People will control Web 3.0, with a shift away from technology companies gaining from the product (that’s you and me) and toward a movement that uses new technology and the power of blockchain to protect ‘real life’ identification. It will be able to pay for goods and services and make comments while protecting privacy. The way we develop digital services, build client connections, and publish content is set to change.

The call for decentralization has started

The Digital Markets Act started calling out gatekeeper corporations like Google, Apple, and Amazon last week for their approach to personal data monetization and maybe the shady approach to securing customers’ data. Facebook, whose business model is focused on selling targeted advertising based on personal data, was renamed Meta and has shifted its attention to virtual real estate. Many more little acts of decentralization, such as the open-source movement, are taking place, all of which will have consequences on businesses worldwide that need to navigate new waters of opportunity.

A lack of digital skills has top every skills shortage report we’ve heard over the last five years, but the problem is becoming more significant this year as technology moves towards automation, AI, and the Metaverse. According to a PwC report released this week, 85% of UK businesses are currently experiencing a critical digital skills shortage, followed by a shortage of core business skills such as teamwork, leadership, relationship-building, and communication skills, as well as softer skills such as empathy, resilience, and agility. Businesses need T-shaped individuals with deep experience and a broad knowledge base.

What are digital skills for Web 3.0?

You will be in charge of a multi-disciplined team of 10 digital superheroes. We excel at creating content such as videos, blogs, podcasts, security, data structure, SEO, UX, and CMS maintenance… However, with Web 3.0 and the Metaverse on the horizon, we’ll need to hone our digital talents to prepare for the future of marketing. Jeff Bullas, a top online marketing influencer, has detailed four important digital marketing skills marketers need to prepare for Web 3.0 and the Metaverse. They are as follows:

1. Semantic Content Marketing – content that is created specifically to the user’s needs
2. Advanced UI (UX) – creating frictionless experiences
3. Immersive Marketing – creating more engaging and immersive content
4. NFT’s aka Non-Fungible Tokens – With players being able to sell their virtual assets, picture being Meta, and having a virtual shop in an exclusive mall with millions of visitors.

According to Forbes, the following are the top Web 3.0 skills that are useful across a business, not simply marketing:

1. AI writing assistants
2. Blockchain for the creative economy
3. Creative commons for the creative economy
4. Data democracy for the creative economy

How can I identify the Digital Skills I need?

If you want to build a digital team or figure out what skills your workforce need, the SFIA Framework is an excellent place to start. SFIA is the global standard for digital skills and proficiency, with explicit definitions of digital tasks like acceptance testing, content writing, data visualization, marketing, incident management, and numerical analysis.

If you’re looking for job inspiration, the Government Digital Services has identified the skills needed for Digital, Software Engineering, and Cybersecurity professionals here: Digital, data, and technology (DDaT) positions.

SFIA’s skilled staff is mapping APMG certificates to their framework of abilities and competencies. We hope this makes it easy to locate the credentials that have the digital skills you want. If you want to create XD capacity, for example, our Experience Design (XD) Practitioner Course relates to the following skills: User Experience Design, User Experience Evaluation, and Business Modeling Knowledge.

Certification and Digital Skill

Agile and Change Management are still highly valued skill sets, but we’ve just introduced supplier certifications that reference open-source content. There is also a desire for problem-solving, creative, and communication abilities, all of which will be in high demand as organizations mature digitally.

At APMG, we have a wide range of certifications available, including AI, Agile, Change, Data Analytics, and Lean, to assist you in developing digital abilities. Here’s an overview of some of the certifications that will put you on the right track for preparing for Web 3.0 and the Metaverse.

Improve product and service design

Our Design Thinking (DTMethod) accreditation has just arrived. This well-thought-out methodology, launched in collaboration with Inprogress Design Lab, introduces popular design thinking frameworks such as the Design Council Double Diamond and neatly puts it all together into a unique method to provide organizations with a structured approach to help solve problems, deliver value, and eliminate waste.

Professionals in AgilePM, AgileDS, and AgileBA will be familiar with some of the methods, such as human-centered design (HCD), Minimum Viable Product (MPV), and creating user stories and prototypes, but will find the tools during the exploration stage useful for collaborating with the larger business. The Challenge Tree, for example, which investigates causes and effects, is a useful exercise for understanding stakeholder requirements before starting a prototype.

DTMethod also refers to several agile concepts and promotes organizations to create a culture that fosters innovation, such as risk-taking and removing the fear of failure via exploratory and experimental activities.

This is a strong method for agile organizations looking to foster creativity and problem solving inside their organization using an evidence-based approach. Interviewing and organized brainstorming are two examples of skills you will learn.

Design services, not websites

A good digital service should be like a good restaurant service in that it is frictionless, you don’t notice it, and it predicts what you need before you realize it. Web 3.0 is all about open-source, community-driven, and collaboration, and the Government Digital Services (GDS) provides all of that and more by building a huge bank of resources for you.

GDS has just launched a Design System that is full of useful suggestions as well as components and patterns that you may use on your website. For example, if you need to ask your customers to confirm their email addresses, GDS contains all of the patterns you need to consider, saving you time scratching your head trying to figure out what happens after each scenario, such as assuming customers can access their email account, emails going to a spam account, and countless other situations.

