Priority Management Training: Working Sm@rt with Microsoft Outlook

Take control of your inbox and make Outlook work harder for you.

This powerful software is often under-utilized. Receive hands-on skills instruction to help you absorb proven techniques for a total time-management solution that integrates communications, tasks, activities, and planning.

This course will help you:

Create a consistent focus on priorities
Gain control of your inbox and email
Improve your communications
Manage your time, tasks, and activities
Use Outlook with a 'business planning' approach

Next Steps:

Who should Attend:

Workgroups and teams including managers, technical and sales professionals, supervisors, administrators and project leaders who currently use MS Outlook, and are not optimizing this powerful software.

Format:

1-day instructor-led session using Outlook or
Two 2-hour web-based virtual classroom sessions
Optional coaching session to reinforce learning

Tools Provided:

Comprehensive Learning Guide
Optional Priority Manager Organizer

Related Training:

Priority Planning Workshop

Working Sm@rt at NAVSEA

Background

Headquartered at the historic Washington (DC) Navy Yard, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is comprised of about 53,000 civilian and military personnel across the United States and Asia. Together, they engineer, build, buy, and maintain ships, submarines, and combat systems for the United States Navy which is currently comprised of 283 ships, with a 2020 target of 313 ships with the latest technologies.

With a budget of nearly $30 billion, NAVSEA accounts for one-quarter of the Navy's entire budget and manages more than 150 acquisition programs. The 2300 personnel at NAVSEA headquarters provide policy, guidance, oversight and support to the remaining 95% of their employees at four shipyards, eight "warfare centers" (two undersea and six surface), and four major shipbuilding locations.

NAVSEA is focused on developing a Competency Aligned Organization that recognizes the need for responding to work demand signals generated by their customers in a disciplined and cost effective manner.

Challenge to Priority Management

Starting from an inquiry through its web site, Priority Management found that many NAVSEA employees were struggling to manage high volumes of e-mail while under very tight network space limitations. In addition, they also needed help to improve personal / team productivity, to focus on priorities, and to become more proactive.

The main challenge presented to Priority Management was to find significant interest within NAVSEA's complex organizational structure to initiate Working Sm@rt training in order to demonstrate the results that are possible. Two other challenges were the lack of a NAVSEA computer laboratory at the Navy Yard that is connected to their network, and the lack of a central entity within NAVSEA that focuses on training course promotion and evaluation.

Additional requirements included:

A course curriculum must align with the US Department of Defense's National Security Personnel System (NSPS) related to creating SMART job objectives.
No additional investment by NAVSEA or any individual for new "tools" after training was completed.
Classroom sessions preferred since most employees work in workstations with little privacy to take interactive online training with sound.

Priority Management Solution

Using post-course survey results from several Working Sm@rt client organizations, Priority Management recommended that the facilitator-delivered Working Sm@rt with Microsoft OutlookTM program with onsite follow-up personal coaching could address all the NAVSEA challenges except for the computer / network access issue and the internal course promotion. The NAVSEA civilian employee who made the original inquiry partnered with Priority Management to overcome the two remaining major obstacles:

locating a computer lab at the Navy Yard controlled by a non-NAVSEA Command and reserving several class dates
working with his NAVSEA Training Coordinator to enter the information into NAVSEA's Washington Area online training registration system and disseminate it to other Training Corrdinators.

Program graduates then receive additional ongoing support and reinforcement with access to Priority Management Working Sm@rt Expert Coaches via e-mail and phone.

Working Sm@rtTM Results at NAVSEA Headquarters

NAVSEA has initiated regular Working Sm@rt with BlackBerry training classes as add-on training for graduates of the Outlook training.

Post program evaluations, conducted 45 to 70 days after completion of the class, displayed the following results:

64 minutes per day: average productivity gain experienced by program graduates.
11.1 days: average time required to recover the initial cost of training (payback period).
$8,600 per graduate: annualized Return on Investment experienced by NAVSEA
78% improvement: average improvement in tracking communications reported by program graduates
74% improvement in planning and organization
65% improvement in managing e-mail
58% improvement in managing information

Program graduate comments:

"The best one-day course I've taken in my 27 years of government service."

"This class was well worth the time! It is the only class that I have taken that has had a direct and measureable impact on work efforts. I have already recommended this class to personnel who work for, and with me."

"I had been looking for training like this for over 5 years! Well worth the investment of time and cost. I would definitely recommend this training to everyone at NAVSEA!"

