TESTIMONIALS

Case Study

Top down project management brings benefits to non-profit organization Noblis

For more than six years Off Peak Training has been working with non-profit organization Noblis to train staff in project management.

Because of the enlightened attitude of Noblis’ CEO Amr ElSawy, training extended from himself down through all levels of management and to the employee base itself. This has resulted in a single methodology being used throughout the company which conforms to the Project Management Institute’s standards in project management planning.

Noblis’ decision to get their entire company trained has given them better people, contented staff, and better standards for project management methodologies, by strengthening their organization from the top down.

Find out more about how Off Peak Training tailored a learning program which fit perfectly into Noblis’ requirements by downloading the case study:

creative way of training made me pass PMP exam very easily

Lavanya Nallamshetty, PMP

“Many can teach but only few teachers can make the learning effective using best teaching methodologies. The instructor was one such effective educator. He was one of the best teachers I ever had. There are lot of blogs that talk about how one has to memorize lot of material to pass PMP exam, especially Inputs, Tools & Techniques, Outputs (ITTO).

I shared my concern about memorizing ITTO’s to the instructor on day one of the training. The instructor assured me that his training makes it possible for learners to gain knowledge through simple techniques instead of memorizing, no matter how complicated the concepts were. He promised me that my confidence on ITTO’s will increase as I go through the five day course. As promised, by the end of the fifth day of training, I was very confident in all the topics, including ITTO’s. The instructor’s creative way of training made me pass PMP exam very easily. The training was so effective that the knowledge you gain will stay with you forever.”

Lavanya Nallamshetty
Lavanya Nallamshetty

The instructor did a fantastic job

Donato S, Computer & Information Systems Manager, Florida Department of Transportation
A brief thank you from the coordinator of a recent onsite PMP training course for 14 people at the Florida Department of Transportation.

“It is evident that the instructor did a fantastic job with a very experienced and educated group of people. You communicated and “connected” to everyone unanimously. I was a tiny bit skeptical of going with (OFF PEAK) someone new to this area of Florida for this specific class, but I rolled the dice and ended up with a winner. Thanks to Off Peak and the great experience you provided our crowd. You have met and exceeded our expectation.”

Florida DOT
Florida DOT

Off Peak became our training partner, not just our vendor

Bill Elliott, General Manager, Mission Support, RCM Solutions

“I’m the General Manager of Business Unit for a management consulting firm. As we’re a small business, our investments are carefully assessed against risk, including investments in our practitioners. We spent a great deal of time shopping for training vendor to send our up-and-coming leaders for PMI certification preparation. Off Peak Training (Off Peak) clearly differentiated itself when compared to other training providers by going beyond just explaining when and where their PMP certification training classes were available.

Off Peak invested in my company, taking the time to meet with our practitioners prior to the training class to explain how the Off Peak training methodology works, its effectiveness in preparing for the exam, and what they, the practitioners, could do on their own to prepare for the Off Peak class and the exam itself. In other words, by focusing on the needs of our practitioners, Off Peak became our training partner, not just our vendor.

The training class itself was rated as “Excellent” and “Highly Recommended” by all practitioners who attended the training. In addition, the trainer “was knowledgeable, personable, clear, and very passionate about the subject matter.” Going forward, I am extremely confident in Off Peak’s ability to provide a high quality project management training experience for my personnel and would highly recommend Off Peak to any company leader considering the investment in their personnel.”

Bill Elliott, RCM Solutions

After the first day of class I knew I’d chosen the right training provider

Sarah Bassett, CPIC Analyst, CACI

“Before I enrolled in Off Peak Training’s PMP bootcamp, I was intimidated by the PMP exam from all the horror stories I’ve heard. After the first day of class I knew I had chosen the right training provider. The instructor possess the qualities of an excellent teacher — knowledgeable, engaging and relatable.

There wasn’t a question he couldn’t answer and the training material he provided was simple to understand and just “made sense”. Even after long days at work (the classes were nights and weekends) I was never bored and always felt engaged during classroom discussions, etc. The instructor provided many “real life” examples that reinforces the fact that he’s not just regurgitating memorized facts from the PMBOK guide. He also gave valuable test-taking tips that definitely helped me pass the exam.”