Some logics may help you branch out answers to inquiries, saving you time on the phone or email.

The Agile Digital Services (AgileDS) certification is based on the GOV.UK document, which was created by Government Digital Services (GDS) to assist organizations in developing a consistent approach to planning, delivering, and upgrading their digital services.

Agile Digital Services (AgileDS) was developed by APMG and the Agile Business Consortium to assist organizations in developing a consistent approach to designing, delivering, and upgrading digital services.

Time is a currency of experiences

Web 3.0 is a natural progression from publishing engaging user-generated content such as images, videos, testimonials, and podcasts to immersive experiences enabled by new technologies such as live music concerts steamed into games and, of course, Augmented Reality (it will be huge as soon as they figure out how to stop motion sickness!).

Great immersive experiences allow the user to uncover the tale for himself, but unless their travels are branching, they may end up at a dead end. –

When you combine XD As a practitioner with the DTMethod, you’ll learn how to create online and offline seamless trips.

In addition, the Experience Design (XD) Practitioner Course will teach you how to create content that easily transitions between services and platforms, as well as how to create memories for users that ripen over time and engage your consumers with your business.

XD also teaches you how to connect intent and meaning, comprehend how information is presented on the website, and construct icons, videos, FAQs, buttons, forms, and surveys.

“Those who prepare for the future own it,” Malcolm X said.

Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Offices (PMOs) exist in a variety of shapes and sizes, with functions and services matched to the organization’s specific needs. Without the engagement of a Portfolio, Programme, and/or Project Management Office, effective portfolio management of programs, projects, goods, and/or services is rare. That is, it performs a decision support function for the main investment board in decision-making tasks that involve judgment, determination, and a sequence of actions to maximize investment return. Naturally, no single PMO design model will work for every organization.

Robert Kaplan discussed the concept of a Value Management Office (VMO) in 2015, stating that today’s organizations are trying to offer services at a lower cost and getting the benefits of doing so. Simply stated, a VMO is about putting knowledge into practice while computing the measurable predicted benefits that should serve as the justification and impetus for that investment. This service may be provided by a Portfolio, Program, and/or Project Office (PMO), but the change in title signals to everyone in the business that benefits realization, not initiative delivery, is what counts most. It “acts as an advocate of change in the organizational mentality in the way individuals think about both benefits and value,” as Thorp, J (2003) explains it. Creating and using a centralized cadre of benefits administration specialists makes far more economic and operational sense than asking each company or functional unit to acquire such knowledge on its own, especially to maximize return on investment.

A Strategy Execution Office (or, for that matter, a VMO) should help answer the following issues, according to Nieto-Rodriguez, R (2021):

1. What are our organization’s strategic goals? How will we attain these objectives—through programs, initiatives, goods, and/or services?
2. Which expenditure suggestions should we prioritize for our organization’s long-term success?
3. What is the greatest way to make the most of our current and future financial and operational resources?
4. Do we have the necessary personnel to lead these spending proposals?
5. Is there anything we can put on hold, delay, or postpone in the event of a rapid economic downturn?
6. Is the time appropriate? What happens if one or more of the efforts fails? Do we have a backup plan? Are we learning from our mistakes?
7. What do we get out of each project in terms of value and benefits?

Value is commonly considered subjective, with different people using different criteria to determine if they are getting value from a product or service in terms of results and advantages. This subjectivity is what makes it so important to manage value intentionally rather than as a by-product of any other management activity. Benefits and value management are mutually supporting disciplines that are both concerned with delivering value for money, which is something that is not well understood. The ideal combination of cost (affordability), risk (achievability), and rewards are characterized as the best value for money (desirability). As a result, each spending plan – as well as the entire portfolio – reflects the most efficient use of available cash. As a result, benefits administration should be as cost-effective as feasible. That is, the worth of anything is decided by the advantages received in relation to the resources spent to get it (Jenner, S and APMG International, 2014).

The generally acknowledged definition of great strategy in the delivery of your organization’s value proposition is the purposeful “decision to do activities differently, or to perform various activities, better than market rivals” (Porter 1996).

Customers choose one company over another because of its value offer. It resolves a customer issue or meets a customer requirement (Osterwalder & Pigneur 2010).

A successful strategy, regardless of industry or sector, has a defined set of decisions that describe what the company will do and, more crucially, what it will not do to solve a unified business challenge. A business challenge can be any roadblock, circumstance, or variable that, when overcome, should result in verifiable performance gains.

“If I had one hour to rescue the world, I would spend 59 minutes identifying the problem and one minute addressing it,” Albert Einstein famously said (Spradlin 2012). Many plans fail to be executed despite the best efforts of dedicated employees, owing to most organizations’ inability to understand their business concerns. They also fail to recognize which are the most important to their employees who are in charge of achieving new strategy objectives (Vermeulen 2017).

A good strategy is about managing a rapidly evolving technological future, and successful strategy design is critical because it guides the attention and activities of the entire business, rather than just a portion of it. Simply said, it’s a solution to a problem, a strategy for conquering a barrier, or a response to a business issue. If the business challenge is not stated, the actual strategy adopted may differ significantly from what was intended, planned, or thought.

