT 5 Assessor Path teaches you to look at your organization’s established processes and identify what can be changed, what works and how to communicate your findings to the C-suite. To become a COBIT Certified Assessor, you will need to complete the foundational course and exam, followed by the assessor course and exam. You’ll also need a minimum of five years of relevant work experience.

Who Benefits from COBIT Course?

The professionals best suited for COBIT methodologies are those who are already in a position to understand the nuances of IT governance in business management practices. The course will be especially beneficial for:

CIOs / IT Managers / IT Directors

Risk Committee

Process Owners

Audit Committee Members

COBIT 4.1 and earlier users

IT Professionals in audit, risk, security, governance and assurance sectors

The Advantages of COBIT 5.0 Certification

A COBIT 5.0 Certification not only prepares professionals for the global challenges to the business IT process, but also delivers substantial amount of expertise information on:

IT management issues and how they can affect organizations

Principles of IT governance and enterprise IT while establishing the differences between management and governance

Accessing the ways in which COBIT 5.0 processes can help the establishment of the five basic principles along with other enablers

Discussing COBIT 5.0 with respect to its process reference model and goal cascade

The aim of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is to create a uniform level of data protection in the European Union (EU). Before the EU data protection becomes enforceable, it is crucial for organizations to ensure their compliance with the GDPR requirements.

The Difference between the Data Protection Act (DPA) and GDPR

Currently, the UK relies on the Data Protection Act legislated in 1998, effective after the withdrawal of the EU Data Protection Directive 1995. The Data Protection Act will be automatically replaced with the enforcement of GDPR.

Scope:

Opt-In:  

Fines:

Personal Data Requests:

Breach Reporting:

The Data Protection Act applies only to those in the UK, while GDPR applies to any organization that holds or processes EU citizens` personal data, without taking into consideration if the company is based in the EU or not.

The Data Protection Act requires a negative-opt, whereas with GDPR in place, organizations will be allowed to send e-mails only to people who have opted-in to receive messages.

In case of serious breaches, the Data Protection Act carries fines up to €500K, whereas with GDPR, the fines for serious breaches can be up to €20 million. Such fines could result in the closure of many businesses.

Under the Data Protection Act, organizations were allowed to charge a reasonable fee for data requests, and the rights for erasure were a matter of common law, whereas under GDPR these are free, and data subjects have the explicit right to ask for data erasure.

Under the Data Protection Act, the reporting of data breaches was required only if the breach was also covered by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2011, however, under the GDPR, reporting a data breach is mandatory in cases when breaches put at risk the freedom and rights of the individual.

Key Steps to get prepared for GDPR

Raise awareness :

Accountability and Data Governance:

Communicate privacy information:

Individual’s rights:

Subject access requests:

Legal basis for processing personal data :

Consent:

Children:

Data breaches

Data Protection by Design and Data Protection Impact Assessments:

Data Protection Officers:

International:

Ensure that organization`s key people and decision makers understand the impact of GDPR implementation and are able to identify areas that might cause problems during this process.

Documentation of what personal data is held, what is the source of this data and with whom the data is shared. In addition, it may also be necessary to conduct an information audit within the organization.

Review the current privacy notices and create a strategy for making any required changes in time for GDPR implementation.

Procedures should be checked to ensure that they contain all the individuals` rights, including the methods used by the company to delete personal data or provide data in an electronic form or an acceptable format.

Update procedures, and set a plan on how to handle requests within the new timescales and provide any additional information.

Based on the types of data processing carried out, a company should identify and document the legal basis for processing personal data.

Review on how the consent is sought, recorded and managed and whether any changes need to be made.

When performing data processing activities, consider setting systems for verifying the age of the individuals and gathering consent from parents or legal guardians, if needed.

: Development of the right procedures and policies used to detect, report and investigate a personal data breach.

Familiarization with the ICO guidance on Privacy Impact Assessments and determine how and when they should be implemented in the organization.

To ensure data protection compliance in an organization, it may be necessary to appoint as Data Protection Officer someone from the organization or an external data protection advisor.

If the organization operates internationally, it should define which data protection supervisory authority will be accountable for its regulation.

In conclusion, all organizations must be aware of the GDPR requirements and be prepared to comply by May 2018. They should consider this as an opportunity, thus, when preparing for compliance, organizations need to go beyond data protection and embrace data control and transparency. By doing so, businesses will have significant benefits from avoiding costly punishments, while improving customer data protection and trust.

Unichrone provides an introduction to the GDPR’s terminology and purpose. Candidates will learn how to appreciate the necessity of complying with the GDPR – ensuring that personal data is secure and that your organisation does not face a catastrophic fine of up to 20 million Euros or 4% of your annual global turnover. The multifaceted nature of the GDPR means that organisations will need to have their systems reviewed and enhanced – which will require a number of individuals with specialist hard-skills. Hence, this course offers an introduction.

