Tryon and Associates provides training and consulting on modern, accelerated and repeatable processes for Project Management, Process Modeling, and Knowledge Management (also see "What's New" below). The concepts and techniques presented in my seminars are applicable to the entire business environment and are used by thousands of companies around the world. 

This website is available for open viewing.  One of the most popular features of the site is the templates area under News and Information.  If you are looking for the native version of these documents, they are available on my collaboration site hosted by Officezilla.  This site is open by invitation only. 

I have organized the content of this site into the following topic areas:

 SEMINARS AND SERVICES   This is where you will find both overview and detail descriptions of each of our courses along with information about the consulting services we offer.

 NEWS AND INFORMATION   A primary goal of our site is to be an portal to information, products and services that are related to the seminars and consulting we offer.  We have gathered templates, forms, processes, articles, position papers, links and general reference materials that you may find interesting and useful.  This is the most popular area of our site.  What you will find here is lots of good information.   What you will NOT find are fees and restrictions.

 COMPANY INFORMATION   If you want to know more about who we are and what we believe in, look here.            

You are invited to email me directly with questions about Tryon and Associates by simply clicking on my name below.  You are also welcome to call me at the 918-455-3300.  Thank you for visiting. Chuck Tryon

WHAT'S NEW...

MEDICAL HOME PROJECT - The University of Oklahoma is currently engaged in a complete redesign of their medical school program for the Tulsa campus.  Driven by Dr. Gerry Clancy's (OU-Tulsa President) vision, they are creating a curriculum that focuses on producing doctors and medical personnel who address the needs of the underserved and uninsured in Northeast Oklahoma.  OU has renamed the Tulsa program the School of Community Medicine or SOCM.  At the heart of this program is a national initiative called Patient Centered Medical Home or PCMH.

The goal of this project is to transform medical treatment for this at-risk population and serve as a state and regional model for how to implement a Medical Home initiative.  They are relying on Project Management and Business Requirements to create the most effective answer for the OU Physician clinics and deliver a model that may be emulated by others seeking to accomplish a similar result. 

It is my great previledge to work with these dedicated medical professionals as they strive to create a PCMH that provides comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate care to at-risk populations in this area of the state.  Projects such as this help one sleep well at night knowing something good is being accomplished.

KNOWLEDGE WORKER PRODUCTIVITY - My past 30 plus years has been spent in the company of very intelligent people.  My entire career consists of working with and training people on project teams.  When compared to industrial, task-based worker that dominated business in the early days of this century, I find that today's workers, who are asked to apply a wide range of creative skills, bring with them new management challenges and realities.   

The late Dr. Peter Drucker also recognized this contrast when he wrote in 1999, “The most important and indeed the truly unique, contribution of management in the 20^th-century was the fifty-fold increase in the productivity of the manual worker in manufacturing.  The most important contribution management needs to make in the 21^st-century is similarly to increase the productivity of knowledge work and knowledge workers.  The most valuable assets of the 20^th- century company was its production equipment.  The most valuable asset of the 21^st-century institution (whether business or non-business) will be its knowledge workers and their productivity.”

In the Fall of 2007, I launched a research project to survey a cross-section of managers and professionals for their views on the challenges of improving knowledge worker productivity.  The result is a paper titled MORE BRICKS, LESS STRAW:  Improving the Productivity of Knowledge Workers on Single-Time Efforts.  This paper was initially created as part of a Knowledge Management graduate program at the University of Oklahoma.  My intent is to make a few more modifications to the paper and then (attempt to) have it published in an academic journal.  For now, I am placing the current draft on my website.  A condensation of the paper is also featured in the January and February 2008 editions of Project Landscape, a project management newsletter used by numerous PMI chapters.  You may read Part One of this paper in the Tulsa PMI Chapter's version of the January newsletter.  Part Two was published in the February newsletter.  I welcome your comments and suggestions as this is an ongoing study.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT - In August of 2006, Tryon and Associates launched an association with Dr. Suliman Hawamdeh to develop training and consulting services for organizations seeking to create practical Knowledge Management strategies for their organizations.  Dr. Hawamdeh is the program coordinator for the Master of Science in Knowledge Management at the University of Oklahoma.  He has written several books and hundreds of papers on the subject.  He is the founding chair for the International Conference on Knowledge Management.