Because it is the strength applied to the most promising business opportunity for the business, a good strategy is simple, uncomplicated, and easy to understand. In this scenario, far too many companies claim to have a plan when they actually don’t. As a result, companies pay less attention to external strategic challenges such as rival actions, consumer requirements, and/or increasing technological debt and trends. Instead, companies promote “poor strategy,” which isn’t merely the lack of excellent strategy (Rumelt 2017).

A bad bad thing

“It is far easier to spot a minefield when you witness others straying into it than when you are about to do so (yourself),” says Nobel Laureate Kahneman (2011). While successful strategy implementation is improving, Speculand (2020) found that ‘48% of organizations are still failing to achieve more than two-thirds of their own strategic objectives.’ This is exacerbated by the fact that only 28% of executives and middle managers in charge of executing and communicating strategy can explicitly list three of their company’s strategic priorities, and why only 5% of employees collectively responsible for strategy are able to do so (Nieto-Rodriguez & Speculand 2021).

According to Rumelt (2017), bad strategy misses the power of choice to expressly focus on the most important business challenge. Instead, with different degrees of success, businesses strive to implement a multitude of contradictory, disconnected, and disjointed strategy papers, objectives, and interests. Despite the clamor for associating strategy with ambition, leadership, vision, planning, or the economic logic of competition, successful strategy is essentially none of these things (Rumelt, 2017).

According to Pijl (2020), bad strategies come in all shapes and sizes. To begin, a bad strategy is one that lacks a defined goal. This is the case when firms avoid making difficult decisions and are unable or unable to articulate and describe the nature of their business challenge. To avoid doing a terrible thing with strategy design, Rumelt (2017) recommends looking for one or more of its four primary trademarks. They are as follows:

1. Fluff: A type of nonsense that tries to present strategic notions or arguments. It creates the illusion of strategic thought by using anodyne, verbose, bloated, and needlessly complex language, as well as esoteric concepts.
2. Failure and face the challenge: A bad strategy fails to recognize or identify the organization’s and its business model’s challenge. You can’t analyze or modify a strategy if you can’t describe the business challenge.
3. Mistaking goals for strategy: Many bad strategies are just declarations of desire rather than strategies for resolving business model challenges. A business model explains how an organization generates, delivers, and collects value for its customers and/or public services (Osterwalder & Pigneur 2010).
4. Bad strategic objective: A leader establishes a strategic objective as a means to an end. Strategic objectives are considered “bad” when they fail to address important challenges confronting the business or are unrealistic.

Bad Strategy vs. Good Strategy

According to Rumelt (2017), “the core of the good strategy is always the same.” It is about identifying the important aspects in a situation and developing a strategy for coordinating and directing visible activities to address those issues.”

A plan that fails to identify a number of realistic and achievable activities is missing an important component. There will never be a good strategy if no one accepts there is a business problem. A good strategy needs attention and, as a result, a decision. “People make decisions,” Ozark’s Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) once stated. “Choices have consequences.” Choosing implies putting certain strategic objectives on hold to achieve others. When the difficult option is not taken, the outcome is a weak amorphous strategy design and strategy implementation (Rumelt, 2017).

When businesses attempt to implement more than ten strategy objectives, or worse, numerous strategy documents, less is accomplished, and in certain circumstances, none of the strategic objectives are achieved effectively. Because no organization can do it all at once, it is important to understand the technique of ‘addition’ and ‘subtraction’ in resetting strategic objectives. Focusing on three to five objectives at a time provides a clear and powerful message to the business and its employees about what is most urgently needed (Nieto-Rodriguez & Speculand 2021).

A bad strategy, on the other side, is long on goals and short on action. It thinks that objectives are all that is required. It proposes strategic objectives that are inconsistent and, at times, completely unrealistic. It covers these flaws with high words and phrases. The requirement for good strategy is episodic, rather than yearly or biennial (Rumelt, 2017). As a result, any changes to the business model should be viewed as modifications to those decisions: what your products will be, when decisions are made, who makes them, and, most importantly, why.

The major differences between bad and good strategies are taken from (Sørensen 2020).

• Bad Strategy = Thinking the organization needs a digital strategy  /  Good Strategy = Strategy for a growing digital economy
• Bad Strategy = Long  /  Good Strategy = Short
• Bad Strategy = Complex and abstract  /  Good Strategy = Simple and concrete
• Bad Strategy = Aims to do too much and scattered  / Good Strategy = Focused and Directional
• Bad Strategy = Focuses on ambition and vision  /  Good Strategy = Action and results orientated
• Bad Strategy = Anticipates rationale and idealistic world  /  Good Strategy = Coordinates effort
• Bad Strategy = Static  /  Good Strategy = Flexible
• Bad Strategy = Unclear management anchoring  /  Good Strategy = Clear management anchoring
• Bad Strategy = Delegated to experts  /  Good Strategy = Takes culture into consideration
• Bad Strategy = Minimal involvement  /  Good Strategy = Broad involvement

Strategy Implementation

According to Pijl (2020), “a strategy that is not carried out is as useless as no strategy at all.” If your business is having difficulty demonstrating outcomes, particularly from strategy implementation, follow the advice of (Proctor, 2018):

• Those who said, “That’s a good (strategy) concept,” had a 10% possibility of changing their ways.
• Those who committed and declared, “I’ll do it,” had a 25% chance of changing their ways.
• Those who said when they would do it had a 40% possibility of changing their minds.
• Those that created a specific plan of action had a 50% possibility of succeeding.
• Those who promised someone else that they would do it had a 60% likelihood of succeeding.
• Those who scheduled a specified time to communicate their progress with someone else had a 95% possibility of changing their ways.

