Q: Alpha Pendular uses the term "Open seminars". What exactly does that mean?

A: Well, open seminars are seminars dedicated to the public, so everyone can visit such seminars by just booking under "booking an Open seminar", regardless of your knowledge and experience. Different people with different back grounds and experiences come from different companies to learn about important issues (theory & practice), like project management, process management and risk management in our open seminars and want to benefit from our know-how and experiences. For all attendees this is one of the great advantages, since they also learn from each other and exchange best practices.

Q: Does it only make sense to participate in Alpha Pendular seminars for (aspirant) project managers?

A: Not at all. In practically every job and business segment within the global industry people are able to benefit from the skills and know how of Alpha Pendular seminars. Our training courses all deal about how to create, manage and improve processes in business organizations and how to manage projects. Sure, if we start to analyze the typical attendees enjoying our courses, it might be worth mentioning that a great deal are employees of companies who are or will be involved in project management or process management in their working environment. But we encourage people who plan to apply for a new job to visit one of our courses first since they will, without any doubt, create a competitive advantage and they are preferred candidates in job application processes.

Q: How are the contents of Alpha Pendular seminars compiled?

A: All our seminars are designed in accordance with the international acknowledged standard "A guide to the PMBOK^TM". This guarantees the quality of the contents and the high market value of your credentials. Alpha Pendular of course adds its own valuable experiences complimentary into each of the seminars. An Alpha Pendular trainer is not just a teacher. He is a top professional with many valuable years of experience and this guarantees the competitive edge for your career.

Q: What are the most important areas of expertise in project management?

A: The most relevant fields of expertise in project management are: project integration management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project human resource management, project communications management, project risk management and project procurement management. All these issues are relevant subjects in our project management seminars for starters and professionals.

Q: Please mention some major issues & subjects in process management & project management seminars of Alpha Pendular?

A: Well, we like to mention some subjects of relevance like best business strategy, business improvements, how to increase cash flows, effective scheduling, critical success factors, improvement of projects, business process elements, business process management training, change management, bench marking, best practices, controlling performance, process mapping, desired improvements, standard operating procedures, process quality improvement, enhancing workflows, enhancing productivity, managing bottlenecks, improvement of operations, etc.

Q: What training methods are being applied in Alpha Pendular seminars?

A: We use a mixture of proven methods. We have blocks of theory and methods that need to be taught verbally. Special assignments will be worked out in smaller groups as an additional way of learning. Short presentations of the results from group work will be part of the seminar. Also the exchange of experiences between attendees will be one of the subjects if appropriate and desired. This has proven to be a huge synergy for all our attendees.

Q: Do I need to study any pre-readings prior to attending Alpha Pendular seminars?

A: The study of pre-readings is not required, but a general rule of thumb is, the better your preparation, the higher the gain. If you are completely new to the issue, we might recommend you to do some literature reading before entering any seminar. Please look at "Book Store" on our site under "Miscellaneous".

Q: Do I have to purchase any books when attending Alpha Pendular seminars?

A: No, not at all. Alpha Pendular provides the complete seminar documentation, which is included in the seminar fee. But sure, if you are interested to read more to the issue, we recommend you to take a closer look at "Book Store" under "Miscellaneous" on our homepage.

Q: I discovered never ending numbers of books to the issue of project management available on the market. Now, which of those are really useful? Can Alpha Pendular give me any recommendations?

A: Yes we can. Just click on "Book Store" under "Miscellaneous" on our homepage.

Q: What is the prerequisite to visit an Open Seminar? How knowledgeable and well grounded should people be to participate?

A: Project Management for starters requires no knowledge about or experience with project management. This is the seminar providing all the basics. Project management for professionals however is designed for people with knowledge from our starter seminar and for people with substantial project management experience. Process management and risk management seminars require no special knowledge, which means that everyone can attend since we start with the basics.

Q: What exactly is included in the catering arrangements of Alpha Pendular Open Seminars during the breaks?

A: Coffee, tea, non-alcoholic drinks and little snacks will be taken care of by Alpha Pendular and these beverages are included in the seminar fee. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are not included.

Q: Is it allowed to smoke during Alpha Pendular seminars?

A: We follow the global trend and organize non-smoking seminars. Every attendee however, is free to smoke at all times within designated smoking areas of the seminar hotel.

Q: I currently manage an extremely important project in my company and I need to be available with my cell phone all the time. Is this allowed during Alpha Pendular seminars?