Sarah Bassett
Sarah Bassett CPIC Analyst, CACI

fluid in ability to cater session around real world scenarios

Kevin Page, PMP Project Coordinator, Richmond Public Schools
Kevin & his team recently completed an in-house PMI-RMP training session. This is what he had to say about it:

“Several members from Richmond Public Schools Information Communication & Technology Services department recently received Risk Management Professional Training through Off-Peak Training. From our very first inquiry about the course, it was quite evident that the company held true to its name. Their team quickly reviewed their trainer’s availability and made adjustments to accommodate our needs during off-peak hours!

The instructor did a wonderful job of assessing our staff’s capabilities, needs and project management experience before-hand to ensure that our time spent would be as productive as possible. He was very fluid in his ability to cater our training session around the real world scenarios that we proposed while covering all of the necessary content to prepare us for the actual exam. He exhibits expert knowledge in the arena of risk management and all of our staff left the session with a greater understanding of how to apply risk management skills to our respective projects and jobs.

Needless to say, we are expecting to have several PMI-RMP certified staff members in the near future that further assist with project management and implementation for the district.”

Richmond Public Schools
Richmond Public Schools

the class was fantastic

Kevin Miller, The Managing Partner

“I recently took the PMP Exam Prep course boot camp offered by Off Peak Training. I have never studied project management before so this was my first real exposure to the material. Although there was a ton of new information over a four day period, the class was fantastic.

The instructor did an awesome job delivering the lessons in a clear, concise manner. He taught as one who knows the information inside and out, and he wove together a detailed picture of Project Management over the course of the class. By the end everything made sense, and i was able to do very well on my practice exam.

As I start to work on more projects the Off Peak Training class will prove to be invaluable.”

kevin miller, The Managing Partner

Off Peak offered the right solution at the right time

Grayson Koogle, Vice President-Operations, EmeSec Incorporated
Here is what Mr. Koogle of EmeSec had to say about our recent on-site exam prep course for the Certified Authorization Professional (CAP).

“Looking to jump-start some certification programs but constrained to time available outside of “normal working hours,” Off Peak offered the right solution at the right time. It was refreshing to work with a professional training organization that focused on providing quality training opportunities that met our requirements vice trying to sell us on meeting their set class schedules.

Off Peak worked with us, scheduled and conducted a quality CAP weekend training session which met all our requirements. We will be looking to Off Peak for future business training support.”

Grayson Koogle
Grayson Koogle Vice President-Operations, EmeSec Incorporated

The course did far more than providing standard definitions & formulas

Nathan Sanders, Project Manager, The Tauri Group
This is what Nathan Sanders has to say about his recent experience taking Off Peak Training’s Earned Value Management Course.

“I wanted to let you know that I found Off Peak Training’s two-day seminar on Earned Value Management to be an exceptional learning opportunity. My initial interest in the course was to brush up on the skills learned in studying for the PMP and various DoD training courses, but what Off Peak delivered was an end-to-end class that was suited for any level from seasoned program management veteran to someone taking their first steps in program analytics.

The instructor, Nik DeBenedetto, having clearly spent his career in the field of earned value and EVM consulting from both the commercial and federal sectors (civilian as well as DoD), put together a very logical and easy to understand progression of why and how EVM has become such an important tool to program managers today. His understanding of the real-life practices and pitfalls of putting the methodologies into action was invaluable, and his upbeat and easy demeanor really seemed to open up the classroom to free discussion. Each subject was delivered in plain language and easily relatable for all expereince levels and the interactive exercises did a great job of keeping everyone engaged and applying the topics in real-world scenarios. I was most impressed when Nik took a quick poll of the class’ backgrounds and then tailored the discussions and examples to be more directly applicable for the rest of the course.

Having taken similar courses on EVM in the past as recommended by the Washington DC chapter of PMI, Off Peak’s course did far more than providing the standard definitions and formulas and stands out as an outstanding return on investment. I highly recommend your program to anyone interested in EVM training for either themselves or their staff.”