Summary

In conclusion, bad strategies exist of all kinds and sizes, and they are those that lack specific attention to the business problem and the resulting action. This happens when businesses avoid making difficult decisions and are unable or unable to articulate and explain the nature of the business model issue, especially in the digital society. A good strategy, on the other hand, analyzes the business challenge and develops a plan for a developing digital economy. According to Kane et al. (2020), “organizations make a constant error in strategy design by attempting to adapt their organizations to the digital infrastructure as it now exists.” Any quarterback, football player, or hockey player will tell you that if you want to strike a moving object, you must lead it rather than follow it.”

As a result, far too many businesses forget the fact that by the time their strategy is fully implemented in today’s context, the digital world to which they have adapted will have changed dramatically (Kane et al. 2020). This is why mature businesses identify technology as a shifting target and begin to adjust their business models and working methods to the future infrastructure. “Only after a plan is successfully executed do you know if it was a good strategy,” says Speculand (2021). Customers only notice the difference when it’s done well. Only successful execution has a positive impact on shareholder (and customer) value.”

Perhaps it’s time to adopt a new project management framework as the NHS evolves? Below are three reasons why we believe the Praxis Framework guidelines and training should be considered.

“The NHS Project Profession attracts, develops, and retains project professionals and practitioners, ensuring the NHS has the capacity and capability to bring sustainable change to the system for the benefit of patients,” according to the NHS Project Profession’s vision.

To realize this goal, project delivery professionals in the NHS will require a number of support systems to guarantee that they not only learn but also use the relevant abilities in the workplace. We look at three reasons why we believe the Praxis Framework will help you make a genuine impact and increase project success in the NHS in this post.

1. Compatibility with Government and NHS standards

The Infrastructure Projects Authority has been the primary source of government-wide project delivery guidelines since the sale of the government’s joint venture AXELOS to PeopleCert (IPA). Version 2 of the Government Functional Standard ‘GovS 002: Project Delivery’ was just issued by this organization.

GovS 002 does not cover all of the features from prior government manuals, but it does have the significant benefit of combining projects, programs, and portfolios (P3). It’s a high-level ‘policy paper’ that relies on more specific information – such as the Praxis Framework – to fill in the gaps.

The Project & Change Capability Framework exists within the NHS. This outlines the skills and career routes that are required within the organization. The Praxis Framework’s method, knowledge, and encyclopedia parts give knowledge and direction to support these competencies. They are constantly mapping government and NHS standards to the Praxis Framework to demonstrate how they interact.

The Praxis Framework has been endorsed by independent project management professional organizations, proving its quality and “worth to the profession.” For example, Australia’s main project management organization (AIPM) has recognized the Praxis Framework Bridging Course, while the UK’s Association for Project Management (APM) recognizes Praxis Framework as a path to becoming a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP).

2. Return on investment

Government agencies must constantly use resources as effectively as feasible. Praxis is designed to make the initial investment in good practice very cost-effective while also ensuring that good practice is actively integrated into the workplace, maximizing the return on investment.

The Praxis Framework’s first and most obvious virtue is that it is completely free and available online. There are no license fees or manuals to buy. This implies that the framework is constantly up to date. They may use input from the Praxis community to improve and expand advice. Every five to seven years, there is no substantial change that can render earlier information outdated. Our users are constantly up to speed on what’s going on in the profession when they use Praxis as a reference.

Praxis is the first framework to incorporate both a Body of Knowledge and a Methodology. Forget about techniques like PRINCE2® or MSP® for process advice, and the APM Body of Knowledge for direction on the functions that make up project delivery. They’re all in one location, and they’re all connected.

The website also goes where no other source of information does. The Models, Tools, and Techniques Encyclopaedia supplements the main instruction by ensuring that you have all you need.

Praxis is used in a variety of initiatives, programs, and portfolios. There’s no need for separate manuals and training, and there’s no need to reconcile the various terminologies. The Praxis Framework is utilized as the main source by other groups who include it in other certification programs, such as PMO certifications because it is royalty-free. This also guarantees that your organization’s project delivery experts speak the same language.

3. Embedding good practice

It’s one thing to have access to good practice and another to really put it into practice. A lot of money invested in training and development does not provide the expected results, according to research. Knowledge transfer to the workplace is frequently more difficult than it should be. At Praxis Framework, we work to identify and eliminate barriers to good practice adoption.

Our checklists are the same as those used in surgery across the NHS and around the world. These have decreased surgical mortality by 40% over the world, and we believe they will be equally beneficial in project delivery. They not only bridge the gap between training and implementation, but they also strive to propagate effective project delivery practices throughout the organization since Sponsors, Team Members, and Stakeholders may access them.

In terms of the many personalities in a project delivery team, most project delivery guidance is “one size fits all.” Many personal assessment tools use the DISC model to define personality type, which Team Praxis uses to characterize processes and functions.

