About BUCEC’s Management Development Program (MDP)

The Boston University Corporate Education Center’s (BUCEC) management development program features instructors who are also real-world practitioners. They teach practical knowledge that can be applied in the workplace, providing a quick return on investment. Areas of study include:

Project Management Certification
The U.S. spends $2.3 trillion a year on projects, or about a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product, according to The PMI Fact Book. Much of that money is wasted, because a large percentage of projects fail. The Standish Group International, Inc. reported in 2001 that 31% of all information technology (IT) projects were canceled before completion, that only 16% of projects were completed successfully, and that 88% of all projects were over budget, over schedule or both.

A major reason for the high failure rate is that most project managers are not properly trained. BUCEC’s project management certification program complies with the widely accepted Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOKÒ), which includes the following disciplines: integration management, scope management, time management, cost management, quality management, human resource management, communications management, risk management and procurement management.

BUCEC teaches project management as not only a science, but an art. To succeed, project managers must have not only technical skills, but also the business and leadership skills to link projects to the relationships, resources and infrastructure of the organization.

BUCEC is a Registered Education Provider and charter member of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). It is the only university represented on PMI’s Corporate Council.

Enterprise Business Integration (EBI) Certification
Businesses have been focusing on process and quality improvement for many years. The methodologies they’ve used – such as Lean Thinking, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) – can be even more effective when they are integrated into a single methodology called Enterprise Business Integration (EBI). - more -

Increasingly, businesses are integrating these process management techniques for a much more significant impact than can be realized when only one technique is used.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Among other things, ERP coordinates planning and action for all other business functions; integrates, manages and shares data throughout an organization; manages human resources; communicates the strategic plan; directs distribution; documents and prioritizes expenses; provides timely information for management decision-making, and manages change.

ERP integrates an organization’s business processes and systems into one computer network that serves all departments throughout the enterprise, while still serving each department’s particular needs. As a result, departments can share information and communicate with each other more effectively. Among its other benefits, ERP:

• Standardizes processes
• Improves customer relations
• Improves partner relations
• Expedites time to market
• Reduces operating costs
• Speeds order fulfillment
• Controls inventory
• Creates new business opportunities
• Improves accuracy of information for orders, inventory, raw materials and other factors
• Improves customer service
• Improves management of working capital
• Improves cash-flow management
• Generates accurate demand forecasts
• Speeds production cycles
• Rapidly incorporates global market changes into the business

Lean Thinking. Lean Thinking is a people-driven methodology for reducing waste that can provide returns even short-term. Using principles that focus on value, Lean Thinking eliminates waste, so that businesses can function with fewer resources, including technology, equipment, knowledge and skill of staff, while continuing to provide consumers with the same value and high-quality products and services. Lean tenets include specifying value for the customer, relentlessly striving for waste reduction, identifying the value stream for each product, and permitting the customer to pull value as needed from the producer. Lean Thinking benefits companies by:

• Reducing non-value-added actions and waste, such as time and transportation delays, poor product quality, excess inventory and over-production.
• Producing and purchasing based on true customer demand
• Striving for zero defects and a high level of quality
• Creating the most efficient and effective organization possible by generating accurate data, minimizing costs and empowering staff for rapid decision-making.
• Institutionalizing productivity tools, such as: setup reduction, flow JIT (just-in-time), cells, 5S and Kaizen.

Lean Thinking is typically implemented not only throughout the organization, but throughout the supply chain.

SCM is the scheduling and control of the supply chain, which is the sequence of organizations and work required to create a product or service and deliver it to the consumer. Without SCM, supply chains often operate without consistent rules in place, and without formal processes, systems and measurements. SCM formalizes processes and implements business rules to continuously improve the flow of products, services and information to consumers. The ultimate goal of SCM is to deliver the desired product or service to the consumer when the consumer wants it, at a reduced price, while maintaining or improving quality.

Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a highly structured, data-driven methodology used to drive quality toward the highest level possible for all products and services. It solves problems by using statistical data to identify root causes.

Six Sigma strives for near perfection. It is structured to reduce product or service failure rates to a negligible level, while focusing on customer service. Achieving these results requires the inclusion of all aspects of a business, including management, service delivery, design, production, and customer satisfaction. Unlike self-defeating cost-cutting programs that reduce value and quality, Six Sigma identifies and eliminates costs that provide no value to customers.

Six Sigma ensures that internal processes are running at optimum efficiency.

Certificate Programs

BUCEC’s MDP also includes the following certificate programs:

Communication
Clear, concise verbal and written communication is vital in today’s business environment. Whether employees need to enhance their negotiating abilities, sharpen their writing skills or create more powerful presentations, BUCEC offers seminar to help them become more effective communicators.

Finance and Accounting
Top management has to focus clearly and precisely on hard financial data to make critical business decisions. It is vital that managers understand how these decisions impact the financial health of the organization. This program is designed for non-financial managers who want to expand their knowledge and understanding of accounting and finance.

Leadership Skills
Rightsizing, downsizing, de-layering, reengineering … today’s organizations are changing so fast, it is difficult to keep up. The need for solid leadership tools and techniques has become more evident as companies restructure their organizations, business processes, and even workers themselves.

Management
In today’s information age, the challenges facing business professionals are at an all time high. Managers need to be able to understand and integrate new technologies into their business. They need to know how to motivate employees to work at peak performance, and how to make the right decisions quickly and accurately.

Marketing
How a company markets its products or services is vital to its survival. Participants can learn how to create realistic goals and a plan for achieving those goals, including a course of action that can help a company reach a whole new level in the marketplace.

Teams
People are a company’s most important resource. Each employee needs to be able to work with other members of the organization to meet corporate goals. There is strength in numbers, but only if an organization and its team leaders know how to communicate with and motivate team members to meet their individual and group potential.

Training & Development
What are your organization’s training and development needs? BUCEC will teach you the latest methods for assessing your organization’s training needs, designing effective training programs with skillful delivery, and training to maximize results.