Project Management, IT Service Management, Quality Management, Program Management and Emerging Technologies Certification Training Courses from iCert Global

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Forms of Business Communication

Communication is the cornerstone for the success of any venture. Preceding blog discussed about the importance of Communication in Project Management, and this post will draw your attention to the different forms of communication. Communication put simply is sending or receiving information. Be it person to person [one-on-one] or with multiple contact [one with many] or within contacts [many to many], the bottom line is effective and efficient communication will prove decisive in the success of business venture. Timely call and timely action underscores the indispensible need for communication.

The insights from PMI’s Pulse of the Profession™ In-Depth Report: The Essential Role of Communications are interesting in its findings. “Highly effective communicators are also more likely to deliver projects on time (71 percent versus 37 percent) and within budget (76 percent versus 48 percent).”

The methods and means to communicate are as important as communication itself.  It’s a difficult fact to digest that despite understanding the significance of communication at the required hour, there is still a struggle to keep concerned informed of the critical details and updates. 

To get everyone associated with the project on the same page, it is necessary to speak the language of business. Communication is often glorified as a dialogue or discussion between figure heads or ‘key’ personnel, especially decision makers, sponsors or business owner. The last person is counted whose views, opinions, suggestions and response matters. Communication is a two-way street when “we reach out by speaking and listening”.

Communication is of two types in the context of business: internal and external.

Be it internal or external, communication works mainly on the following methodologies:

Verbal

It’s the spoken word, which can be face-to-face, particularly individual to individual (one on one), or groups (conferencing) or one to many (interviews, stakeholder meet or client meeting). Verbal communication these days are empowered by employing media like phones (direct conversation) or radio and television (passive listeners).  Some stakeholders meetings in the Asian-pacific region are known to be held in football stadiums. Verbal communication is the traditional form and cuts out the clutter or confusion. Unless recorded, which can have legal implications, the verbal exchange can at best be captured as minutes or notes, which can be less accurate.

 

Written Communication:

Anything in the written format that include letters, memos, bulletins board, circulars, notice, posters, articles, magazines, and books. This method is chosen when communication is intended to reach multiple persons who are at a distance that voice can’t reach or in a different location. Before the advent of technology, this was considered as the predominant method of communication. For authenticity and authority, written format can best serve the purpose like offer letter, or user manual or business related correspondence like agreements, invoice and other legal documents. Also, records in writing serve as proof or testimony and in legal parlance as evidence too. The downside is the delay in delivery and failure in acknowledgement can leave the fate of the correspondence in hanging; too much of paperwork and hence housekeeping could be cumbersome and the adverse impact to nature by felling trees to make papers.

Electronic Communication:

Technology has revolutionized communication. Electronic Communication includes email, sms, social media, websites (enquiry and feedback sections), web conferencing, and online chats. Pen and paper are fad, other than signature or the occasional notes. With gadgets governing the order of the day, it’s electronic all the way because of the access, use, reach, convenience, comfort and connectivity.  The communication can be complete with a click of a mouse.

E-mail is the most preferred form of communication, especially in the written format. Technology enabling voice, it will not be necessary to type or key words, as the system will intelligent to input the words from voice software technology.

Web conferencing is where remotely located person or people can connect either face-to-face meeting take place on a secure connection. Web conferencing can be leveraged for instructor-led online training and alternatively a recorded session can become the course content for self-paced or e-Learning for training, lectures, presentations, workshops and the like.

Social media sites also act as good platform, especially for marketing and promotional activities with its vast network, they help to connect and collaborate in exchange of information. Such sites are also used in the sphere of learning where the learned impart their knowledge and thereby serve the community.

There are of course, online chats for customer service provided by any merchant put up a shop online or service provider offering services. As technology advances, newer ways to connect are created strengthening communication. There is always a downside to anything creative or innovative but the evaluation will always  be based on the pros and cons.

Are YOU worried that Robots will take your Job?

With the rise in AI, amidst the cheers that hailed the new arrivals, there were few that suffered some anxious moments wondering ‘will I be out of a job?’ Finance fuels the journey of life. Disruption had a negative connotation but the perception has altered peculiarly in the parlance of information and Technology. More so in Robotics.

Image source: telegraph.co.uk

So far humans have been in the control of machines. What happens if it reverses? Automation in large-scale, like manufacturing wherein a robotic arm could effectively handle the operations of many a skilled workers and in effect replace them. Public didn’t panic then other than sympathizing with the misfortune that befell on the displaced workforce and largely embraced the change and went about their lives. If robotic arm wasn’t artificial intelligence that failed to give the jitters, why is that the, a superior and smarter robot of the present makes us feel weak and vulnerable?