Fast-paced work environments and competitive markets have created a critical and huge demand for project practitioners to successfully deliver a project from start to finish.

Organizations that incorporated project management training boosted their project success rate by 26%. Projects that met all of the organizational objectives provided 2X the amount of training and without the training the projects failed or partly succeeded.

According to PMI, 67% of project managers believe that project management training contributes to better project performance across all business KPIs.

Top Project Management Training Courses

Unichrone specializes in providing Project Management certification training courses such as PMP Certification, PRINCE2 Certification Training, CAPM Certification Training, PGMP Certification, PMI-RMP Exam Prep Training , PMI-ACP Certification Training.

PMP Certification Training :

CAPM Exam Prep Training Course:

PRINCE2  Certification Training Course:

PGMP Certification Training Courses:

PMI-PBA Certification Training Course:

PMI-RMP Certification Training Courses:

PMP (Project Management Professionals  is the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers.

You can find PMPs leading projects in nearly every country and, unlike other certifications that focus on a particular geography or domain, the PMP® is truly global. As a PMP, you can work in virtually any industry, with any methodology and in any location.

The PMP can also provide a significant advantage when it comes to salary and earning potential. Among survey respondents to PMI’s Earning Power Salary Survey, those with a PMP certification garner a higher salary (20% higher on average) than those without a PMP certification.*

CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) Regardless of your career stage, the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® is an asset that will distinguish you in the job market and enhance your credibility and effectiveness working on — or with — project teams.=

Organizations with standardized practices attain better results, as shown in our 2015 Pulse of the Profession® report. Because the CAPM® recognizes your knowledge of the profession’s preeminent global standard, you’ll stand out to employers and be poised to move ahead.

Project management is a rapidly growing profession. Through 2020, 1.57 million new jobs will be created each year and qualified practitioners are in demand. With the CAPM, you’ll be on the fast track to opportunity.

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) s one of the world’s most popular project management methodology, and this PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner certification boot camp course is specifically designed for professionals who are new to working in a project-based environment and who wish to start their project management careers.

PgMP (Program Management Professional) As a program manager, you’re a senior-level practitioner on the forefront of advancing your organization’s strategic goals. You manage multiple, related projects in a coordinated way, achieving benefits that could not occur if the projects were handled separately.

Your leadership is instrumental. With program management maturity, an organization’s projects are far more successful than without it — 76 percent compared to 54 percent according to our 2015 Pulse of the Profession® report. The Program Management Professional (PgMP)® is a visible sign of your advanced experience and skill and gives you a distinct advantage in employment and promotion.

PMI-PBA (PMI Professional in Business Analysis) Business analysis has become a competency of critical importance to project management. Becoming certified as a business analysis (BA) expert can move your career in a fresh direction while opportunities for BAs are on the rise.

Inaccurate requirements gathering consistently ranks in the top three causes of project failure yet only half of organizations have the resources in place to perform this function properly, according to our Pulse of the Profession®research.

It’s time to become the certified expert your organization needs. If you work with stakeholders in defining requirements, shaping project outputs and driving intended business outcomes, the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)® will spotlight your valuable skills.

PMI-RMP (PMI Risk Management Professional) With your advanced skills in risk management, you perform a specialized function attuned to the needs of a project environment that is increasingly global, virtual and complex. The PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® highlights your ability to identify and assess project risks, mitigate threats and capitalize on opportunities. In this capacity, you enhance and protect the needs of your organization.

Gaining distinction as a PMI-RMP® sets you apart from other professionals and brings credit to your organization. Eighty-three percent of organizations that are high performers in project management practice risk management frequently while just 49 percent of low performers do so. The practice contributes to a handsome payoff: high performers meet their goals 2.5 times more often and waste 13 times less money than low performers, as found by our 2015 Pulse of the Profession® report.

If you’re ready for greater recognition, the PMI-RMP will validate your specialized expertise and help you stand out to employers, stakeholders and peers.

Unichrone specializes in providing Project Management certification training courses such as PMP Certification, PRINCE2 Certification Training, CAPM Certification Training, PGMP Certification, PMI-RMP Exam Prep Training , PMI-ACP Certification Training.

All you need to know about

Risk Management

Best Practices

We all manage risks in our lives each day – each at work and in our personal lives. We tend to perpetually assess risks in our mind to work out what steps we must always want attempt to forestall these risks from negatively touching us. We tend to anticipate the chance of one thing happening to our vehicle, thus we tend to purchase insurance. We tend to anticipate the chance of a thief breaking into our house, thus we tend to install associate alarm and new locks. We tend to anticipate the chance of rain, thus we’ll carry on associate umbrella. Each business concern additionally has risks that are distinctive to their setting. Thus an elaborated Risk Management either in any Project or in any Work profile plays a vital role. Below are the methodologies which a Risk Management Professional should be aware of.