The above-mentioned checklists serve as the foundation for the Capability Maturity assessment tool. It allows organizations to keep track of their capacity maturity in real-time. It is faster and less expensive than set-piece assessments and improvement programs as a bottom-up approach to organizational improvement.

 

Using the SFIA framework to validate digital, IT, and cyber security abilities

SFIA Foundation & APMG International launch SFIA digital badges initiative

Individuals working in the digital, service management, and cyber security sectors must be able to show skills and capabilities in an increasingly digital environment.

The SFIA Foundation and APMG are excited to announce the establishment of an official digital badge program for anybody who has shown a specified level of knowledge or competence using the SFIA Framework.

A common language for skills in the digital world

The SFIA (Skills Framework for the Information Age) describes the skills and competencies required of those who design, create, implement, manage, and safeguard the data and technology that drives the digital world.

SFIA has given individuals and businesses a common vocabulary to identify abilities and experience in areas including information and communications technology, digital transformation, data science and analytics, software engineering, and cyber security since its creation in 2000. SFIA is accessible to those in support positions such as human resources, learning and development, organization design, and procurement because it uses straightforward language and minimizes technical jargon and acronyms.

SFIA’s design and structure make it a versatile resource that has been successfully used and altered to assist a wide range of skills and people-management tasks. Governments, corporations, and people in around 200 nations have accepted it, and it has been translated into 12 languages.

Introducing SFIA digital badges

In recent years, digital badges have grown in popularity as a visual representation of an individual’s achievements that can be shown and confirmed online.

Individuals who have had their knowledge, abilities, or competency confirmed against the SFIA Competency Framework by an authorized SFIA Assessor may now claim digital badges to display their credentials.

For each of the 121 competencies described by SFIA, knowledge, skill, and competency-based examinations, as well as digital badges, are accessible. Credly, a pioneer in the digital credential movement, issues SFIA digital badges on behalf of APMG and the SFIA Foundation.

Richard Pharro, CEO of APMG International said “With the way the world of work is changing, standard role profiles are hard to define as every organization is different. For a person to be recognized for their individual portfolio of knowledge, skills, and competency, allows them to stand out in the global search for talent.”

Ian Seward (Operations Manager of the SFIA Foundation) said “Skills are the universal currency throughout a person’s career and the digital skills gap is a universal issue for the world’s economies to address. The collaboration of the world’s trusted accreditation and examination body and the global common reference framework for digital skills and competencies, built by the industry itself, can enable both to be addressed.”

About SFIA Foundation

The SFIA Foundation is a non-profit organization that controls SFIA production and use across the world.

The SFIA Framework and environment are developed and maintained by the Foundation. It promotes and supports people, businesses, and countries to adopt the Framework to improve their digital and information technology skills and competencies.

About APMG International

APMG accredits companies to provide training and consulting services for a variety of professional certification systems.

APMG accredited organizations are known for their dedication to quality and delivering great service due to APMG’s lengthy history of accrediting companies globally and rigorous evaluation methods.

Internationally recognized solutions for Agile, project and program management, change management, service management, cyber security, and public-private partnerships are among APMG’s comprehensive range of certification schemes. APMG’s mission is to help businesses and professionals achieve maximum productivity by utilizing cutting-edge approaches and core capabilities.

The project economy is one in which people have the skills and capabilities they need to turn strategic objectives into reality through benefits realization.

It’s where businesses provide their value proposition in order to preserve and expand market share through project completion in an increasingly digital environment.

According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025, half of all workers will require retraining. That is the technical talents that allow an individual to do a task. Faced with global labor market issues, an increasing number of companies are realizing the importance of continuing to train their employees in project management science. ‘Project-based work is the motor that drives change and advancement,’ according to Antonio Rodrigues.

Project managers will need skills in a wide range of knowledge areas to be truly effective in how businesses and individuals use project management. Individuals can develop and improve their knowledge, skills, and abilities in a variety of ways. However, one proven and tested option is training and certification. APMG-International provides a comprehensive selection of industry best practice knowledge packages that are tailored to satisfy the needs of a growing project economy. As a result, people should think about reading about and learning how to apply:

Strategy Implementation Institute Professional

Strategy implementation is a rare and valuable skill set that distinguishes the most successful and influential corporate leaders. Individuals with a proven capacity to distinguish between good and bad strategies, as well as the ability to implement strategy, are in great demand from companies all over the world. The problem is that today’s leaders have been educated on how to plan but not how to carry out their plans. This is reflected in the high failure rate of strategy implementation, with only 52% of firms achieving more than two-thirds of their own strategic objectives, according to the Strategy Implementation Institute in 2020. This high failure rate drives the need for project managers to enhance their abilities and become recognized strategy implementation institute professionals.

Managing Benefits by Steve Jenner: Optimizing the Return from Investment

As a result, understanding the portfolio’s contribution to organizational (including strategic) goals is at the heart of effective benefits management. That is, the major driver and rationale for any investment should be the benefits, whereas costs should be the limitation. Organizations invest in programs, projects, and other ventures in order to reap the following benefits:

• Increased income
• Efficiency savings
• A tangible contribution to a strategic objective or business priority
• Meeting a legal or regularity requirement or maintaining business as usual
• Maintaining business as usual

This is especially important in a volatile economic environment when failing to maximize benefits realization could threaten future investments and the business model.