Could it be the ‘thinking aloud’ of the leading lights about the advent of AI and its impact on humans affect our composure or we become too complacent by ensconcing in the comfort zone? It’s a rude jolt or a rough wake-up when a technocrat and an economist point in the same direction and almost articulate alike.  The imposing power of artificial intelligence “will eliminate a lot of existing types of jobs” by Bill Gates and former IMF Economist Rajan raising reservation about the “anxiety in middle class” because of the technology progress can be unsettling. It sure doesn’t send the shiver down the spine, though apprehensions are shared by profession about the doomsday.

What made us worry?

“Occupations most at risk including administrative, clerical and production tasks” was opined by Bank of England’s chief economist Andy Haldane. The possibilities that Jobs from customer service to security analyst might be replaced in two decades are dictated as real by some pundits. But quoting Bill Gates, who famously quoted that the “shelf life of Intellectual Property is that of a banana”, two decades must present the timeline for you to draw and discern the postulation. Some say ‘possible and some ‘preposterous’, and it remains to be seen what will be your stand in this scenario.

Look at the possible scenarios:

Chatbots: customer service will turn out to more effective with computers answering customer calls. It could send customer call executives reeling, but some employees given the stress and at times toxic exchange and environment seems to embrace the change – even before arrival?

Some even speculate the ‘most at risk’ opportunities in employment would be

• Anyone working in telemarketing
• Anyone stitching by hand
• Maths technicians
• Watch repairers
• Insurance underwriters

And the recently introduced Betty of Milton Keynes who actually joined as ‘trainee robot manager’ engaged in a trial run for months, which can discharge several duties from monitoring personnel on work to welcoming guests.

And some statistics as well:

The author feels fear is misplaced. What happens in the breakdown of machinery? What about malfunction or virus attack? Despite numerous attempts are made to insulate from the onslaught, immunity is far cry. 

Everyone seems to be engrossed with Bots , Taco Bell announced the TacoBot, Microsoft Tay , Facebook AI Assistant “M” and the list can go on.

Are you worried?

There were instances when Robots failed and dismissed from service.  In a recent occurrence, two restaurants in China were forced to shut down due to the faltering Robots which couldn’t pour water or take orders from customers.

Another occurrence worth mentioning would be Microsoft’s Tay which malfunctioned and retired from service. Microsoft subsequently offered an apology and admitted that despite factoring many scenarios, it wasn’t prepared and made a critical oversight for this specific attack.  Microsoft Tay was pulled offline and will be featured once ready in address all possible human misuses. For now it’s not possible to predict all ‘all possible human interactive misuses without learning from mistakes’.

So we would be unduly worried to fear professional prospects robbed by robots. Even in the worst case scenario, human will upgrade themselves. The author took this survey and responded in the negative. The result depicted as under reflects that the majority negate the worry factor.

(source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11994694/Heres-what-will-happen-when-robots-take-over-the-world.html)

Artificial sounds so artificial – shouldn’t that be ‘Incredible’ Intelligence

image courtesy: http://eng-cs.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Artificial-Intelligence01_Web.jpg

Information is wealth and knowledge is power.

Mankind has underscored the importance in its time and today data reigns supreme. Hereon and hence forward, the challenge would be to ‘challenge the supremacy’. With a data now and digital is future, the internet will influence a whopping 50% of purchasing  decisions. In the world in which we inhabit, there is an information avalanche or a data deluge, and what all that amount without application will be just data dump. From core computing to commerce, it’s all about data points. Business is driven by numbers. Message is strengthened with statistics lest it lacks in substance and becomes an opinion. If its fact, then furnish data.

Google, in its inception, was driven by the mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," and did anyone gave much thought about its ability to market and monetize back in the late nineties. There were many search engines at that point in time that have disappeared or probably obscured by the numero uno status held by Google today. Websites apportioning real estate for advertisements to milk money as a strategic revenue stream didn’t hold weight for all despite their might. Publishers started studying traffic and the one that gained more traction in terms of attention and active participation proved pivotal in assessing return on income.

This report acknowledges Mary Meeker’s 2016 internet trends as key inputs to arrive at different inferences and interpretations.

Some highlights from the presentation more pertinent to this passage:

• Internet advertising in the US has grown by about 20% since last year, reaching $60 billion—two-thirds of that growth has come from an increase in spending on mobile ads.
• Facebook’s yearly advertising revenue (up 59%) grew much more than Google’s (18%) last year.
• Online video ads are ineffective: 81% of people surveyed mute video ads, 62% are annoyed by pre-roll ads, and 92% have considered using ad-blocking software.
• Internet sales have increased from less than 2% of all retail sales in the US in 2000 to about 10% in 2015.
• The rising Snapchat generation: Millennials communicate with text, but Generation Z prefers to communicate with images.
• The average Snapchat user plays with sponsored lenses for 20 seconds.
• There are now over 3 billion images shared daily between Snapchat, Facebook, Facebook 
• Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp—all but one of which are owned by Facebook.
• 55% of Pinterest users use the site to find products they want to buy.
• Messaging apps are moving from simple text tools to communicate with friends to platforms for commerce.
• There are 10 million business accounts on WeChat, and about 80% of all users follow one.
• Generation Y is the first generation to prefer chatting over the web or social media to talk to businesses, rather than over the phone.
• Computer recognition of speech has gone from about 70% to 90% accuracy in the last five years.
• 65% of US smartphone owners now use a voice assistant.
• By 2020, at least 50% of all searches online will be through voice or image search, according to Baidu’s chief scientist Andrew Ng.
• It’s time for self-driving cars: The average urban US worker spends about 42 hours a year sitting in delays on their commute, and the average person’s car is only in use about 4% of the time.

1.   Intelligence driving computers is not something we stumbled upon. It was a given. ‘Search’ engine started with a search by returning results that’s near about or no way near to the ‘search input’ and a distant to the expected ‘result’. Then search engine pushed it way and propelled itself to the way forward, by retrieving ‘right’ result with minimal iteration. You don’t have to be brainy or super smart to string a nice ‘search query’ – the system should be able to fetch you the search ‘result’. How did it do it? Intelligence reared its head up – defying logic, reason and rationale. Over time, Google has amassed a wealth of information to mine and monetize – using Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

artificial intelligence like voice interaction, personal assistants and automation take center stage.

With advancement, where we did we witness the acceleration of intelligence? Try the search engine. The accuracy in the search results has gone exceedingly high and to the cycle or attempts taken to locate the result has reduced way below. The machines are able to recognize through images and words used. How? Check the newsfeed in Google news section. Or observe the image results. Or the X-Box that feeds body movements as inputs to read and respond. Personalization is not the pinnacle of AI. It’s just warming up.

Next cars will drive and diagnosis can be more specific. We see more players actively engaged in AI as direct line or dotted. Ford is not a player in AI but its investment in AI for its vehicles has risen manifold. Google came out with ‘allo’ and Facebook launched ‘DeepText’ and startups mushrooming by the hundreds in this space.

The Trends 2016 put forth by Meeker

Search Engine

Try hailing a cab from your office corridor or the home confines, and check your device with the app and study the screen up close. The GPS fueled intelligence is just compelling or at times, breathtaking by the sheer spectacle of the number of vehicles traced and screened in the smart device with the possible time to reach in minutes. Perhaps the details complemented with depiction dazzles. This is a common and known scenario that happens in our daily walk of life.

Now Google is a well-known search engine. Facebook, given its information capital wants to leverage and launched DeepText for better engagement. The conundrum with regard to privacy is an admittedly complex. It’s the ground breaking development that’s fascinating. Google search and DeepText have ‘search’ as common and still exist as chalk and cheese as the domain is different for both.

AI-driven messaging Apps

Microsoft has one - ‘Skype, while Facebook has two:  “whatsapp and messenger” and Google joins with its own AI-based app “allo”. The apps have built-in ability to enhance and enrich user experience. AI enabled assistants have been in the news lately with one or the other behemoth rolling out their product. Times have witnessed the launch from Google, Facebook, apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and even as this article is penned, the buzz in the industry is Robot Betty joins office as a trainee office manager.  One wonders with this evolution of Artificial Intelligence and the looming threat of people’ interest superseded by machines introduction into the workforce – cases as in chatbots which can automate repetitive mundane handled by humans cutting on the cost and drastically enhancing the productivity.  

Image Recognition and Voice Software

The advancement is alarming that machine can think like man, act independently and intelligent enough to communicate to another robot.   Google image recognition can be amazing study and awe-inspiring in its implementation. Powerful algorithms can read from millions of pictures and map with the face scanned by the camera and throw a result – the identification is another break ground in terms of innovation, especially the high-level abstraction in data and multiple processing can be mind boggling.

Voice-function enabled search is another incredible innovation. We had voice software but enabling search with voice is so powerful in its enablement. You speak faster than read or type. So the ease and comfort with which the user is empowered is unbelievable till you do the search yourself. For instance, if it’s an android phone, you can experiment by simply asking “Ok Google, what is the temperature outside” and within second you hear the answer. Try any other question but make sure your question starts with “ok Google’ because the system understands this command. The voice and image have undergone incremental changes to arrive where they are at present. The voice recognition when complemented with image and retina can become dominant in determining user identification.

Summing up, the progress of AI is exponential that it entwines in our daily life. As we resort to AI for almost anything – reminders, communication, travel, sports, entertainment and what not, even the skeptics will forced to look harder and question their own beliefs.

It’s no longer the distant future.

