Fourth-Quarter APPEL Courses Support Mission Success

As the last quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2017 approaches, APPEL looks forward to offering a diverse range of courses designed to support professional development at NASA.

APPEL develops its courses to help ensure the agency’s project managers and systems engineers have the skills and knowledge required to advance mission success. As such, the courses are NASA-centric and fully relevant to project and mission needs.

APPEL’s fourth-quarter course offerings will begin on July 10, 2017. Over the next three months, the Academy will deliver 43 distinct course offerings at NASA centers as well as at APPEL’s Academy Center for Excellence (ACE) and NASA’s Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V) facility. The courses span a spectrum of subjects, from foundational topics in project management and systems engineering to more in-depth concentrations on mission-relevant disciplines such as risk management, requirements development, scheduling and cost control, and more. Other courses emphasize the softer skills that are critical for leadership, helping practitioners enhance their presentation, communication, or strategic-thinking abilities.

A highlighted selection of courses from APPEL is below, followed by the full list of all 43 fourth-quarter course offerings.

Advanced Project Management & Advanced Systems Engineering (APPEL-APM&ASE) at Stennis Space Center (SSC):

• This seminar-style course provides a forum for experienced program and project managers and systems engineers to share lessons learned and insights to enhance the potential for mission success.

Assertiveness Training for the Technical Professional (APPEL-ATTP) at Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) and Glenn Research Center (GRC):

• Participants learn powerful techniques designed to help them master critical people skills and build self-confidence and awareness in order to drive technical success.

Crucial Accountability (APPEL-CA) at Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC):

• Emphasizing a step-by-step process for identifying and resolving threats to project success, Crucial Accountability helps project and team leads develop skills to enhance team reliability and effectiveness.

Foundations of Aerospace at NASA (APPEL-FOU) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and AFRC:

• One of APPEL’s core courses, Foundations of Aerospace at NASA introduces participants to the basics of aeronautics and the fundamentals of astronautics.

Project Planning Analysis and Control (APPEL-PPAC) at SSC:

• An APPEL curriculum mainstay, Project Planning Analysis and Control provides intensive instruction in project management fundamentals across the entire project life cycle.

Quiet Project Management (APPEL-QPM) at GRC:

• Designed for project leaders, Quiet Project Management offers concrete tools for creating a work environment and management culture that nurtures all team members, whether they are introverts, extroverts, or ambiverts.

We encourage practitioners to explore the comprehensive list, below, of fourth-quarter courses offered by APPEL at each NASA center and at additional agency facilities. After reviewing the list, practitioners can click on course names to go to the APPEL Catalog for a full description or easy access to registration.

 

ACE facility

• International Project Management (APPEL-IPM): September 10-15

Ames Research Center

• Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals (APPEL-PSTP): July 11

Armstrong Flight Research Center

• Cost Estimation for Project Managers (APPEL-COST): July 11-12
• Requirements Development and Management (APPEL-REQ): July 25-27
• Assertiveness Training for Technical Professionals (APPEL-ATTP): August 1-2
• Foundations of Aerospace at NASA (APPEL-FOU): August 7-9
• Managing Virtual Teams (APPEL-MVT): August 15-16
• Crucial Accountability (APPEL-CA): August 29-30
• Crucial Conversations (APPEL-CC): September 19-20

Glenn Research Center

• Quiet Project Management (APPEL-QPM): August 1
• Assertiveness Training for Technical Professionals (APPEL-ATTP): August 9-10
• Negotiations (APPEL-NG): August 29-30
• Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals (APPEL-PSTP): September 14

Goddard Space Flight Center

• Team Leadership (APPEL-TL): July 10-12
• Foundations of Aerospace at NASA (APPEL-FOU): July 10-12
• Negotiations (APPEL-NG): July 17-18
• Risk Management II (APPEL-RM II): August 3-4
• Science Missions & Systems: Design & Operations (APPEL-SMSDO): August 15-17

Headquarters

• Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overview (APPEL-FAR): August 7-8
• Introduction to Project Management at NASA (APPEL-PM101): August 14-16
• Project Management for non-Technical Managers (APPEL-PMnTM): September 11-13

IV&V facility

• Agile PM: Keys to Getting Started (APPEL-AGILE): August 22-24

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Lifecycle, Processes & Systems Engineering (APPEL-LPSE): July 18-20
• Communicating Technical Issues (APPEL-CTI): July 26-27
• Requirements Development and Management (APPEL-REQ): August 1-3
• Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals (APPEL-PSTP): August 8
• Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals (APPEL-PSTP): August 9
• Team Leadership (APPEL-TL): September 26-28

Johnson Space Center

• Crucial Accountability (APPEL-CA): July 11-12
• Crucial Conversations (APPEL-CC): July 18-19
• Requirements Development and Management (APPEL-REQ): August 22-24
• Human Spaceflight and Mission Design (APPEL-HSMD): September 11-13
• Foundations of Aerospace at NASA (APPEL-FOU): September 19-21

Kennedy Space Center

• Project Management for non-Technical Managers (APPEL-PMnTM): July 18-20
• Developing and Implementing a Systems Engineering Management Plan (APPEL-SEMP): July 25-27
• Negotiations (APPEL-NG): August 1-2
• Performance-Based Statement of Work (APPEL-PBSOW): August 8-9
• Scheduling and Cost Control (APPEL-SCC): August 22-25
• Types of Contracts (APPEL-CONT): August 29-31
• Crucial Conversations (APPEL-CC): September 6-7

Langley Research Center

• Crucial Conversations (APPEL-CC): July 26-27
• Advanced Project Management and Advanced Systems Engineering (APPEL-APM&ASE): August 8-11
• Writing for Technical Professionals (APPEL-TW): August 24
• Team Leadership (APPEL-TL): September 19-21

Marshall Space Flight Center

• Risk Management I (APPEL-RM I): July 25
• Risk Management II (APPEL-RM II): July 26-27
• Decision Analysis (APPEL-DA): August 1-2
• Team Leadership (APPEL-TL): August 9-11
• Scheduling and Cost Control (APPEL-SCC): August 15-19
• Lifecycle, Processes & Systems Engineering (APPEL-LPSE): August 22-24
• Crucial Accountability (APPEL-CA): September 14-15
• Agile PM: Keys to Getting Started (APPEL-AGILE): September 18-20
• Communicating Technical Issues (APPEL-CTI): September 21-22

Stennis Space Center

• Project Planning Analysis and Control (APPEL-PPAC): July 10-14
• Space Launch and Transportation System (APPEL-SLTS): August 21-23
• Strategic Thinking for Project Success (APPEL-STPS): September 12-14
• Advanced Project Management and Advanced Systems Engineering (APPEL-APM&ASE): September 18-21

The Academy is excited to offer this broad range of courses for NASA practitioners during the fourth quarter of FY17. Because seating for APPEL courses is limited, interested agency practitioners are encouraged to register as early as possible. For answers to questions about courses or the registration process, practitioners can contact APPEL Training & Support or their center’s APPEL Point of Contact.