Dr. Hawamdeh and I are collaborating on a fresh approach to Knowledge Management titled Project-Based Knowledge Management.  A key element of this strategy is creating an inventory of vital organizational knowledge called a Knowledge Retention Policy.  This formal, written document declares the items of intellectual property an organization considers to be a valuable asset.  It is the logical first step for launching a Knowledge Management effort.  Contact me if you would like to discuss this emerging topic.  The following items are available through our website...

• A Seminar Description of Project-Based Knowledge Management
• A seminar brochure
• A position paper on Bridging the Knowledge Gap that presents the case for and the content of a Knowledge Retention Policy.  Due to the significance of this topic, it is presented as Part One and Part Two.
• A position paper titled Project-Based Knowledge Management

KPM SYMPOSIUM - Planning is underway for the 4th Annual Knowledge and Project Management Symposium on August 12 and 13, 2009.  This conference is unique on several levels.  The purpose of the conference is to identify and define the synergies between Knowledge Management and naturally occurring projects.  The conference blends both academic research with proven industry activities.  Additional information is available at www.kipanet.org.   The theme of the 2009 conference is "Make it Real, Take it Home."  Registration is limited to 300 people and is now available.

KNOWLEDGE RETENTION POLICY - Many organizations recognize of the need for and promise of Knowledge Management.  Efforts to establish a meaningful strategy, however, suffer from a lack of tangible processes and a meaningful superstructure.  These organizations routinely document their physical assets with an inventory list.  Tryon and Associates has now built templates and processes to create an inventory list of intellectual assets.  Called a Knowledge Retention Policy, this document list the Knowledge Areas and Knowledge Topics of an organization along with the significance this knowledge represents to the organization and the current state of transfer. 

This report may be used to insure proper attention is given to capturing and transferring knowledge that is critical to an organization.  It also validates intellectual properties that are well-defined.  Information on creating a Knowledge Retention Policy for your organization is available by contacting me.

SYMPOSIUMS/CONFERENCES - One of my greatest pleasure is speaking to professional organizations on new developments affecting Knowledge Management, Project Management and Business Requirements.  Below is a list of my upcoming events.  I have also included my appearances from the past few years so you may check with the organizers to obtain a referral.

I offer a variety of challenging and informative talks that will entertain and inform your group or corporate organization..  One of the more popular of these talks is "What's so MODERN about PROJECT MANAGEMENT:  Thriving in the Information Age."  My newest and perhaps most significant keynote is titled "MANAGING ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE: Practical Knowledge Management."  If you would like to schedule me for one of your meetings, contact me at ChuckTryon@TryonAssoc.com or call 918-455-3300.

2009 - I am is scheduled for the following speaking engagements in 2009...

• Ft. Worth PMI Chapter meeting on March 19 (More Bricks, Less Straw).

• Workshops for Ft. Worth PMI Chapter on March 20 and 21.

• Tulsa PMI Chapter meeting on April 3 (More Bricks, Less Straw).

• Workshop for Tulsa PMI Chapter on May 8.

• Ft. Worth PMI Chapter Professional Development Day on May 15. (Project Office and Project Strategy)

• Tulsa Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (Managing Organizational Knowledge) on July 17.

• 4th Annual Knowledge and Project Management Symposium in Tulsa on August 12 and 13.

2008 - Among my conference/symposium speaking engagements in 2008 were...

• Great Ideas! workshop for Oklahoma Sheriffs and Peace Officers Annual Conference on February 21-22. 

• PMI Tulsa Chapter Meeting on April 4th

• Opening keynote for the Dallas PMI Chapter's Professional Development Day on April 12.

• Oklahoma City PMI Chapter's Spring Conference on April 28. (Understanding Business Requirements)

•  Modern Project Management workshop for the Tulsa PMI Chapter on May 10.

• Knowledge/Project Management Symposium in Tulsa on August 18-20.

• Ft. Worth PMI Chapter Meeting on July 17.

• Workshop for Ft. Worth PMI Chapter on August 8 and 9.