Importance of Communication in Project Management

Records reveal that 90% of the productive time engaged by Project Managers is on communication. The PMI’s 2013 Pulse of the Profession report states that effective communications to all stakeholders as the most critical in project management.

The report further cautioned about the high risks due to poor communication, which is a shocking figure of 56% percentage. 

One of the reason attributed to this rise in risk is the negligence to proper communication as project managers, at times, tend to take it for granted.  Communication during the inception, especially about requirement walk-through can prove critical and impact the outcome of the project. It’s important all the stakeholders well informed and educated about the expectations. Capturing the requirement correctly – usually exchanging notes and drawings or prototype – is again typical communication management. If the start is good, it’s as good half the battle won. Most of the failures when analyzed point to the requirement analysis when the customer and vendor’ understanding failed to match. Furthermore, effective communications prove to be main reason(s) for successful execution of projects by meeting deadlines with some delay and at cost. It spells top performance of all the stakeholders. For the scope of this article, let’s look at key aspects that stress the need for effective communication in a business project.

Understanding stakeholders’ expectation: it’s easy to misread as ‘requirements’. Stakeholders always have an expectation as to how the project should evolve and shape up. It will be difficult to gauge the expectation in the first call and hence it’s iterative. The back and forth exchange is a necessity till all involved are able to read and interpret the message in voice – unanimous.  The objectives agreeable mutually should be engaged as the mission of the project.

Risk Mitigation: Any undertaking will have its share of risks. Black and white is almost picture perfect. There will be some grey area, which is expected in a business engagement. . When the communication is free and frequent, chances are good in ironing out the difference and closing the gaps. The worst of risks are the assumptions made in the absence of valid or required information. Correspondence between different stakeholders will cut down the clutter and enhance understanding. The better the understanding, lesser will be the assumptions.  Assumptions are inevitable, but efforts should be made to keep it to the minimum with least impact.

Transparency leads to trust. Communication helps to earn the stakeholders confidence. Much depends on the matter and manner which is being communicated and the manner. Its time bound and information critical to build a good rapport in order to build credibility. When there is nothing to hide, why will be the need to doubt? Open and transparent communication always clear results in garnering goodwill and establishing trustworthiness. An honest response that conveys an unpleasant message might be difficult to savor but that’s how integrity is build. Trust deficit or erosion can create serious conflicts in slowing or stopping project. On the other hand, earning stakeholders’ confidence will help in better understanding within both the parties to allow some leeway or latitude. All said and done, it boils to the trust – how reliable you are, and more importantly, truthful.

Precise and concise communication. Prompt, punctual and proper exchange of information using appropriate channels defines communication.  How many actually acknowledge a mail receipt – though it’s the best way to assure.  It doesn’t need to be rich in prose or sound poetic – a simple message using simple language is enough as long it communicates the required and desired information. Besides, stakeholders, especially decision makers are always short of time and may not be read the length of the letter. Hence it’s recommended to keep it precise and to the point.

Regular and frequent communication. It’s never construed as disturbance when it comes to the messages affecting the commitment. Free and forthcoming communication that’s scheduled or unscheduled is always welcome and never understood as an intrusion specifically about project updates. The daily status report, weekly status report and similar reports are scheduled ones that are expected. And any alerts, warning or clarification exchanges are unplanned or unscheduled. Frequent communication will help in project navigation and better understanding of the actual progress made as accountable stakeholders will confirm or raise flags as concern to undertake remedial measures, if required.

Communication Management features as one the knowledge areas in PMI’s PMBOK® A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). If you have a comment, please drop by and we can discuss it further.

We are one of the leading educational service provider offering project management programs as part of niche certification courses.   In case you are interested to know more about our programs, please visit our website www.icertglobal.com  

What does it serve to hold a Professional Training?

It’s a well beaten track, and oft-walked path and probably worn out. Even after it goes a full circle, sometimes we are back at square one. So what does it serve to hold a professional certification/training?

Maslow postulated that ‘when one need is met, another arises’. It’s a two way street between employers and employees. While one is on the lookout for extraordinary skills offering position and perks, the other is on the pursuit of offering its services to best bidder. The employer-employee relationship is reciprocal.  ‘How can I help you’ to ‘what do you have to offer me’. As a professional aspiring to move ahead in the corporate ladder, what are the expectations from an individual standpoint as well as collective?

Skills Specialisation

Show uncommon skill.

It will become banal if you could do the math with the headcount, out of which how many really can be counted in?

