Estimating class:

This consists of three days of learning hos to use an internally-created tool for helping people come up with project estimates for different scenarios, differing platforms given the client's many possible needs.

To say that this is an intense training squeezed into three days is to sell it short. You see, its very intense, and the only thing going for most participants is the fact that they are familiar (or should be) with the client business and the Accenture way of doing projects.

When it comes to teaching this course in an ideal setting, one requires mastery of the tools - or at the very least, familiarity and understanding of how to use them, and why they need to be used.

I actually belong to the latter group of facilitator because I find it superfluous to study the tools further, specially since 1) I won't really be using these tool outside of Accenture, 2) I find no reason to use the tool, as I am not assigned to Accenture projects and 3) quality in the training is not really a necessity - these days its just a statistic. This is not to say that quality totally goes out the window, rather, its not a priority... hence my not putting the needed effort to master the tool. I'd say that this may be the root to my having a cavalier attitude to training in Accenture - thus just giving the minimum requirement.

That said, I get by... and still learn more of the tool whenever I conduct it one more time. Eventually, by sheer repetitive use or 'number of conducts' - I will get to be an expert with said tools given minimal preparation effort in learning it. But to really be an expert in its use? I'd have to use it in the environment it was designed for - and I don't see that happening. Maybe I should just decline teaching this. I don't see any reason (hence lack the passion) to really do learn it.

To add to the contents of this site, I shall take more pictures of my class - try to get action shots of both the facilitator(s) and the participants. Hope this allows for greater dynamics - which in turn will rebound to more frequent conducts. As I take more pictures, it will allow for more interesting and diverse contents (or at least, that is the general idea), and hopefully leading to creating a more interesting site.

Here's to luck and great pictures.

2012 trainings.

Its a new year - and with it comes new challenges; albeit the same old training conducts - at least, for now anyway. Yup, this picture, for example shows my first class for 2012 - namely a Packaged Application Design School (a.k.a. PADS), which is all about General Design concepts geared more for the packaged application solutions type of project (which basically covers platforms like SAP, Peoplesoft, Oracle, and other similar ERP solutions.

Funny thing is, I only started teaching Packaged-solutions related training this year - more so, after the U2K2 project. Ironic since the other way around - meaning conducting the training, then becoming part of the SAP project (which would really have helped me). Still, I was already starting to conduct such training in the past - but my exposure to U2K2 really helped galvanize my learning and appreciating how packaged applications are done, and why.

I only wish that the frequency of my training conducts get more frequent - I mean, there used to be times in the past that I would have 4 full weeks of conducts. It was tiring, but it allowed me to get the needed money for my usual expenses - including tuition. I do hope it becomes more frequent soon, as I do need to have more earnings to cover for my and my family's needs (expenses). Granted that I'm sure I can trim the fat in some aspects - but if I can maintain the comfort level (which isn't really that fat or totally leisurely comfortable), that would be better.

With respect to not being able to get what I need from the training, then I will really have to reconsider my career. It may be a sad day for training - as this will not be the first time I've heard of a really good trainer (no bias intended here) from retiring form training to pursue 'greener' pastures.