Capability Statement
ThirdBrain™ Simulations:
Quanta Training Ltd.
A new Dawn in Training
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
Introduction
Tired of expensive courses that don’t seem to deliver the results you
hoped for?
Perhaps you don’t need a course; perhaps you need a ThirdBrain™
Simulation.
With over twenty years of training experience to draw from, we here at
Quanta know that:
The source of the dilemma is that knowledge does not always lead to
behaviour. Ever had one of the following thoughts?
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This process isn’t working for us!
Why can’t people follow the rules?
Isn’t anyone speaking to each other?!
They know what to do – why can’t they get on with it?
Then ThirdBrain™ training is the answer for your organisation and our
suite of ThirdBrain™ Simulations could be a key part of the solution.
TRADITIONAL TRAINING METHODS FOR PROCESS -DRIVEN APPROACHES CAN’T
PROVIDE THE FULL ANSWER IN CREATING A HIGH -PERFORMANCE CULTURE .
What is a ThirdBrain™ Simulation?
Adoption of processes such as PRINCE2®, ITIL®, APMP, Agile and even
certain systems such as SharePoint, often return less value than expected
despite ample investment in training of the traditional variety.
ThirdBrain™ Simulations bridge that troublesome gap between
knowledge and behaviour. We have all had experiences when we know
what we should do but instead do what is easiest, most comfortable or
routine.
Why?
We have come to call it the ThirdBrain™ problem.
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Through implementing a particular process in a controlled, yet realistic
environment, our Simulations allow delegates to witness first-hand the
value of applying best practice within the work-place. Equally important it
will allow them to experience the consequences of malpractice, how
important it is to communicate effectively and the power of working
together.
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
How do they work?
Our Simulations are team-based experiential learning experiences
designed to mimic the intricacies of operating certain working practices in
real life. Previous delegates have referred to them as ‘a dry run’, ‘like a
live-firing exercise’ or ‘a comfy environment in which to get to grips with
a particular process’. As well as experiencing a particular process in action
delegates will come to realise the importance of team-work, leadership
and clear communication.
Facilitated by one of our experienced trainers, who is not only a subject
matter expert but also a ThirdBrain™ Facilitator, each Simulation is run
over a number of rounds. During each round the team will enact part of a
process and the Simulation will respond dynamically. For example in our
Project Phoenix Simulation the teams are presented with a variety of risks
to their project. Failure to collaboratively work towards identifying
significant risks and setting up appropriate mitigating actions within a
tight budget can result in project delays, the project going over budget or
worse!
What a ThirdBrain™ Simulation is not
The term Simulation has many meanings to different people, but to be
clear a ThirdBrain™ Simulation is not:
A computer game – delegates interact with each other and with their
ThirdBrain™ Facilitator
Dependant on a set level of prior experience – they are adaptable to any
level of expertise and can be facilitated for beginners or experts ensuring
all participants are stretched but supported
A complete replacement for traditional training methodologies –
ThirdBrain™ is all about Knowledge and Behaviour combining to create a
culture of high performance. Removing either unbalances this equation.
However, our Simulations can be combined with our Taught Courses for a
fast-track to success – see our Knowledge+ offerings.
In between each round our ThirdBrain™ Facilitator works their magic,
helping the team to reflect on their actions and to formulate their own
plan to improve their performance.
Read on to find out more
About our different ThirdBrain™ simulations and how they have already
helped companies like yours to excel
Quanta Training Ltd.
www.quanta.co.uk
Capability Statement
Keeping the project on the rails…
The crowds are waiting…
…competitors are watching expectantly. Can Project Phoenix resurrect
your theme park’s dwindling trade or is the ride of your life likely to
derail before it even begins. You need to bring all your Project
Management excellence to ensure success; can you live up to those high
expectations?
Do your projects often end up feeling like they are
more hassle than they are worth?
Or do you feel your Projects Team need constant supervision to avoid
making costly foul ups? Projects can be stressful undertakings but they
are vital to deliver the changes necessary to make your business flourish.
While Project Management frameworks such as PRINCE2® or APMP
provide the knowledge of how to manage projects on paper they don’t
fully prepare you for the challenge of running projects in the real world.
In many ways, it would be like being expected to drive a car having only
studied for your theory test – you would have the knowledge of how
should drive but would not understand how other drivers behave or what
you and your vehicle are capable of.