“According to a report by Talent Sprint in 2014, only 27 per cent of the 7, 50, 00,000 fresh graduates would be employable by 2020. “

So the number of candidates who actually make it to the talent pool is disproportionate to talent available.  Employers are really vetting a recruit’ worth because getting a new hire onboard is expensive and cumbersome. The trail of links from start to closure can be long and winding. So how does professional training help developing skills? Expectedly, your knowledge base should be broad and it’s strongly recommended to specialize.  Academic knowledge is acknowledged and professional development will complement in carving your professional profile. Capabilities in line with the current standards, relevant knowledge about the changing trends and times in your track; closing your knowledge gaps and help you become a potential contributor.

Non-professionals as active participants

How do non-professionals get in? That’s an interesting poser. There are prospects in the industry which facilitates non-actors in to active participants through professional development programs. For instance, you have enlisted for Arts but interested in design, or your major is Math and penchant for Analytics, and the industry will surprise with the opportunities abound.  There I nothing non-inclusive.

In fact, heavyweights and bellwether companies have opted to look beyond the conventional method even in campus selection shifting primary focus on skills. Those who have the appetite to ‘go beyond’ is succinctly encapsulated in this crisp comment “people who like figuring out stuff where there is no obvious answer”.

More than academic, it will be the analytic, innovative, think out-of-box approach that draws more eyeballs. Every player is deemed to have traits and skill primary followed by secondary. It will be through honing and fine-tuning, especially when professional migrate from their line of practice. And that’s when and how training, workshop or certification courses actually lend merit to improve skills in a planned and structured way.

International acceptance and recognition

With economy opening up profiles today are pancontinental. When visibility is high, the stakes too are high and hence it’s significant that your credentials take center stage or go places – literally.  Some niche certification is renowned for its compelling grip to hold international audience. A professional certification course is a key enabler in making your profile visible and far reaching – by speaking in the same language that’s universally understood and upheld. When you can demonstrate with the expected skill, expertise and authorized by a professional governing or certifying body, it not only recognizes but endorses your commitment in a global business analysis community.

Job opportunities world-wide

Job opportunities will be a corollary to international recognition. Once the threshold is reached, doors are opened. The industry is not short of opportunities. There is a dearth of quality and qualified professional and this supply vs demand is grossly skewed underscoring the need for skilled personnel. Interestingly, professional training enabled many non-actors to get into the fray and find a place in the workforce.

The 74 million next-generation workforce of 15- to 24-year-olds who are unemployed are not skilled to fill the skills .

Ant crisis presents an opportunity and how can you capitalize the chance by leveraging on your knowledge and understanding. For a power-packed performance, you need support in the form of grooming and guidance and perhaps where professional training will pitch.

Career-path accelerator

The total costs of replacement can reach 200% of an employee’s annual salary.

Now that’s huge. A certification can ensure consideration, if not confirmation. Building your career will depend much on your personal branding. Just as in any job search, distinguish yourself head-over shoulder by positioning yourself. There are programs conceived and delivered to help you progress faster and further in your career with promotions and compensation. How does training impact career advancement? In addition they can provide linkage to training in the right modality to facilitate development, It’s not enough for you do good. You have to take control of career and make it happen.

We engage in knowledge transfer in the form of professional training and certification courses. You may please call on us or email at info@icertglobal.com to discuss more about career-building counseling offered as courtesy.

Challenges with Project Management

image courtesy: wiki

The iron triangle is too tough to balance. Too often or not, it was observed that one axis is either long or short compared to the other two. And it might be near perfection to maintain equidistant axes.   Project stakeholders are left perplexed tearing the hair wondering what went wrong, and ‘how didn’t we see that coming? We failed to detect and decipher the warning. Did we throw caution to the wind?’ that will sound too critical as due diligence is done through detailed discussion and deliberation before inking the contract, yet, projects going off the rails poses serious threats in damage control and contingency measures.  What went wrong should be a lesson learnt for the next or projects in pipeline, yet projects seems to stumble in the same spot flummoxes and shakes the foundation. It might sound clichéd or routinely repetitive but professionals tread on a beaten track and worn out path, and ironically can’t sight the pitfalls and potholes? What possible oversights that project suffer – that are ‘known’ knowns and still found wanting on action and remedy.

Identify Project Objective and Goals:

The stakeholders stating the objective should make sure that project goals are identified and make sure the message reaches out to the team. Chances of disconnect is disturbingly high when objective isn’t clear or communication incoherent. Minor addition to the original scope will result in a major reshuffle, transfiguring the original requirements.  Consequently, the project fails to progress on expected lines. It can be any field and platform independent and technology agnostic as project is a temporary endeavor with a start and end date. The dates differ because the project team plays a different wherein goal posts keeps keep shifting. 

Determine the Project Scope:

Always the slippery slope. The in-scope and out-of-scope tends to blur and blend, and the risk is inherent.  Is it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It might be appear as exaggeration expression. Most experienced project managers would agree that ‘admission and accommodation’ that starts as a trickle is difficult to stem as a tide. Nudge here and poke there and scope is nowhere near the ‘original’ scope. 