Better Business Cases: For Better Outcomes

In order to successfully fulfill strategy objectives through benefits realization, effective program and project business cases are crucial for providing business justification, securing money, and gaining management buy-in. Organizations that use this proven strategy should expect to save money and enhance decision-making, while project teams will have a better chance of getting the funds and support they need for change projects.

Praxis Framework

Praxis is a community-driven framework that can help you and your organization get the most out of your project, program, or portfolio investments. The Praxis Framework is the first free framework to integrate projects, programs, and portfolios in a single guide, and it combines four forms of best practice guidance – Knowledge, Method, Competency, and Capability. Praxis training and certification is an efficient approach to learning project, program, and portfolio management best practices since it covers the full spectrum of information required for the effective project, program, and portfolio management inside a single framework.

Change Management

Change is unavoidable, and for many businesses, it may become a daily event. As a result, companies place high importance on dealing with change and, more importantly, the consequences of change. As a result, it’s critical that project managers have the chance to improve their ability to deal with change before, during, and after it happens. Projects bring about transformation. The changes may be to processes, job roles, organizational structures, and types and uses of technology. Most significantly, effective change management is about how we interact with and assist individuals who are affected by the change.

AgilePM

Agile’s influence on project management continues to rapidly grow. Agile tools and frameworks are being adopted by more companies and project managers than ever before in order to improve the success – and return on investment – of projects and other change initiatives. The Agile Business Consortium’s core belief is that “greatest business value arises when projects are aligned to clear business goals, deliver regularly, and involve the participation of motivated and empowered people.” AgilePM is designed to promote this idea.

“We now recognize the notion that learning is a lifetime process of keeping abreast of change,” observed Peter Drucker, one of the most famous management thinkers. And the most pressing issue is to teach individuals “how to learn,” as well as how to integrate related techniques to maximize successful delivery, especially in a developing project economy.

Perhaps it’s time to adopt a new project management framework as the NHS evolves? Below are three reasons why they believe the Praxis Framework guidelines and training should be considered.

“The NHS Project Profession attracts, develops, and retains project professionals and practitioners, ensuring the NHS has the capacity and capability to bring sustainable change to the system for the benefit of patients,” according to the NHS Project Profession’s vision.

To realize this goal, project delivery professionals in the NHS will require a number of support systems to guarantee that they not only learn but also use the relevant abilities in the workplace. They look at three reasons why we believe the Praxis Framework will help you make a genuine impact and increase project success in the NHS in this post.

1. Compatibility with Government and NHS Standards

The Infrastructure Projects Authority has been the primary source of government-wide project delivery guidelines since the sale of the government’s joint venture AXELOS to PeopleCert (IPA). This organization has recently published version 2 of the Government Functional Standard ‘GovS 002: Project Delivery’.

GovS 002 does not include the details of previous government guides but has the big advantage of integrating projects, programs, and portfolios (P3). It is a high-level ‘policy document’ that depends upon more detailed material – like the Praxis Framework to fill in the gaps. They have created a detailed document showing how you can use Praxis to meet GovS 002 guidelines, mapped against GovS 002 section by section and it is available to download from the Praxis website.

This outlines the skills and career routes that are required within the organization. The Praxis Framework’s method, knowledge, and encyclopedia parts give knowledge and direction to support these competencies. They are constantly mapping government and NHS standards to the Praxis Framework to demonstrate how they interact.

Independent project management professional bodies have endorsed the Praxis Framework, confirming its quality and “value to the profession”. The Praxis Framework Bridging Course has for example been endorsed by Australia’s leading project management association (AIPM) and the UK’s Association for Project Management (APM) recognizes Praxis Framework as a route to becoming a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP).

The Praxis Framework competencies and responsibilities are currently being added to Comaea for those whose HR departments use it.

2. Return on Investment

Government agencies must constantly use resources as effectively as possible. Praxis is designed to make the initial investment in good practice very cost-effective while also ensuring that good practice is actively integrated with the workplace, maximizing the return on investment.

The Praxis Framework’s first and most obvious feature is that it is completely free and available online. or This implies that the framework is constantly up to date. They may use input from the Praxis community to improve and expand advice. Every five to seven years, there is no substantial change that can declare previous information obsolete. The users are constantly up to speed on what’s going on in the profession when they use Praxis as a reference.

Praxis is the first framework to incorporate both a Body of Knowledge and a Methodology. No more relying on methods like PRINCE2® or MSP® for process guidance, or the APM Body of Knowledge for guidance on the functions that make up project delivery discipline. They’re all in one location, and they’re all connected.

The website also goes where no other source of information does. The Models, Tools, and Techniques Encyclopaedia supplements the main instruction by ensuring that you have all you need.

They even provide tools like Praxis Local: a free download that gets you started in tailoring the framework to your specific needs and integrating our generic good practice with your specialist in-house material.

There’s no need for separate guidelines and training, and there’s no need to reconcile the various terminologies. The Praxis Framework is utilized as a fundamental reference by other groups who include it in other certification programs, such as PMO certifications because it is royalty-free. This also guarantees that your organization’s project delivery experts speak the same language.

3. Embedding good practice

It’s one thing to have access to good practice and another to really put it into practice. A lot of money spent on training and development does not provide the expected results, according to research. Knowledge transfer to the workplace is frequently more difficult than it should be. At Praxis Framework, we help to identify and eliminate barriers to good practice adoption.

