Project Performance International

• What other companies have you trained?
• Which countries do you train in?
• At which conferences do you exhibit?


• Can you send me further information to support my recommendation to my manager?
• What is INCOSE and what is Project Performance International's involvement in it?
• How many people usually attend the courses?
• Is lunch included daily?
• Are there any vegetarian meal options?
• Can you help me find accommodation?
• Can you help me find local transport to the course?
• Do I receive a certificate for participation?
• Do I need to bring anything to the course?
• What are the dress requirements?
• What time does the course conclude on the final day?
• How can I best prepare for the course? Is there any particular reading material that is recommended?


• What is the difference between the requirements engineering and the requirements analysis & specification writing courses?
• It is difficult for me to dedicate five days, is there any other option?
• I am a manager/team leader of systems engineers. Would the course be of any assistance to me and would I need to complete the whole course?


• What is an in-house course?
• What are the advantages of in-house training?
• How can I request an in-house proposal?
• How far ahead do I need to book an in-house course?


• Are there any prerequisites for attending PPI courses?
• What is the cut off date for registrations?
• Can I defer the course?
• What are the payment options?
• Is there any testing at the end of the courses?


• What would be the impact of missing the second day of the Systems Engineering 5-Day course?
• What is the degree of overlap between PPI’s five-day Systems Engineering course and PPI’s five-day Requirements Analysis & Specification Writing course?

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What other companies have you trained?
We have trained some of the Worlds Best Practices including BAe Systems, Boeing, Airbus, JT3, EADS, Department of Defence Australia, Department of Defence New Zealand. For a full past and present client listing, please email us (contact@ppi-int.com).

Which countries do you train in?
PPI deliver our courses in over 6 continents. We regularly hold courses throughout Australia, Brazil, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States of America.

We also have several exciting new locations currently planned for 2009. These include Spain, Frankfurt in Germany and La Spezia in Italy. Our on-site training however, is able to be delivered around the world.

At which conferences do you exhibit?
PPI regularly participate in many International Conferences/Exhibitions and Symposia. Examples of these include Annual INCOSE Symposia, SSTC, NDIA Systems Engineering Conference, various local INCOSE Exhibitions.

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Can you send me further information to support my recommendation to my manager?
We can certainly provide you with a full course outline and Administrative details relating to the course. If you feel that you have some queries, Technical or Administrative, or are unsure whether your objectives will be met by attending one of our courses feel free to email us (Contact PPI) and a representative will be in touch to address your queries at earliest opportunity.

What is INCOSE and what is Project Performance International's involvement in it?
The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1990. INCOSE aims to advance the state of the art and practice of systems engineering in industry, academia, and government by promoting interdisciplinary, scaleable approaches to produce technologically appropriate solutions that meet societal needs.
Ref: www.incose.org

PPI have had a long standing affiliation with INCOSE. We are regular exhibitors at the Annual International Symposiums and frequently present tutorials to local INCOSE chapters throughout the world.

Robert Halligan and Maika Machado are both Ambassadors of INCOSE.

How many people usually attend a PPI course?
Class sizes vary and are typically between 10 and 20 delegates. PPI limit the number of course attendees on any one of our courses to ensure adequate personal attention.

Is lunch included daily?
A sit-down 2 or 3 course lunch is provided daily for public courses, as well as coffee breaks throughout the day. For in-house clients, meals and refreshments are generally provided by the in-house clients.

Please inform us if you have any special dietary requirements and we will endeavour to make appropriate arrangements for you wherever possible.

Are there any vegetarian meal options?
Should you require a vegetarian menu, please inform our office so that we can make the necessary arrangements on your behalf.

Can you help me find accommodation?
PPI will wherever possible make every endeavour to assist delegates in finding suitable accommodation should accommodation be required. Whilst accommodation is the delegates responsibility, we are happy to make recommendations or suggest suitable hotels that are close the course venue within necessary budgetary requirements.

Upon registration you will be provided with a location information pack which details accommodation, dining and travel options as well as a general overview of the city (for most cities).

Can you help me find local transport to the course?
We are always happy to assist delegates wherever possible by looking into local transport options. Should you have any queries regarding this, please contact our Administration Centre.

Do I receive a certificate for participation?
Yes, upon completion the delegate receives a certificate which can be used to gain certification through our affiliations such as Engineers Australia.

Do I need to bring anything to the course?
All materials needed for the course will be supplied, including a pen and writing materials.

What is the dress code?
Dress code requirements for the week are business casual.

What time does the course conclude on the final day?
Depending on the course, and the information that has been covered during the week, it may finish slightly earlier on the last day. When it comes time to making travel arrangements, we would encourage delegates to presume that the course will conclude at the advertised time. This will avoid any disappointment.

How can I best prepare for a PPI Course? Is there any particular reading material that is recommended?
Unless the course description clearly states otherwise, PPI courses are not designed to require any special preparation or reading. Although intensive, the courses are self-contained. Delegates who would like to undertake some prior reading, however, are welcome to request by email a reading package. Reading packages generally provide for about two hours of reading.

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What is the difference between the requirements engineering and the requirements analysis & specification writing courses?
The Requirements Engineering (RE) seminar is primarily designed for people whose first language is not English. As such, it is not offered in most countries where English is the native language.

It is difficult for me to dedicate five days, is there any other option?
One successful approach that has been adopted is for companies to send several individuals, on different days during the course. We understand that time is valuable, and it is not always possible to attend the entire five days, so we welcome any suggestions/ideas to maximise your investment in the course. It is however beneficial to attend the full five days to benefit from the full course structure.