Emphasize Project Communication across Stakeholders:

Stepping up communication will set the expectation right. The fundamental reason for any misunderstanding is poor communication. In a technology advance professional work environment, gap due to improper communication is unacceptable hampering hampers productivity and performance. Be it manual or electronic exchange, there will be greater degree of transparency and accountability only when communication between stakeholders is crystal clear and timely on delivery.

Prepare proper Project Deadlines:

Delivery deadlines must be realistic. Setting up unreasonable timeline is self-destructive. It can lead to serious issues running your project progress and workforce morale. Raising the bar is good to groom but poor governance to reflect in the target. The date of completion can be setting after taking stock of the soft skills and availability. The resources pose an intrinsic risk, admittedly, and hence there is a standby or fall back provisions made in the ‘resource plan’ but the usual practice of engaging someone on something is strictly on ‘evaluation of excellence’ and securing confidence.

Evaluate Talent Pool:

Expectation are always high – be it employer or employee but rising up to it and staying in ‘top of form’ consistently is breaking grounds in terms of performance.  Team, inevitably, will be a mix of talent pool. Any shortcoming or deficit will be offset by outstanding performance and that’s how it becomes teamwork.  The delivery and deadline should be worked out only after factoring your Talent Pool. Assessing your resources becomes critical before committing about the possible time of completion. Besides, it strongly recommended conducting the SWOT analysis on every team member to evaluate the team’s strength and weakness. Sometimes there is too much of reliance on a particular resource that can lead too much ‘burn’, and ‘wear’. There is only so much a resource can perform and efforts are to optimize. Beyond that the very resource is put in peril – too much of a risk.

To know more about Project Management programs, please click http://goo.gl/Vt0ZL1 or visit our website www.icertglobal.com

Deep Blue and the AI

image courtesy:https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/vintage/vintage_4506VV1001.html

And its not another chess game.

Way back in 1996, a super chess power named Garry Kasparov agreed for a match with IBM’s Computer [it was still ‘computer’ without the intelligence aspect amplified] named Deep Blue. Was the name an inspiration from Deep Throat?Or is just the phonetics?

The incredible then happened. Deep Blue won the first match. History was created. Unbelievable! If it stunned the world, the chess champion shattered would be an understatement. Kasparov would recollect later about playing with computers but none like Deep Blue. 

Kasparov, as the reigning champion, was so confident about his strength that the might of the machine that made its move in the chess match was no match. It wasn’t just the champion, but the pundits and public never for once doubted. No one doubted. Just the same no one expected. Computer to dethrone the champ? It happens in the time when google was probably in incubation and software was limping its way in to our lives. The impact was limited, restricted to few and used by fewer. Times when people remembered phone numbers of their contacts and reliance on ‘hardware’ like computers was confined to space, defense and research. All things around too hardly smelled anything close to ‘software’, and programs was yet to be synonymous as software just as search with google. It was in this exciting backdrop, the fight between a human brain versus a relatively unknown machine was pitted. It might sound Ayan Randish, but there is no such thing called a ‘collective brain’ and should it exist, then it will not be mortal but machines, and rightly positioned, Deep Blue was a result of many a mind with innovations and inventions. Chess is an amazing, sophisticated and brilliant game where the mind is really placed at a premium. Its philosophical too ‘you cannot reach the white square without stepping into a black’, and game is a strategic one, just like wars fought with ‘horses and bayonets’. A great tactical move or act of blunder – whichever way, that’s the game of chess.

So imagine Kasparov moving a pawn, what should Deep Blue do in response? Defense or offence? So the machine had to think of all possible scenarios and also think further about the countermove. Its about preempting and predicting to an accuracy that’s alarming, and even freaking IQ. A normal mind cannot fathom as much, and hence Kasparov was deeply respected for his intelligence and ability to look ahead – way ahead that he could do the mental math to break all barriers or detect a breach from a distance. That was baffling. Even more would be Deep Blue, for it shocked not just the millions of multitude, but Kasparov himself was baffled by the way the system battled “But a computer, I thought, would never make such a move. A computer can't ‘see’ the long-term consequences of structural changes in the position or understand how changes in pawn formations may be good or bad.”

So when he conceded, rather, Deep Blue won, Kasparov would acknowledge the brilliance and the intelligence “I GOT MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON Feb. 10, 1996, at 4:45 p.m. EST, when in the first game of my match with Deep Blue, the computer nudged a pawn forward to a square where it could easily be captured. It was a wonderful and extremely human move.”

Kasparov will go on to win the next game and eventually the championship, and we all recall  that near to impossible win of Deep Blue and cheered the challenge posed to the champion. Today the odds are reversed as we almost revere AI to the point of ubiquitous in our lives. There is no aspect in our life that AI has not penetrated. All along we lived without the knowledge of its existence. And our dependence on data is almost complete for even simple and mundane chores are reflective in our inability to store data in a machine than carry in person.