Stake Holder Involvement

In order to effectively manage risk, you must involve the stakeholders each step of the means, starting with the initial Risk Assessment. Stakeholders will embody folks like managers, clients, employees, shareholders, unions, etc. several of those people could also be key personnel and square measure key to your Risk Management processes. Every of those people represent completely different roles and responsibilities among your organization, therefore providing you with a holistic illustration of all of the aspects of your business and every risk that comes in conjunction with it. Encourage stakeholders to assist improve the continual risk method by obtaining them concerned in responsive the question.

Tip from the Top Management

An important step in any winning Risk Management program is making a powerful Risk Culture. Risk culture is outlined because the values, beliefs, and attitudes regarding risks by a standard cluster of individuals. It’s the responsibility of management and therefore the board of administrators to obviously communicate the company’s culture to demonstrate what’s ordinarily referred to as the “tip from the top”. Management buy-in is crucial to confirm that the importance of risk awareness is emanated throughout the whole organization. What’s your company’s risk culture?

Risk Communication

Communicating risks throughout your organization is another necessary facet of Risk Management. Key risks, or risks that may have a high structure impact, area unit known and monitored by all departments. Any new risks area unit known, assessed and slaked properly. You want to produce awareness of risks through communication to your entire organization.

Clear Risk Management Policies

Is your Risk Assessment policy clearly documented? Are the roles and responsibilities clearly defined? Are there clear policies and procedures shaping mitigation of any and every one known risks? Does one have a Business Continuity set up and an occurrence Response set up in situated that project however your organization can handle and overcome any unforeseen risks? Are these policies communicated effectively to any or all employees? Having these clear policies developed can assist you establish all potential risks that would have an effect on your business, the probability and impact of these risks, however you propose to mitigate and stop those risks, and the way you’ll monitor for and manage and new risks.

Continuous Monitoring

In order to manage your risks, you want to initial recognize what your risks area unit. Presumptuous you’ve already performed your initial risk assessment and

have placed the correct controls in place to mitigate and address these risks, consecutive crucial step is watching. Clear watching processes should be established to confirm that any and every one risk mitigation efforts area unit operating and area unit effective. This can be an important side of any Risk Management method.

Risk Management, the method of determinative what the risks area unit to your organization and making steps to mitigate those risks, is vital to your organization. It’s a continual and perpetually evolving method. If you’d like a lot of info on Risk Management, as well as performing arts your initial Risk Assessment, email US at [email protected]

The Risk Management Procedure is a set of five steps that are recommended by PRINCE2. To help remember this, think of the following sentence when you think of Risk:  Identify, Assess, Plan, Implement and Communicate. The first 4 steps are sequential, while Communicate will always be done to let stakeholders know what is going on and to get continual feedback during this process.

Risk management steps:

Identify: First complete the Risk Management Strategy document for the project, and then identify the risks (threats and opportunities) that could affect the project. Assess: Assess the risks in terms of their probability and impact on the project objectives. Plan: Here, your Plan steps are to prepare the specific response to the threats (e.g., to help reduce or avoid the threat), or this could also be to plan to maximize the opportunity if the risk happens. Implement: Carry out the planned responses mentioned in step 3 Plan if the risk occurs. Communicate: Keep communicating to the stakeholders. Use existing management reports that are created during the project

Projects have a number of characteristics; which is how projects differ from business as usual or a repeating process

Change:

Projects are a way to introduce change.

Example: A new sales website will change how clients will purchase items

Temporary

There should always be a definite start and end to a project, and it should stop once the required products are created. Ongoing maintenance of a product occurs after the project and is not considered part of the project.

Cross- Functional

A project involves people from different business departments and seniority that work together for the duration of the project.

Unique:

Every project is unique, as there is always something different in each project. Example: Building a 4th house may be different in the following ways: the location is different, there’s a slight difference in the design, there are different owners, and owners want to change some fittings.

Uncertainty

As parts of the project are unique, this brings uncertainty, as you are not 100% sure how this is going to work out. Using the above example, the owners might keep changing their mind, some of their chosen house fittings may not arrive in time, temperatures may fall to below zero, etc.

PRINCE2 derives its methods from 7 core principles. Collectively, these principles provide a framework for good practice:

1. Continued Business Justification

A project must make good business sense. There needs to be a clear return on investment and the use of time and resources should be justified.

2. Learn from Experience

Project teams should take lessons from previous projects into account. A lessons log is kept updated for this purpose.

3. Define Roles and Responsibilities

Everyone involved in a project should know what they and others are doing. This includes knowing who the decision makers are.

4. Manage by Stages

Difficult tasks are better off broken into manageable chunks, or management stages.

5. Manage by Exception

A project running well doesn’t need a lot of intervention from managers. The project board is only informed if there is or might be a problem.

6. Focus on Products

Everyone should know ahead of time what’s expected of the product. Product requirements determine work activity, not the other way around.

7. Tailor to the Environment

PRINCE2 can be scaled and tailored. Projects that adapt PRINCE2 to their needs are more likely to succeed than projects that use PRINCE2 dogmatically.