Our checklists are the same as those used in surgery across the NHS and around the world. These have decreased surgical mortality by 40% over the world, and we believe they will be equally beneficial in project delivery. They not only bridge the gap between training and implementation, but they also strive to spread successful project delivery practices throughout the organization since Sponsors, Team Members, and Stakeholders may access them.

In terms of the many personalities in a project delivery team, most project delivery guidance is “one size fits all.” Many personal assessment tools use the DISC model to define personality type, which Team Praxis uses to characterize processes and functions.

The above-mentioned checklists serve as the foundation for the Capability Maturity assessment tool. It allows organizations to keep track of their capacity maturity in real-time. It is faster and less expensive than set-piece assessments and improvement programs as a bottom-up approach to organizational improvement.

It’s difficult to know where to begin because there are so many flaws. First and foremost, there is no traceability. Who was polled, how was the poll performed, what was the sample size, and who were the respondents’ demographics? What is the foundation for the claim that “Most” ventures fail? Let’s be clear: it appears that more than half of all ventures fail. That’s a bold claim, but there’s no evidence in this graphic of what success or failure truly means, let alone how to measure it. Aside from all of these issues, one thing is certain. These posts are resonating with people, and they’re quickly becoming ‘common knowledge.’ There has to be a reason they’re being shared and reshared so much.

We’d want to focus on two points: first, many LinkedIn users may be seeing something similar for the first time, but it’s nothing new. We’ve been following this kind of ‘research’ for decades. The first example we saw was at a conference where speakers cited research from 1972 that demonstrated the following reasons why projects fail:

• Unrealistic expectations
• Uncertainty or insufficient requirements
• Insufficient support from upper management
• Planning that is either insufficient or excessive
• Resources are scarce.
• Changes that aren’t well-considered
• End-user input is lacking.
• Control that is either insufficient or overbearing
• Delegation or supervision issues
• Project closure is either poor or non-existent.

It’s a ‘spot the difference’ game. In the last 50 years, not much has changed.

When you read through these lists, you’ll see that nothing isn’t addressed on the first day of even the most fundamental project management courses. The demand for realistic expectations; the requirement for end-user input to establish excellent requirements; the requirement for stakeholder participation; and the requirement to effectively close the project.

“Why hasn’t anything changed despite decades of investment in project management skills?” ”

Second, it’s critical to understand that these are symptoms, not causes, of project failure. When there are underlying issues that prevent initiatives from succeeding, these are the things you notice.

Finally, businesses must cultivate a culture that permits initiatives to succeed. Not only among individuals who are directly involved in projects but throughout the organization, there must be a common understanding of what it means to own and manage projects. Those who are directly involved must be allowed to put excellent practice into effect. Too many investments in project management development programs prevent employees from putting what they learn in class into practice.

These are some of the core reasons for failure, as evidenced by the symptoms found in questionable clickbait polls. Nothing will change unless we start addressing the core problems.

Is the Project Life Cycle what separates projects from a regular business?

Professor Peter Morris, one of the world’s foremost experts on project management, once said, “The life cycle is the one thing that uniquely differentiates projects from non-projects.” The concept of a life cycle has become something of a dream in some parts of the project management world. It is sometimes confused with the so-called “waterfall” method to project management, which indicates a misunderstanding of what project management is all about.

Let’s begin with the fundamental concepts of the most basic project (and program) lifecycles.

The majority of organizations have more project ideas than resources to carry them out. That’s a positive thing since it indicates that the company is forward-thinking and inventive rather than complacent and stagnant. The trick is to find the finest ideas that can be implemented efficiently with the existing resources. Although initial filtering out of ideas may be done at the portfolio level, the core of a strong start to the project life cycle is to assess the value of a project in one or two early stages.

We need to talk about ‘agility’ before we can describe these two phases (or if they should be merged). All projects must be managed with flexibility; the issue is, “How much flexibility is appropriate?” ’. The solution to this question is centered on two project characteristics: ‘predictability’ and ‘cost of change.’

Predictability refers to how effectively we can plan the project’s goals from the start. This is extremely predictable if we are building a bridge with a known span and weight-carrying capability. Before we begin to develop this output, we have the information to thoroughly design it. It’s also worth mentioning that once work has begun, the cost of changing is quite high. You can’t suddenly decide that you want it to transport huge freight trains instead of only walkers after the foundations and pillars have been built.

When designing an App, on the other hand, we know the top-level customer’s problem we want it to solve, but predicting exactly how our potential customers would want their problems treated is far more difficult. We won’t be able to specify the final product upfront, so we’ll have to work iteratively while checking in with customers to see whether what we’ve supplied is what they want. This situation has the extra benefit of a far cheaper change cost than the bridge. The interdependence of component characteristics is substantially lower than that of bridge components. They may be added, deleted, or altered on their own, as long as the underlying architecture was built with flexibility in mind.

So, what does this have to do with the life cycle?

We don’t need as much agility when predictability is high, but we do need a lot of agility where predictability is low. Design effort is concentrated on the first two phases of the cycle in the ‘reduced agility’ environment. Design is disseminated throughout the delivery process in the ‘greater agility’ context.