Our ThirdBrain™ Simulation, Project Phoenix, bridges the gap between
knowledge and behaviour, enabling delegates to learn for themselves the
importance of not just learning, but applying sound project principles.
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Delivered over 1 or 2 days Project Phoenix places the team of delegates in
the heart of a new construction project that is critical to the survival of an
ailing theme park. Having gathered the requirements from the Project
Board the team will have to work together to ensure they stay one step
ahead in the arms race for the most thrilling ride.
As the deadline approaches the tension builds and delegates with have to
manage their resources effectively and ensure that key objectives and
reports are delivered on time. All members will gain familiarity with
common Project Management tools such as progress reports, schedules
and risk profile diagrams. Failure to deliver will have very real
consequences.
Most importantly, throughout the day each team member will have the
opportunity to experience various roles with the project – how will you
face up to being the Project Manager as the launch date approaches?
Was your project a Big Dipper or a Big
Disappointment?
A post-project briefing will discuss the successes and failures experienced
by the team; were they on-time, to budget and, most importantly, did
their ride please the crowds and, ultimately, the Project Board?
Our ThirdBrain™ Facilitator will identify any areas for improvement and
extrapolate the lessons learnt from the day into a broader context. The
discussion will then move to how their experiences of Project Phoenix can
be applied to current or future projects within their company.
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
actually arose during the real Apollo 13 Mission. They will see and feel
firsthand the consequences of people, process and technology upon the
quality, cost, customer satisfaction and overall business result.
Did you save Apollo 13?
Houston we have a problem…
87 hours from home. Your spacecraft is slowly dying! You have a serious
problem, unless you and the ground support staff start working as a
team to solve it, people will die. But remember, time is running out.
And fast. Welcome to the Apollo 13 – an ITSM case experience.
Are you struggling to implement ITIL or another IT
Service management methodology?
Don’t worry – you are not alone. Many of our customers struggle when
adopting ITIL. Often, their personnel are well trained with heaps of
experience but they just can’t seem to get ITIL to work for them.
As one of our ThirdBrain™ Simulations, Apollo 13 helps to narrow the gap
between knowledge and behavior which is often the only thing standing
between a company and successful ITIL adoption.
A post-mission briefing will discuss the successes and failures the team
experienced, identifying if there was any room for improvement in the
way you and your mission control colleagues co-operated. During the
discussion the following areas will be considered:
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Learning Objectives
After experiencing Apollo 13 delegates will have:
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Experience the Thrilling Reality
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Delegates taking part in an Apollo 13 Simulation take on the
responsibilities of Mission Control in Houston. Their mission: bring the
crippled spacecraft and its crew safely home. Through the skillful
facilitation of one of our ThirdBrain™ Facilitators (who are also ITSM
subject matter experts) the team will experience all of the problems that
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Determining the root cause of failure
Recommending a service improvement plan
Working proactively to prevent future accidents
Reflection on the team process & solving process errors
Transferring the learning experience to daily practice
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A first hand understanding of the ITSM theory
Learnt how ITSM processes are used in other environments
Understood the interdependency of processes & their impact on
business continuity
Learnt how good designs can improve the performance of the
service department
Grasped how processes can be improved by designing and
implementing as a team
Understood the importance of a successful awareness campaign
Realised the importance of obtaining organisational
commitment/buy-in
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Capability Statement
Turning on the heat
Delegates will enact the roles of a project management team tasked with
the daunting job of building the Pharaoh’s pyramid. Supply, construction
and workforce constraints will test their Project Management skills to
breaking point.
2,560BC
Famine. War. A demanding Pharaoh. Worst of all you have forgotten
the papyrus with your Gantt chart on. Can you muster all your Project
Management skills and succeed at the Challenge of Egypt?
Do your projects often end up feeling like they are
more hassle than they are worth?
Or do you feel your Projects Team need constant supervision to avoid
making costly foul ups? Projects can be stressful undertakings but they
are vital to deliver the changes necessary to make your business flourish.
While Project Management frameworks such as PRINCE2® or APMP
provide the knowledge of how to manage projects on paper they don’t
fully prepare you for the challenge of running projects in the real world.