Why call it artificial? We have seen advancement exceed advancements in AI. We have seen job creation to job destruction by the very intelligence. It works both ways. Automation and robotics disrupted human lives by replacing their services and unseated their position and unsettled their lives. That’s the typical trade-off for change. Its not the cry of a luddite but all things come at a cost and technology today is the most powerful inclusion. Kasparov would state “my instincts told me “. So a celebrated chess champion still relies on his behavioral response.  Till that day, artificial will be artificial. Then again, wasn’t it a terrific wake-up call that made us stand up and salute. We owe as much to Deep Blue in enabling us to deep dive in AI.

And what the future holds…… machines might rule but will never master the creator.

The PRINCE2 Practitioner Open-Book Exam: General Tips

image courtesy: http://blogs.iadb.org/educacion/files/iStock_000005780399_Small1.jpg

The PRINCE2 Practitioner exam is an open-book format which enables those taking the exam to access Book(s) prescribed by Axelos.

PRINCE2 Practitioner Examination format

·         Objective testing

·         8 questions - 10 question items per question, each worth one mark

·         44 marks or more required to pass (out of 80 available) - 55%

·         Two-and-a-half hours (150 minutes) duration, no additional reading time

·         Open-book exam (official PRINCE2 manual only)

Open-Book -General Tips

Open-book – is in support and not as main ‘source’

It’s easy to be misled that answers are inserted in the book and all one has to do open and everything will unfold.  Progress is based on preparation. So an unprepared attempt relying on the open-book completely will expectedly make no headway as the exam is not about rote learning or remembering and recalling answers. In a scenario-based exam, the challenge lies in applying the learning in the given context for which the open-book can serve as ‘aid’ and can never replace the hard hours bunt to bridge the knowledge gap. So open-book serves more as pointers and reference and surely not the study-material during the exam.

Well-versed with core concepts and subject matter

The recommendation is to become conversant with core concepts like reading the back of your palm. How else you would able to know what lies where. In the pile of information, searching for the reference to the untrained eye is like being blindsided. The open-book will act as a guide in offering direction to look for material that can be useful while attempting on the answers. The more conversant, the easier it is to track and trace, which saves you time to spare while attempting the hard questions. Besides, you can check and confirm the probable answer by verifying the open-book, provided the answers were known prior and not by chance or second-guess.

Read, and read again the question

If you can’t get it in the first read, try again. The instinct is to eyeball or examine hastily the exam paper to run through all the questions. Understanding the question is the key in answering, and scenarios, in particular, poses the need to read the finer details for better grasp and reach. It is very much possible to miss out on some information or become confused. Enhance your comprehension.

Engage. The exam is not extempore effort

Participation without prior preparation results in poor performance. Exceptions aside, it will be ill-advised to attempt an exam without the groundwork and grooming. One has to engage with the exam planning and readiness to clear the exam in the first attempt. There are mock exams, study aids available, and sample papers similar to that of the final exam. Attempt as many to empower with the relevant knowledge and understanding so as to acquaint and anticipate. It’s never extempore.

Don’t overestimate or oversimplify

The confident mind can feel supremely strong and takes it easy and consequnetly, complacent. It is not the same as being cool before an exam. A sense of caution is expected than fear or foreboding, at the same time lethargic and laidback attitude will not take you far. Human, by nature, assume the worst and hence overestimate – which impedes progress and success. Open-book, as stated above, is again reiterated not to be interpreted as book of answers. This might make the 'smarts' ones to oversimplify  or the 'unprepared' fraught with exam fear to overestimate. Attempt on its merit.

DOs and Don’ts

DOs

• You are allowed the access of the Axelos-approved manual. You can mark or add handwritten notes on the manual that can be referred. You can also use post-it notes for identifying sections or jumpstart to a page.
• You have to validate the admission of the referenced book by clearly by presenting to the webcam. Open-Book should be emptied of any material concealed intentionally or inadvertently.
• You need to open the book and flip pages in front of the camera to ascertain about hidden notes or papers.
• You can take the exam from an authorized examination center or your training provider or online. In case, you are doing it online from a place of your choice, ensure complete compliance.

Don’ts

• You cannot attach or affix any sheet or papers other than the allowed ‘book’.  Any inserts or attachments or pullout that violates the rules and guidelines will disqualify your candidature.
• You cannot have hidden notes inside the book, and hence a prerequisite that the ‘Open-book’ should be subject to inspection of the web camera before the start of exam.
• You cannot use any additional information, like sheets or papers other than the book

You can always call on us to clarify any doubts or queries about PRINCE2 exams. For contact information, please click the link http://www.icertglobal.com/contact-us or visit our website www.icertglobal.com

PRINCE2 PRACTITIONER QUESTION PAPER PATTERNS

If you have  PRINCE2 Foundation certification, then the calling is to commit to the next level and complete - The PRINCE2 Practitioner certification.

