Welcome to Blackbox Knowledge Online!

Blackbox Partners, LLC brings you Blackbox Knowledge, a one-stop shop for training offerings from Blackbox .

Training in Context

Organizations have a need to keep skills in alignment with work processes. They must also develop their staff to work effectively with the people and processes that are essential to project success.

There is a need to train, especially in the context of project management, process management, and a technical environment. It is essential to have instructors with deep industry background and broad training experience. BlackBox delivers training programs to hundreds of learners in dozens of organizations each year and uses instructors with broad industry knowledge and diverse experience.

All training tasks require a strong model for understanding human interactions and development. BlackBox is a Registered Education Provider with the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and offers courses that are aligned with PMI methodology and processes. For people and communications classes, BlackBox draws upon the research and paradigms of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) in framing facilitated sessions and coaching relationships that leverage the natural strengths of the participants.

Training should be aligned with the work, processes, and templates of the host organization. BlackBox spends the time to meet students in their local industry context, using examples from the work of the participants. We draw the local context of the learner into the processes and paradigms of the PMI in order to create an actionable result from our training classes.

Oil & Gas Training Speciality

BlackBox specializes in training for the Oil & Gas Industry. Though there is a great need for project management training in the oil & gas industry, most project management classes are wrapped around government and Information Technology (IT) examples and cases. For example, most project management curricula do not include a section on Health, Safety, & Environment (HSE). Nor do standard programs teach or emphasize the need for accuracy in estimation at the “Tender” stage of the development of an oilfield; although the project team will live with estimations made during Tender for years. BlackBox's offers classes to the Oil & Gas Industry that use industry-specific examples of drilling projects and the risks associated with drilling.

Off-The-Shelf Training

BlackBox offers both off-the-shelf and customized course development. Off-the-shelf training offered:

• Introduction to Project Management (PMI – REP course)
Course covers PMI’s PMBOK Guide® processes and tools: initiation, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing projects with exercises and case studies for practical application. Click here for a pdf Fact Sheet on the Intro to Project Management course, and click here for a pdf Course Prospectus.

• Advanced Risk Management (PMI – REP Course)
Course covers PMI’s six-step risk management methodology and tools for identifying, analyzing, prioritizing, and planning responses to project risks with exercises and case studies.

• Advanced Time & Cost (Project Control) (PMI – REP Course)
Course covers PMI’s processes and tools for managing time and cost on a project, including defining, sequencing, estimating, scheduling, budgeting, and controlling project tasks.

• Introduction to Microsoft Project (PMI – REP Course)
This course is a one-day introduction to Microsoft Project 2010. It is designed for learners who have had a significant need for structured planning of scope, resources, time, and cost in a project environment.

• Writing Statements of Work and Performance Work Statements (PMI - REP Course pending approval)
Course covers basic contracting rules, technical writing, and application of communication skills to assist organizations in creating or responding to work processes in requests for proposal. Click here for a pdf Printable Course Description and Flyer.

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Training (MBTI®) Courses or course modules provide a general introduction to the MBTI®, personal type verification, and practical business models that can improve work processes.

Other Training Expertise

In addition to our custom courses, Blackbox Partners has training expertise in a wide variety of topics related to Federal Contracting and Project Management. A list of these topics include:
• Managing Projects in a Government Environment
• Managing Projects for IT Professionals
• Managing Projects for Contracting Professionals
• Source Selection: the Best Value Process
• Project Management Professional Certification Test Preparation
• Facilitation in Organizational Objective-setting
• Writing Performance Work Statements
• Schedule and Cost Control
• Task Order Contracting
• Project Control (Oil & Gas focus)
• Special Risk Workshop
• Cost Estimate & Control
• Performance Based Acquisition
• Contract Cost Analysis
• Leading Federal PMs
• Earned Value Management (EVMS)
• FAC-P/PM Level 3 Capstone

Custom Course Development

Customized Course development offered:

• All courses can be customized to meet the specific needs of the client or use client templates and process language to ensure better integration of learning with participant workplaces.

• BlackBox has developed one-, three-, and five-day specialized courses for clients covering project management, risk management, and time and cost control. During their development these courses are integrated with the client’s leadership models and firm-specific language, templates, and processes.

Selected Customers

A selected Customer list includes, by Sector:

• Federal Civilian Agencies: VA (Veterans Health Administration and other agencies), DoI (park Service and other agencies), Treasury (Bureau of Public Debt), IRS, FAA, US Administrators of Court, NSF, World Bank, SSA, DoEducation
• Federal Defense Agencies: DoD, USAF, USNavy
• State Governments: Texas State Government, State of Michigan
• Local Governments: City of Carrollton, Texas, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey
• Oil & Gas: Halliburton, KBR, Landmark, Shell Oil, Exxon-Mobil, BGP, Sinopec, CNPC
• Telecom: T-Mobile, Verizon
• Health Care: MD Anderson
• Defense Industry: General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems, Rockwell-Collins, Pantex, BAE Systems
• Non-Profits: PMI, Project WET, Brazosport College
• Manufacturing: FMC International, Dow Chemical,