A: We are familiar with the situation. We have such participants in virtually every course. We recommend you to switch your cell phone on vibration mode and we may request you to leave the seminar room in case of important incoming calls. You will understand that Alpha Pendular needs to continue the training session to the benefit of all other seminar attendees.

Q: Is there any discount for me as soon as I take some colleagues or friends with me to one of the Alpha Pendular Seminars?

A: Yes indeed. For every single attendee that you have arranged, 100 Euros discount will be granted to you. So, if you bring 3 colleagues to any of our Open Seminars, 300 Euros discount will be refunded to you.

Q: If I don't attend one of your seminars myself, but I know people, to whom Alpha Pendular seminars would just be perfect, would I get a commission for my leads?

A: Yes indeed. For every single attendee to our seminars that you have arranged, 100 Euros commission will be granted. Please contact our office for further advice.

Q: Is a laptop required in Alpha Pendular seminars?

A: Although not required, we highly recommend you to bring your own notebook, which can be applied for the group work assignments. The seminar documentation and the group work assignments are all stored on USB sticks that will be handed out to you at the beginning of your seminar. The handy USB stick by the way, is included in the seminar fee.

Q: Does Alpha Pendular Consulting have any kind of post seminar support program in force?

A: Yes, we call this KIT. This is our "Keep In Touch" program designed to the benefit of all our attendees with the purpose of securing the implementation of your newly gained knowledge and skills into your own working environment. The Alpha Pendular community is growing and all attendees will have the opportunity to log in on our special community site as of January 2008. After having accomplished one of our seminars, you are also welcome to call our office if you need a chat with the trainer about your specific project related concern.

Q: If I have successfully accomplished an Alpha Pendular examination subsequent to the seminar, will this be acknowledged in my country?

A: All our seminars are designed in accordance with the international acknowledged standard "A guide to the PMBOK^TM". This guarantees the quality of the contents and the high market value of your credentials in your country.  Alpha Pendular of course adds its own valuable experiences complimentary into each of the seminars. The short examination after each of our seminars will reflect your newly gained knowledge and skills from the course. PMP-Aspirants (Project management Professional-Aspirants) will greatly benefit since we work with the official PMP exam questions in our multiple choice tests. If you pass this examination, a certificate of approval will be handed out that can be used as an official proof of your project management or process management expertise on the market. Over and beyond the short examination after each of our seminars, you may want to apply for our official PMBOK certification program. Please contact our office for further information.

Q: How do I get to know the exact location of my Alpha Pendular seminar?

A: Upon reception of your payment for the seminar fee into the bank account of Alpha Pendular, you will be immediately informed about the exact location of your preferred seminar. This information will be provided to you along with a detailed description of the seminar content and the team work assignments.

Q: How do I know if seats are still available for the seminar of my choice?

A: Good question. As soon as you fill out the registration form for the seminar of your choice under "BOOKING AN OPEN SEMINAR", the system will automatically send your application form to our email address. We will inform you about the availability of seats within two business days. The rule of thumb here is to apply for a seat well in advance.

Q: Am I bound to visit the seminar after sending the registration form to Alpha Pendular, to check available seats?

A: No, you are not obligated at all to visit the seminar for which you check availability of seats. Only after payment of the seminar fee - which has to be considered as a clear sign from your side that you made your choice - some basic rules need to be factored in, which are stipulated in our terms & conditions.

Q: I just found my preferred Alpha Pendular seminar, but this will already start in two weeks. Can I still attend?

A: Well this time we have to say sorry, since our seminars are events that can't be booked for on short notice. The seminars are mostly fully booked at this stage of the process anyway. Therefore we recommend you to book the seminar of your choice well ahead, which means at least 7 to 12 weeks in advance to securing your seat.

Q: What is the usual number of attendees in Alpha Pendular seminars?

A: The official number we have committed ourselves to is 24 participants. At Alpha Pendular this number is considered as the maximum number for which we are still able to guarantee the highest quality level for trainings. We incidentally recognize a need for an even higher personal dedication to each member of the group for trainings of professionals. A reduction down to a maximum number of 20 attendees is therefore currently subject of evaluation for this type of seminars. Most of our seminars are fully booked upon seminar start.

Q: Alpha Pendular organizes its seminars in ten cities over the globe but not in Beijing. Why?