As a PRINCE2 Practitioner certified professional, you are empowered with the knowledge and understanding in applying your learning to a real-time situation or scenario, and expected to lead and manage projects in an environment that supports PRINCE2.

Prerequisites

The prerequisite to appear for the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination, as stated by the governing body Axelos, is to possess a ‘proof of passing’ from one of the following:

• PRINCE2 Foundation
• Project Management Professional (PMP) 
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) 
• IPMA Level A® (Certified Projects Director) 
• IPMA Level B® (Certified Senior Project Manager) 
• IPMA Level C® (Certified Project Manager) 
• IPMA Level D® (Certified Project Management Associate) 

Exam Format

The exam format is as follows:

• Objective testing
• 8 questions - 10 question items per question, each worth one mark
• 44 marks or more required to pass (out of 80 available) - 55%
• Two-and-a-half hours (150 minutes) duration, no additional reading time
• Open book exam (official PRINCE2 manual only).

 PRINCE2 PRACTITIONER QUESTION PAPER PATTERNS

Please note that this exam is available for participants registered Accredited Training Organization.

Sample Paper

Having completed the certification course, it is strongly recommended that you try the ‘free Sample PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam’, offered by Axelos. This will present an overview and help you become familiar with the exam pattern, type of questions, severity of questions and so on. It arms with you awareness and helps you to prepare with a sense of anticipation. You have the option to take the test soon after completing the course to assess you own level of understanding and knowledge transfer or you can prepare prior to the test to get a first-hand evaluation of your own competence in cracking the exam.

Objective Test

The objective test will vary slightly from the usual objective answers, wherein, one correct answer needs to be selected. PRINCE2 Foundation follows this pattern of answering. However, in PRINCE2 Practitioner, there might be questions that may have more than 1 correct answer, and hence be informed about this departure from the tradition ‘objective answers’.

Knowledge Areas

There will be eighty questions in all and each carry 1 mark. You have to score a minimum 44 to clear the certification exam, which is 55%.  The question will be posed from knowledge areas and hence it’s imperative that you cover all topics and become conversant with the syllabus areas.

The PRINCE2 Syllabus contains 15 defined syllabus areas covering each of the seven themes, each of the seven processes and an overview area also covering the principles and tailoring PRINCE2 to a project environment.

Within the Practitioner Examination, there will be 6 “theme” questions, each testing one of the 7 themes, and 2 “process group” questions, which will test 2 of the 3 groups of processes as identified below.

Each of the eight questions will test a minimum of 2 syllabus topics from within the syllabus area.

Syllabus Area

• Business Case theme
• Organization theme
• Quality theme
• Plans theme
• Risk theme
• Change theme
• Progress theme
• Starting up a Project and Initiating a Project Processes
• Directing a Project, Managing a Stage Boundary and Closing a Project Processes
• Controlling a Stage and Managing Product Delivery Processes

Open Book

Within each question the syllabus area to which the question refers is clearly stated.
The exam is to be taken with the support of the PRINCE2 Manual only. Remember, you cannot use any other book or resource, that is i.e. no material other than the Question Booklet, the Scenario Booklet, the Answer Booklet and the PRINCE2 Manual is to be used and ‘Open Book’ conditions as have to be complied. We will discuss about open book more in detail as a blog post.

Types of Questions

You can expect the 80 question posed in the certification exam. And they are presented in 5 different formats as detailed below.

Classic Multiple Choice Questions: the typical objective-type question wherein you need to select a right answer from the given choices

Multiple Response: you have to select 2 options from the list of 5 options. This marks the exception in the pattern by prompting for more than 1 answer.

Matching: the options on the left column need to be mapped to the correct answer in the right. Please note that there is only one match and there are possibilities of multiple matches. Meaning for 5 options on the left column, it is entirely possible that option 1, 2 and 3 can have the same mapping on the right column.

Sequencing: ‘position events in a sequence’. You need to answer the options like stacking in a sequence.

Assertion/Reason:  You need to evaluate two statements a (an assertion and a reason) and confirm if they either, or both or neither with the help of reasons detailed in the question.

Capturing the Answer

In the answer leaflet, make sure the oval shapes are completely filled with PENCIL only. You have 150 minutes to answer questions. Hence your time management and answering ways should be 100% fill. Its an electronic submission and correction and hence filling the oval shapes that you find as the correct answer should be neatly and completely is the compelling factor. Failure in doing so may result in the making the answer null and void as system will be unable to ‘read’.