I am a manager/team leader of systems engineers. Would the course be of any assistance to me and would I need to complete the whole course?
About 15% of participants in the systems engineering course are typically people who perform management roles (engineering management or project management), fully or partly. The feedback from such delegates has been consistently that the course has been very helpful to them, notwithstanding that the focus of the course (about 90% of content) is on doing systems engineering – concepts, principles and methods.

The course is designed to bring about a convergence of understanding by the last day. Partial attendance is not recommended, but could be considered in special cases such as single-day other commitments.

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What is an in-house course?
An in-house training course, is a course, distinct from a public course that is contracted and delivered specifically to an organization, typically at their premises.

What are the advantages of in-house training?
Having a course presented in-house provides the following benefits, beyond the inherent training benefits of the course:

• typically 50% cost saving for a standard course (for 20 participants)
• ability to focus the course presentation towards areas of particular interest
• avoidance of travel costs and unproductive time compared with attendance at a public course

How can I request an in-house proposal?
To receive an in-house training proposal, please email contact@ppi-int.com with your requirements. A proposal shall be developed and sent directly to your email address. Should you have any queries about this process, please phone +61 3 9876 7345 for further information. We have an extensive array of our courses that we offer.

How far ahead do I need to book an in-house course?
In order to obtain the date that fits within your internal company requirements, it is best to notify your intentions as soon as possible. This will ensure proposed dates can be reserved. We offer an extensive array of in-house courses (link) which can be tailored formally or informally as agreed with the client.

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Are there any prerequisites for attending PPI courses?
No, however a work role related in some way to the chosen field of the course will assist in learning. For example, for a systems engineering course, some role in engineering, engineering management or project management would be helpful.

What is the cut off date for registrations?
You may register up until the last business day before a course commences as PPI include course materials for an additional delegate. Conditions Apply.

Can I defer the course?
You may transfer your registration to another course at a similar location. Conditions Apply.

What are the payment options?
Payment may be made via direct deposit or through Visa, Mastercard of AMEX (Conditions apply) credit card payment.

Is there any testing at the end of the courses?
No. Our course schedules outline what to expect from the chosen course, however no PPI training features testing of any kind.

What would be the impact of missing the second day of the Systems Engineering 5-Day course?
For a senior systems engineer, if a day were going to be missed, missing the second day would have least effect. However, it would certainly not be helpful to miss the day – which:

• sets foundations for architecting – physical and logical
• superimposes V&V on the development framework
• defines precisely, process elements which become the basis of work products, methods and skills which are exercised/developed for the rest of the week in mainly workshop format
• helps a lot in establishing unambiguous communication in the group for the rest of the week.

There is a clear break of content between the second and third days, so the ability of the person to understand and participate for the rest of the week would not be affected.

Mr. Halligan would normally be happy to make private arrangements with a delegate to work through the courseware for a day that has been missed.

What is the degree of overlap between PPI’s five-day Systems Engineering course and PPI’s five-day Requirements Analysis & Specification Writing course?

In that both Requirements Analysis and Specification Writing are critically important sub-disciplines within Systems Engineering, these disciplines are covered in both courses.

In the 5-day Systems Engineering course, Requirements Analysis is put in context in the first two days of the course. Then, 1.7 days is devoted to “how to do requirements analysis – capture and validation of the information content of requirements”. This depth of coverage is sufficient for delegates to go away with new insights, and importantly, new skills, in performing Requirements Analysis. Workshops are used extensively, based on a single system that is taken through Requirements Analysis then subsequently Design, in workshop format.

In the 5-day Systems Engineering course, Specification Writing is put in context in the first two days of the course. Specification writing is then touched upon incidentally in Requirements Analysis, especially in parsing analysis, and in the “clean-up” activity, a related handout for which lists problematic English: parts of words, words and phrases, and the checks that are done regarding adequacy of language in relation to use of these words (etc).

In the 5-day Systems Engineering course, a revised requirements specification for the workshop system is distributed to, and inspected by, delegates, on the fourth day of the course. More general advice on specification writing is then provided on the fifth (last) day of the course, over 10-15 minutes.

In the 5-day Requirements Analysis and Specification Writing course, Requirements Analysis and Specification Writing are put in context in the first 0.8 days of the course. Focus is then given to the types of requirements and their significance to the roles of requirements analyst, specification writer, and designer. This session culminates in a workshop. Then, 2-2.5 days are devoted to “how to do requirements analysis – capture and validation of the information content of requirements”. This is a significantly greater depth of coverage compared with the systems engineering course. Workshops are again used extensively, based on a single system, almost always a different system to the system used for the systems engineering course. There are more, and longer, workshops in requirements analysis compared with systems engineering course. Overall, RA&SW5D provides greater depth in requirements analysis than does the systems engineering course.

The feedback from people who have participated in both courses has been mostly that they have appreciated the revision and extra depth in requirements analysis. However, about 10% of people have regarded the overlap as excessive for their purposes.

In the 5-day Requirements Analysis and Specification Writing course, hugely more coverage is given to the structuring of system and software requirements specifications, and specifications of services. Similarly, almost a day is devoted to advice on the use of language (English) in expressing requirements – pitfalls and pointers. There is also substantial coverage of writing non-requirements sections of requirements specifications – scope, applicable documents, definitions (etc), notes.

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