Because designing a bridge is an expensive undertaking in and of itself, it makes sense to do it in two phases. A ‘fast look’ may result in basic designs, as well as a plan for the ‘detailed look,’ so that whoever is giving the funds understands what they must commit to for the detailed design to be completed in the following step.

Because much of an App’s design work is completed during the delivery phase, the first two phases may be combined. Although some outline scope management is still required to determine whether the entire project is likely to be economical, suit the organization’s goal, and be within its risk appetite, all of this may be done in a single first step.

Decision gates between phases are an important part of a lifecycle. These are just there to combat the “I began it, so I’ll finish it” mentality that has resulted in so many disastrous projects not being canceled as soon as their non-viability is shown. Another thing that many who regard it as a barrier to high levels of agility despise is a gated lifetime. There is no such thing as a barrier. It’s merely a way out of a badly thought-through enterprise, and no amount of agility can save such a project.

The false idea is that gates can only exist if the up-front design is prioritized. That isn’t the case at all. At each gate, the criteria used to evaluate the project should be consistent with the level of agility being employed.

Finally, a project’s distinguishing characteristic is that it employs a temporary crew that will be disbanded after the project’s objectives have been fulfilled and the customer has been turned over. During the ‘close’ phase, this is done.

Some people who operate in environments where great agility is required advocate for #noprojects2 and claim that everything should be a ‘product.’ That’s good if you just want ‘products’ where the team that begins the work is permanent and will continue to develop it until it is decommissioned or ‘sunsetted.’ In some ways, you win and in others, you lose. If you don’t want to handle a piece of work as a project, it doesn’t imply it shouldn’t exist. In truth, the development portion of product management uses many of the same techniques as project management; it just chooses to apply them in a business-as-usual setting without the project life cycle control.

 

How a Cyber Incident Response Playbook may benefit you and your company, not simply in an emergency

A cyber incident response playbook may be explained in two ways. An incident response playbook can be regarded as a bridge between policy and a comprehensive process, or it might be a checklist of steps.

In this blog, we will discuss the following topics:

• What is a playbook for incident response?
• What are the benefits of having a cyber incident response playbook?
• What steps do you take to create these playbooks?

What is an Incident Response Playbook?

A playbook is a list of activities at its most basic level. Don’t underestimate the value of a well-thought-out playbook or checklist. A precise and thorough checklist of things to do during an emergency has helped pilots avoid significant aviation tragedies. Nurses and frontline health workers save lives daily by following standardized playbooks of well-planned measures for a variety of emergency circumstances.

The concept is that by repeatedly practicing the processes in a playbook, they become ingrained in the pilot’s or healthcare worker’s muscle memory. As a result, in a crisis, the person in control reacts almost intuitively to the chaos. The aviation and healthcare sectors rely significantly on playbooks for this reason. Any company that is serious about handling a crisis effectively should have a playbook in place, especially for cyber disasters.

Are Playbooks only for Emergencies?

No. Other than emergencies, playbooks or checklists may be utilized for a variety of situations, including crisis planning, onboarding new employees, and sending out special notifications to all employees.

When it comes to reacting to an incident, the cyber incident response playbook should detail exactly what a team or teams should do when a key asset is compromised.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), NIST SP 800-61.r2, ISO 27001:2013, and PCI-DSS are all examples of solid cyber event response playbooks.

What are the benefits of using Cyber Incident Response Playbooks?

Responding to any disaster or crisis, especially while under stress, can be difficult. Add the intricacy of a cyber-attack, the stealthy nature of cybercriminals who are masters at remaining unnoticed, and the possibility of digital damage that may go undiscovered for weeks, if not months, to a cyber crisis.

Additionally, by the time the organization realizes it has been hacked, it is frequently too late. Customers are frequently frightened about their sensitive information falling into the wrong hands because cybercriminals have already acquired unlawful access, valuable data has been stolen, rumors abound in the media, and cybercriminals have already gained unauthorized access.

As a result, the only meaningful security precaution a company can take is to be prepared to properly respond to a cyber-attack if one occurs. This is in addition to the usual safety protocols.

The company must act quickly and accurately, which can only be accomplished if it has a well-tested incident response playbook on hand.

The playbook should include the following:

• Concentrate on the important asset, then one or more particular risks to it.
• Have dependable technology that ‘invokes’ the playbook.
• Include details such as who will authorize replies, how the assault will be quarantined, and who will handle the media, among other things.
• In the event of a cyber incident or attack, be informed of and verify that the organization complies with any regulatory obligations.

By now, you’ve probably figured out what an incident response playbook is and why you need one. So, how can you put up an incident response plan that will sufficiently safeguard your company from cyber-attacks? A smart place to start is with a Cyber Incident Response Playbooks training course.

Depending on the nature of your organization, an effective playbooks training course should teach you how to construct basic to complex incident response playbooks. It should also assist you in optimizing your current playbooks.

You should be able to design a playbook that sufficiently protects your company from the damaging effects of a data breach or cyber-attack using this information. You may also opt to evaluate the efficacy of your incident response playbooks with cyber crisis tabletop workshops to truly push your cyber incident response capabilities to the next level.

In a simulated cyber-attack situation, these courses assess how useful your playbooks are. You may next concentrate on simplifying the playbooks even more to improve your cyber resilience.