Client: Blue Cross

Thank you, for an excellent workshop. "Working Smart with Microsoft Outlook" has been one of the most popular classes we've offered at the Association. It always fills up immediately and feedback from participants is overwhelmingly positive. Having taken the course myself, I can vouch for its ability to help move from using Outlook as simply a tool for answering e-mail, to a vehicle for managing time and priorities. It's a great program and we're looking forward to continuing to offer it to our staff in 2009.

J. A.C.
Director, Training and Development, BCBSA

Client: Canadian Navy

As the staff here at Maritime Command in Halifax prepare to load another group of personnel on the Working Smart with Outlook Workshop, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide feedback from the training we attended last year. Over the past year, this organization has benefited greatly in our ability to manage several tasks and priorities, follow up on commitments, communicate and delegate effectively, and use this very unique planning process. As indicated in your intro to the team, we definitely took away exactly what was presented and the results have been outstanding. It is for this reason that we have decided to seek your support in providing this unique opportunity to those personnel joining our staff in the new year. I sincerely appreciated your professionalism and the brilliant manner in which you enhanced the performance of this team. Thank you very much and we look forward to a long and healthy relationship with your team.

Best regards

J.H.
Lieutenant Commander/ Captaine de corvette - Senior Staff Officer Military Personnel / Officer de la gestion du personnel militaire de la Formation - National Defence / Défense national

Client: Chevron Australia

The Working Smart with Outlook course is likely to prove the most useful one day course that I have ever taken part in. I could not wait to get back to my desk next day to implement the strategies that I learnt from the course and have found them helpful right from the outset. Of course, I still have some work to do in planning but am working on changing my actions. The strategies for capturing information to be retrieved at a later date are invaluable.

D.W.
Administration Assistant
Chevron Australia

The Working Sm@rt® with Microsoft Outlook Detailed Synopsis

The Working Sm@rt® with Microsoft Outlook Workshop is an essential management skills program and has been designed to provide you with the knowledge, skills and competencies to effectively use Outlook as your organizational system. This course will help enhance personal and team productivity and performance, while giving you more control over activities and information. By providing immediate access to key business information you will improve your decision-making. You will become more balanced and reduce stress when you put these essential skills into practice.

Unit 1 The Productivity Pirates:

In this first unit we will describe what is meant by productivity and workload management. You will learn about the Invisible Assembly Line and importance of the Productivity Formula and strategies for reducing 'mind traffic'. We will create a campaign for Working Sm@rt® and look at how an Outlook System can help turn our intentions into actions.

Unit 2 The Outlook Business Solution:

You will gain a deeper understanding of what's available in the Outlook 'toolbox' and configure the main components of Outlook. In the office or on the move, we will show you how to consolidate personal, team, corporate and external information.

Unit 3 The Digital Deluge:

We will show you how to manage your Inbox and establish an E-mail Charter. You will cover topics in sending and following up on E-mail, learn how and when to respond to mail, as well as set up protocols for eliminating junk E-mail. We will show you creative ways to file your mail and stay with your priorities regardless of the volume of E-mail traffic.

Unit 4 Managing Commitments:

You will learn the importance of the Outlook Calendar and how to avoid becoming a victim of 'Planning Fallacy'. Your labs and exercises will help you become a more proficient time manager and begin the process of regaining control over your life and demanding schedule.

Unit 5 Managing Communication:

You will learn the Priority communicating process and how to apply it with Outlook tools. You will practice planning and responding to people as well as how to delegate and follow-up. We will demonstrate that by applying the communication process, it is possible to have total recall! You will also learn best practice influencing and voicemail behaviors.

Unit 6 Managing Activities:

We will show you how to become a master at multi-tasking. You will learn how to stay on top of the important as well as the urgent activities, and solve the 'decision dilemma' when managing a myriad of activities.

Unit 7 Priority Planning:

You will discover how the planning process works for you. The planning cycle will help you become more strategic in your daily choice of activities and restore a feeling of achievement at the end of every day.

Unit 8 TeamTools:

You will expand your understanding of how teams work and create E-mail charter for your team/organization. You will learn how to share calendars and collaborate on shared documents.

Unit 9 Eliminating DeskStress:

In this unit we will demonstrate how to manage the digital desktop as well as control the clutter on your hardtop too! You will learn important techniques to control both silent and noisy interruptions. You will set up files to help you retrieve sent mail. You will also learn how the Outlook Organizer is designed to work with your Outlook software for maximum effectiveness.

Unit 10 Online, Putting Outlook to Work:

Summarizes all the key ideas and provides you with a recipe for learning transfer. You will receive the Outlook Quick Guide so that you can deploy new techniques learned today as soon as you return to the job. You will review the key learning points and 10 Key Principles and develop plans to increase your productivity and performance back at work. Upon graduation you will become a member of the Priority LearningLink™ and receive tips and coaching online.