A: Well, we have selected and make good experiences with a number of major cities around the world for several reasons. We want to play a role in Asia, in booming areas in the Middle East and in parts of Western Europe and Russia, as well as in North & South America. Due to the dynamics of the global market and the needs of the industry, we consider to extending our scope to further regions and other major cities. Beijing and Shanghai, but also cities in other countries like Seoul or Bombay, Buenos Aires and Toronto are already on our radar. The need for excellent education and training in the field of project and process management is virtually existent in every industry segment on all continents.

Q: When do I get the seminar content documentation?

A: All seminar attendees will receive the course documentation at seminar start. This documentation is stored on a USB stick that will be provided free of charge to all seminar participants. If you need the course documentation in paper form, you need to apply for this by sending an email. If you insist on documents in paper form, the USB stick is not free of charge.

Q: Does Alpha Pendular offer its seminars and trainings in different languages?

A: We mainly organize and hold our seminars in the English language regardless of the venue. In case of workshops we occasionally revert to a translator to ease the communication between our trainer and the client.

Q: I am an inhabitant of China and English is not my mother tongue. Will I be able to understand the trainer and the seminar documentation?

A: Well, this depends largely on your personal level of English. The majority of our course attendees has a sufficient knowledge of the language. Mostly it is easier to understand a spoken language, rather than start speaking yourself. It is self evident that some knowledge of the language is required to visit our courses. We can observe that it is no problem at all to understand the trainer with certain basics in English. After all, you are not alone in your seminar of choice. Up to 23 colleagues, many of them with excellent English, all come from your own country, who are more than willing to helping you out and translate some terms and messages for you during the training session. The PowerPoint charts and the course documentation support the spoken word that makes it even easier to comprehend the subjects.

Q: What trainings and seminars are being offered by Alpha Pendular Consulting?

A: The answers to this question can also be found on our website under ALPHA PENDULAR / What we offer and under SERVICES/Training. We offer seminars for Project management (starters & professionals), Process Management, Risk Management, as well as workshops for customized trainings and coaching & consulting. We offer dedicated preparation seminars for PMI certification procedures.

Q: I manage a firm with approximately 450 employees and we are about to expand. I feel the need for some support on processes, but I still have no idea what would be the best for my organization. What do you advise me to do?

A: A personal conversation with an Alpha Pendular expert would give you at least a refreshing perspective for your particular business situation. As you will need the support from most of your work-force to realize the next phase of growth and success in your firm, you shouldn't wait too long with this kind of decisions. Whether you need a trainer process management, a trainer project management, a trainer risk management or any other kind of assistance for your staff, you are welcome to contact our office for advice at any time to evaluate the options we have for you.

Q: I just started as a project manager in my company with hardly any experience. Could you please explain what the greatest benefits are for me and for the firm I work with after attending an Alpha Pendular seminar?

A: Well, the knowledge and skills you gain from our training courses like project management trainings and process management trainings will allow you to initiate, support and conduct process optimization and to manage the significant projects in your company. To say the least, it would be best for you now to avoid making mistakes in managing projects that are easy to avoid after accomplishing our training seminars. And apart from the increased job opportunities for you on the market, your standing in your firm is likely to increase and can be relevant for the strategic developments or even for the survival of your organization on the market. A company optimization is decisive for its competitive capacity and starts with the improvement of your operations and processes. To be able to improve processes, to enhance workflow, to enhance productivity or to manage bottlenecks and improve your operation, you need to start with trainings and education initiatives for employees and management. The result will be smoother business processes, and a higher grade of satisfaction among staff and management that mostly result into higher profits and increased free cash flows for the firm. Higher qualified employees by the way, are likely to earn higher incomes, receive more incentives and tangible benefits.

Q: I manage a complex department with a staff of 85 demanding people. How can I introduce project management into my organization and be sure that they are willing to work with new methods and procedures?

A: If you consult an expert from Alpha Pendular Consulting, you've done a major step forward in terms of positive changes to the benefit of your company and eventually for your own standing. Finally it is all about winning the general acceptance among the leaders and using the momentum for required changes that only lasts for a certain period of time. There are a few key indicators and guidelines though that you can put in place to sustain the gain and to keep the energy level high for necessary change processes. We evaluate your specific situation first and come back to you with a work scenario model that fits to your company culture. Key staff members of your department will start to join a new project team to execute the changes that are deemed to be necessary based on the scenario model. To hire or rent a PM Coach or a training consultant from Alpha Pendular is only a first step into a lifetime business relationship that will never be compromised. We will work together on project management trainings to help you achieving all of your goals.