In many ways, it would be like being expected to drive a car having only
studied for your theory test – you would have the knowledge of how
should drive but would not understand how other drivers behave or what
your and your vehicle are capable of.
Our ThirdBrain™ Simulation, Challenge of Egypt, bridges the gap between
knowledge and behaviour, enabling delegates to learn for themselves the
importance of not just learning, but applying sound project principles.
Quanta Training Ltd.
As flood and famine threaten their deadlines the team will learn to utilize
Project Management tools such as Gant charts and resource allocation
matrices to good effect but, more importantly, they will learn the
importance of good team work and sound communication skills.
The colossal build is broken into two phases, with each round containing
12 rounds:
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Design or improve a process
Apply the process
Report on their success – or failures – and reflect on the
performance with aid of one of our ThirdBrain™ Facilitators
Make decisions on what to improve in the following round
Have you pleased the mighty Pharaoh?
A post-construction briefing will discuss the successes and failures
experienced by the team; were they on-time, to budget and, most
importantly, is the Pharaoh pleased with their handiwork? Our
ThirdBrain™ Facilitator will identify any areas for improvement and
extrapolate the lessons learnt from the day into a broader context.
Ultimately the discussion will move to how their experiences of Challenge
of Egypt can be applied to their current or future projects.
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
Looking for a
successful ITIL
adoption?
®
Capita IT services had no choice; they HAD
to successfully adopt ITIL. They did so
thanks to Quanta and a programme of
ThirdBrain™
Simulations and tailored
workshops
Quanta Training Ltd.
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
The Customer
The Challenge
Capita IT Services is part of the Capita
Group Plc, the UK’s leading business
process
outsourcing
(BPO)
and
professional services company. Capita IT
Services’ core service is customer focused
managed IT. The Capita IT Services’ service portfolio includes end user
computing services, communication services - including network and
cabling - infrastructure services, application services and professional
services, all available to meet end-to-end outsource and selective source
strategies.
There were a number of challenges with the Capita IT Services ITIL rollout:
The Requirement
Capita IT Services took over the IT
Services for Southampton City Council
in October 2007 and were contractually
obliged to introduce ITIL throughout the
department. A number of ITIL
processes where in place, primary
Change & Incident Management but
others needed to be intorduced. There were very mixed views towards
ITIL (including managers), as well as various levels of understanding and
formal ITIL qualifications, throughout the department. There were
around 100 people who were either in the department or needed
awareness of what ITIL was, as it would impact on their daily working.
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A large number of people needed to be trained and quickly
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A sense of excitement was needed around the roll-out rather
than resistance, which was currently the overwhelming feeling
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A traditional 3-day ITIL foundation course was not relevant for
everyone and as such an un-necessary expense
Rapid development of some individuals understanding of ITIL was
required
Stakeholder buy-in was also varied and in some areas of potential
concern, which in turn could jeopardise the effectiveness and speed of
the roll-out and coupled with both of those was the cost of a delayed or
ineffective rollout.
The Solution
Rather than simply trying to make a
one-size fits all solution work for
Capita IT Services, one of our
ThirdBrain coaches took the time to
understand the challenges facing
them and what they were trying to achieve. This allowed us to come up
with a solution, which was not only more effective but also benefited
from some huge cost savings.
Our solution started with an ITIL based ThirdBrain Simulation, which not
only helped ensuring everyone’s ITIL knowledge was brought up to the
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
same level but also encouraged cross departmental working and team
building, in a fun and innovative way! The fact that it was something
completely different meant that everyone was engaged, whether it was
from a point of view of applying their ITIL knowledge or learning it for the
first time.
The ThirdBrain Simulation worked particularly well as it:
 Created an understanding of the ITIL processes (even though
people did not necessary realise they were learning!)
 Importantly helped the appreciation of how the ITIL processes are
linked and the impact that staff actions have on these
 Enabled mixed groups from different disciplines to be involved
 Allowed staff at all levels to engage
 Created huge buy-in from the different stakeholder groups
The ThirdBrain Simulation used in this
instance was Apollo 13 – an ITSM case
experience. Apollo 13 is an intensive one
day simulation, where the Capita IT Services
delegates played the part of Mission Control
in Huston. Their mission, get the stranded
astronauts back to earth by delivering
operational excellence.