• Chapter meeting for St. Louis PMI Chapter on Sept. 17 (What's YOUR Charter, Retaining Organizational Knowledge)

• IIBA St. Louis Chapter meeting (Understanding Business Requirements) on Sept. 18.

• TulsaTechfest 2008 on October 10.  (What's YOUR Charter, Retaining Organizational Knowledge)

• IIBA NW Arkansas Chapter on November 6.

2007 - In April, I presented Managing Single-Time Efforts seminar at the Northwest Arkansas PMI Symposium at Roaring River State Park..  I also spoke for the Mile-Hi (Denver) and Pikes Peak (Colorado Springs) PMI chapter meetings.  I then gave my one-day seminar Modern Project Management for Colorado Springs in June 2007.  I delivered the opening address for the Oklahoma IT Symposium (Retaining Organizational Knowledge) and the general session for the IMA Conference, both in August.  On October 19th, I presented Understanding Business Requirements at Tulsa TechFest 2007.  Modern Project Management was the topic for a one-day session with the Oklahoma City PMI Chapter on October 20.

2006 - I spoke for the 2006 PMI Region 6 Leadership Conference on Modern Project Management.  I also gave the keynote for the 2006 Oklahoma City PMI Spring Symposium and 2005 Austin PMI Symposium.  I was an invited speaker for the inagural Knowledge Management symposium hosted by the University of Oklahoma.  I was the opening night speaker for the November 2006 PMI Symposium in Houston. 

PROJECT CHARTER UPDATE - I have now released Version 2.0 of my highly popular Project Charter.  This document is used by thousands of individuals and organizations to successfully launch their projects.  Version 2.0 provides two significant changes over the previous version.

• Project Goals and Objectives are now combined into a single topic.  As projects have become more proficient at creating Project Goals to identify improvements their project will provide to the larger organization, we have recognized a more direct link to specific Project Objectives that can certify these improvements.  It was a natural next-step to combine these two components.  This is also a natural starting point for defining detailed Project Scope.

• Affected Knowledge Assets is a new addition to the Project Charter.  This topic recognizes the growing crisis over the potential loss of vital organizational knowledge AND the reality that projects encounter all types of important knowledge assets on a regular basis.  Listing the significant knowledge assets that will be affected by a project highlights the importance of these assets and makes it more likely that the organization will insure their refinement during a project.  Adding this component is a direct result of current work on Project-Based Knowledge Management.

MANAGING LAW ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVES - In January, 2004, Tryon and Associates launched a partnership with the Tulsa Police Department on a training program that promotes officer safety and may help reduce crime in the Tulsa community.  The ultimate goal is to provide an ongoing source of new ideas to improve Tulsa PD.  As cities feel the economic squeeze from reduced tax collections and limited internal funding, they may partner with community groups to create alternate programs to reduce crime or redirect young offenders.  Federal and state agencies often provide grants for such endeavors, but few in law enforcement have been trained in identifying, launching, controlling and closing these initiatives. 

Tryon and Associates created a new training seminar for this purpose titled Managing Law Enforcement Initiatives.  The goal of this training is to help law enforcement officers and support organizations...

• Clearly document and propose ideas they wish to see become  implemented programs.

• Manage approved, funded initiatives using proven Project Management techniques. 

While this seminar was created with and for the Tulsa Police Department, the concepts and materials are applicable to any law enforcement organization.  This material is supported with easy to use processes and templates tailored to the law enforcement environment.  Tulsa PD's Initiative Proposal template may be downloaded along with a short guide on Proposing a New Initiative.  (Read the Tulsa World article on the MLEI program.)

CCSAS PROJECT - During the first six months of 2000, Tryon and Associates guided the State of California's efforts to create a Project Charter to launch a multi-year project to create a single state-wide automated system for child support programs.  That  Project Charter  is located on the Franchise Tax Board's website.  One of the most significant innovations of this charter is the mapping of Goal Sets into Business Goals and then to Automated System Objectives.   This information will also be linked to business requirements that will be used for vendor proposals.  You may also be interested in a very unique and highly successful approach FTB uses to procure technology products.  They don't pay vendors to write code!