Advanced Business Solutions in Contracting (CON 353)

DAU Equivalency for CON 353 DAWIA Level III *
Download DAU Authorization Letter

Class Length: 9.5 Days   PDUs: PDUs: 80.0

Class Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.,
except last day 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Course Synopsis | Course Topics

Learn How To

• Participate effectively on a team, practice leadership, and apply technical, business and financial expertise to support your organization’s mission
• Innovate and use best practices in combination with critical thinking and problem solving to improve planning, execution and performance management
• Develop business solutions that take risk and impacts on performance into account
• Synthesize policy, interests of functional team members and the marketplace
• Contribute to the development and implementation of change by improving your understanding of legislative, regulatory and policy processes

Course Synopsis

Advanced Business Solutions in Contracting (CON 353) capitalizes on the knowledge and skills gained from previous acquisition training courses, as well as personal experience, to help participants reach the next level in their career. They’ll gain key knowledge and skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and successfully researching, writing and presenting business cases to management.

Through realistic scenario-based learning, participants will work in teams to practice developing sound business solutions as a valued strategic and expert business advisor. The course work is designed to prepare participants to contribute solutions to senior leadership and local supervisors. Plus, they’ll gain resources for the contracting career field via the course community of practice.

This course is recommended for contracting personnel who work, or are expecting to work, in positions requiring unlimited contracting officer warrants or a Level III Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification.

Recommended prerequisite: To follow DAU requirements, ESI recommends students complete the Level I and Level II CON courses prior to taking this course. DAU also requires at least one year of contracting work experience after Level II certification.

Course Topics

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
   1. ESI’s Critical Thinking Model™
   2. Critical Thinking defined
   3. Assessment of critical thinking style
   4. ESI’s Problem/Opportunity Response Process
   5. Problem/Opportunity Identification and Analysis
   6. Tools and techniques for identifying problems and opportunities
   7. (i.e. brainstorming, SWOT analysis, flowcharting, etc.)
   8. Tools and techniques for identifying root causes
      (i.e. “Why 5”, cause-and-effect diagramming, etc)
   9. Environmental Scan and Response Exploration – including tools and techniques
   10. Stakeholders
   11. Innovative thinking approaches
   12. Response Selection – including tools and techniques
   13. Response Implementation
   14. Communicating strategically and managing expectations
   15. Ensuring ownership & commitment
2. Risk Management
   1. Elements of risk
   2. Benefits of risk management
   3. Roles and responsibilities in risk management throughout the acquisition lifecycle
   4. The 8 Step Risk Management Model (and comparison to DAU Risk Process Model)
   5. Idea generation tools and techniques
   6. Approaches for presenting risk: narrative, qualitative, quantitative
   7. Presenting probability and impact
   8. Response strategies for threats/opportunities
   9. Risk monitoring and control
3. Leadership and Management
   1. Leadership research and theories
   2. Why contracts and projects need leaders
   3. Leadership paradigms: traditional view and evolving team leader view
   4. Leadership and management
   5. Challenges of leading teams
   6. Leadership competencies
   7. Effective leadership: setting direction; aligning people; motivating and inspiring
   8. Leadership styles: tasking; steering; entrusting; encouraging
4. Change Management
   1. Defining change
   2. Implementing change
   3. Change strategy planning
   4. Understanding change
   5. Stages of adjusting to change: rejection; resistance; acknowledgement; acceptance; support
   6. Leadership interventions during each stage of adjusting to change
   7. Fundamental principles of managing change
5. Making Persuasive Presentations
   1. Elements of a persuasive presentation
   2. Planning the presentation (who, what, where, when)
   3. Purpose and theme
   4. Importance of first impressions
   5. The Body
   6. The Closing
   7. Confronting stage fright
   8. Presentation styles: Do’s and Don’ts
   9. Four presentation styles: reading, memorizing, impromptu, extemporaneous
   10. PowerPoint/Presentation software tips
   11. Handling audience reaction
   12. Dealing successfully with question and answer sessions
6. Hot Topics in Acquisition
   1. Importance of staying current on business issues in acquisition
   2. Sources for staying current on business issues in acquisition
7. Focus on the Customer
   1. FAR Guidance
   2. Principles of customer service:
      • Knowledgeable about his/her customers and their needs
      • Attentive
      • Positive
      • Focused on the customer
8. Course Projects
   1. Local Challenge Project (week one)
   2. Senior Leadership Project (week two)