Successful grant writing is a highly iterative, detail-oriented process. To craft a truly great grant proposal, you need to demonstrate to a potential funder how all of the parts of a grant application both fit together and affect one other.

To ensure a grant proposal is both logically and structurally sound, use a logic model (also called a theory of change) to demonstrate how all of the moving parts in a proposal work together to form a cohesive, measurable project. A logic model is a blueprint that evaluates and measures how certain assumptions, inputs, activities, and outputs (the process-focused components of your program or project) lead to the desired goals and short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes that will best serve the target audience and effect social change.

Pushing your grant writing skills to the next level is an exercise in focusing on the details. Our newest course “Advanced Grant Writing” shows you how to ask iterative questions of yourself, your team, and your proposed program in order to sharpen and refine your grant proposal and push it to the top of the pack. By looking closely at how a logic model can shore up your proposal at each key stage, the course will demonstrate how to push your planning, evaluation, and budgeting from good to great.

This week, Skye Learning is featuring Linda Farr, an accomplished human resources leader who provides strategic and tactical consulting to SMBs, through Farr HR Solutions, Inc.,  in the biotech/pharma, medical device, and technology industries. She has consulted with employees across the globe, including Hong Kong, Germany, and Denmark. Previously, she was Vice President of Human Resources, North America at Straumann USA.

What’s more, Farr has an MBA from Western Michigan University, has earned her SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications, and is a board member for the Greater Merrimack Valley HR Association. Skye Learning was thrilled to feature her expert commentary in our HR Hot Topic courseware, including HR Hot Topic: Flexible Work Arrangements.

One of the first steps that a project team must take in order to reduce the energy consumption of a building is to design the project with energy goals in mind. These energy-saving benchmarks are defined in our latest infographic “Owner's Project Requirements (OPR)”. The project requirements outlined in the OPR infographic will serve as the reference points for all design, construction, and ongoing maintenance operations.

Lean is more than a simple collection of tools; it is an interconnected system that focuses an entire organization on creating the value that customers want in the most efficient and effective way possible.

In an effective Lean system:

• Practitioners work continuously to eliminate the defects and rework in their systems
• Material and information is "pulled" by downstream processes in the system
• Value-added work is enhanced and non-value-added work is minimized
• Resources (including employee skills) are maximized to the greatest extent possible

This week, Skye Learning would like to spotlight Alena Huniova, a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) and Professional Scrum Product Owner^™ II (PSPO II). Huniova has a wealth of experience in software product development, from the delivery of 16+ software products to automation in 9+ business domains. She also has a master’s degree in CAD/CAE systems.

Huniova is a Technical Product Manager at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Previously, she was a Senior Business Analyst at Kanda Software. Skye was thrilled to feature Huniova’s expert commentary in Introduction to Business Analysis.

With the rise of videoconferencing, interviewers and job seekers alike are now able to conduct long-distance, face-to-face interviews, as well as increase efficiency, save time in the hiring process, and reduce travel costs. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated and increased the use of videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom and Google Hangouts. However, videoconferencing is not without its obstacles, such as delays, connectivity issues, and moments of awkward silence. Here are some tips on what to expect and how best to stand out during a Zoom interview.

LEED v4^™ identifies seven impact categories that define the environmental issues that LEED® projects are tasked with addressing. The categories are focused on the overall themes of climate change, human health, water resources, biodiversity, material resources, a greener economy, and community. LEED® uses these impact categories as a performance-based framework. This framework, consisting of prerequisites and credits, is used by the building industry in the project accreditation process.

Johanna Rothman is the owner of Rothman Consulting Group, through which she has coached product developers, led Agile transformations, and improved projects, programs, and organizations for over 26 years. She has also written a large collection of books about project management and the workplace.

Prior to consulting, Rothman was a software engineer who served as a project leader, program manager, and director at Boston Technology. She is a longtime contributor to Skye Learning courseware, providing expert commentary for Introduction to Agile, Principles of Scrum, PMP® Exam Prep Course, and more.

In this job market, candidates need every advantage they can get to stand out, and a well-crafted resume is crucial. Producing the best possible resume requires knowing its function--to get you into the pile of candidates who will be considered further.

When writing your resume, it’s important to recognize that the hiring manager may be fielding hundreds of resumes for a position in addition to their regular job duties. Each resume, therefore, will receive only a cursory glance to determine the candidate’s qualifications. Your resume should be designed to make it easy for a hiring manager to learn your professional accomplishments at a glance. To that end, follow a few rules to ensure your application isn’t overlooked.