Nathan Saunders, Project Manager, The Tauri Group
Nathan Saunders, Project Manager, The Tauri Group

I passed the PMP exam on the first try

Chris Frescholtz, PMP K12, Director, High School Program, Product Development
Off Peak Training has, over the past couple of years offered many project managers powerful training classes in order for them to prepare for their PMP exams. Hear what one customer in-particular has to say about our class…

“I passed the PMP exam on the first try thanks to your 5 day PMP Exam Prep course. The course was exactly what I needed in order to prepare for, and ultimately pass, the exam. The course was comprehensive and well organized and the material and mock exam really helped reinforce everything taught in the class. The instructor was excellent. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable, but his teaching style and approach really made the class an enjoyable experience.

I will be sure to recommend the class to anyone I know looking to take the exam. Hope to see you around at the PM community events.”

Chris Frescholtz
Chris Frescholtz, PMP K12, Director, High School Program, Product Development

Five Reasons Off Peak Training Worked For me

Chris Palmisano, PMP
Chris Palmisano, a federal contractor for Accenture and recent Off Peak Training student, contacted us.

The instructor attended our PMP exam prep bootcamp in Tyson’s Corner, VA last month and said wonderful things about the course material, knowledge of his instructor, and the flexibility and availability of our staff. He also said he passed the exam only a few days after completing our course.

Well, we say “Thank you, Off Peak, for the hard work and dedication during class and thank you for taking the time to share you experience with us”

Here are his reasons…

chris palmisano
Chris Palmisano PMP

1. Small Classes
We’ve all had that guy in class who likes to ask a lot of questions. Well, I’m that guy. I need a smaller setting with personal interactivity, which helps me better understand the material. So 50 person classes just don’t cut it. My Off Peak PMP class had less than ten people and it was ideal for me.

2. Simple, Easy to Understand Training Materials
The Off Peak team clearly devoted countless hours to developing their course guide. Concepts are all visually explained with diagrams and supporting bullets, and each element of the five process groups is color-coded. That color-coding concept is carried through onto the whiteboard in class to drive home the ideas.

3. Instructor Expertise
The instructor seems to know every nook and cranny of the PMBOK, but most importantly he understands the way the PMI thinks. But it’s one thing to know something, and another thing to be able to teach it. He has a unique way of explaining complex concepts so that they are simple to grasp.

4. Availability
After my class wrapped up, I was preparing for the exam and a few questions came up. I emailed the Off Peak team and they were extremely quick to respond. Getting that type of service with one of the bigger training companies would be impossible.

5. Mock Exam Analytics
After taking the mock exam, you’re given a detailed analysis of how you performed in each of the process groups and knowledge areas. This way you can tailor your studying to the areas that need the most help. It helped me focus my study efforts and not waste time on topics where I was already strong.

I felt very confident going into the exam and easily passed on my first attempt

Jordan K. Thomas, ISSRO/PMO, US Census Bureau

“The on-line PMP Exam Prep was the perfect course for my situation. I wasn’t able to take time off for the full class even though the conditions of my employment required me to get my PMP certification within 60 days. So, I had to prepare on my off time. I researched different programs comparing costs and weighing the course evaluations. I also tried a number of PMP prep books and even tried reading the PMBOK. None of this was helping.

Off Peak Training was recommended to me by a colleague at work. Once I logged-on I knew this was what I needed. I am a visual learner and the way the course is laid out with color codes for the different process groups really helped my comprehension. Also, Off Peak Training has “Mind Maps” at the end of each module which are convenient for reviewing the material.

There were even specific modules dedicated to the math necessary for the test such as EV calculations and Critical Path determination. Finally, the tips on how to prepare for and what to expect on the exam were helpful. I felt very confident going into the exam and easily passed on my first attempt. Plus I learned a lot!

I highly recommend this program and was impressed with the instruction and materials provided by Off Peak Training.”

Census_Bureau_seal
Jordan K. Thomas ISSRO/PMO, US Census Bureau