Following on from the ThirdBrain Simulation
was a tailored one day workshop, which
was dubbed “Apollo 2”. This workshop
linked the learning within the simulation
with the “reality” of Capita IT Services
working environment.
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The Saving
As the only other feasible option was to put everyone on a standard 3-day
ITIL v3 Foundation course, simply by reducing the number of days training
from 3 to 2 and eliminating the foundation exam gave Capita IT Services a
tangible saving of £17,000. In addition there were also the intangible
benefits in terms of the stakeholder buy-in and an effective and quick
roll-out.
The Result
Quanta were instrumental in the success of Capita’s ITIL project. Through
liaising with various key stakeholders within Capita IT Services before the
simulation, specific issues were highlighted and the content/delivery style
was able to be adapted.
Considerable time was also spent on the follow-up day but Rob felt this
session linking the learning with the “reality” of their organisation was a
great investment and contributed to the overall success of the project.
“The feedback I heard was fantastic, even from Wilma and Fred! You
know the ones. I personally heard, best course I have been on! Great
fun! Really interesting way to learn! Overall we were extremely happy
with the overall result, the cost vs. benefit ratio we received was very
high! ”
Rob Gair
Service Delivery Group Manager
Capita IT Services
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
Need to adopt ITIL
fast?
®
Such was the requirement of one unit of
the Royal Corps of Signals. Success was
accomplished thanks to Quanta and a
programme
of
tailored
courses
complemented
by
a
ThirdBrain™
Simulation.
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
The Customer
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the
British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the
battlefield communications and information systems essential to all
operations. Royal Signals units provide the full telecommunications
infrastructure for the Army wherever they operate in the world.
The Corps has its own engineers, logistics experts and systems operators
to run radio and area networks in the field. It is responsible for installing,
maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment
and information systems, providing command support to commanders
and their headquarters, and conducting electronic warfare against enemy
communications.
operatives be confident enough in their new skills that they could hit the
ground running once deployed.
The Challenge
There were a number of challenges with the Royal Corps of Signals ITIL
up-skilling requirement:
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Severely limited time available for training
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Delegate had to not just ‘know’ ITIL but be able to implement in
the field with a minimum of support
Varying levels of prior ITIL knowledge
Uncertainty amongst some members of the Corps as to ITIL’s
usefulness ‘in the field’
The Requirement
The ability to rapidly design and implement
robust and secure IT solutions is key to the
Royal Corps of Signals.
With continuing operations in Afghanistan,
service personnel trained to high levels in IT
Service Management were becoming
stretched to the point where operational effectiveness may have been
compromised.
The decision was made to up-skill more than a dozen Officers and Senior
NCOs. They had to be ready in time for Operation Herrick XIII – less than
4 months away. Also, it was an imperative that the newly trained ITIL
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
The Solution
The Saving
After consulting the customer and a selection
of potential delegates it was decided that to
meet the Corps requirements a Knowledge+
approach was likely to have the most impact.
The FastTrack nature of the training, combined with the On-Site delivery
of both the ITIL modules and the Apollo 13 Simulation resulted in a saving
of over £9,000.
Combining FastTrack deliveries of the entire
ITIL Lifecycle suite with an Apollo 13
Simulation we were able to complete the
whole delivery in just 14 working days, while
still maintaining a programme pass rates of
100%.
The ThirdBrain Simulation completed the piece by:
 Acting as ‘pre-deployment’ training for the team
 Allowing participants to experience how ITIL works in a fast-paced
operational environment
 Highlighting to the team how much they had learnt
 Demonstrating to the Commanding Officer the advanced
capabilities of his freshly trained ITIL operatives
An On-Going Relationship
The success of the ITIL FastStream has led to Quanta being introduced to
a variety of Signals Bases throughout the UK and even to units based in
Germany.
We are proud to say that we support our troops with cutting edge IT,
Project Management and IT Service Management Training.
The ThirdBrain Simulation used in this instance was Apollo 13 – an ITSM
case experience. Apollo 13 is an intensive one day simulation, where the
Capita IT Services delegates played the part of Mission Control in Huston.
Their mission, get the stranded astronauts back to earth by delivering
operational excellence.
Quanta Training Ltd.
www.quanta.co.uk
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ThirdBrain™ Simulations
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T 0800 018 5592 | F 01905 616530 | [email protected] | www.quanta.co.uk
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ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries
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