Better Energy Management with Transition Engineering

Introduction

This “Better Energy Management with Transition Engineering” training course will equip delegates to make existing energy and environmental management systems more useful to support strategic business changes towards sustainability. It will provide tools to help understand the system dynamics of their organisations, to provide better support for strategic decision making and to implement change with more confidence in successful outcomes. It will enable delegates to think differently about the challenges of “unsustainability”, to identify and respond to risks, and contribute to change programme to ensure long term business prosperity in a changing world. 

This training course introduces participants to the Transition Engineering and Innovation discipline, the engineering discipline and process that enables organisations to adapt to changing forward operating environment. This training course enables operational staff and engineers to support the process from start to finish. At the start, it will enable participants to provide data that supports decision-makers, and it will enable them to implement strategic change programmes into day to day energy and environmental management systems. It will equip participants to deal confidently with “wicked problems” that have many complex interacting factors, no obvious simple solution, and many potentially conflicted stakeholders.

This training course will highlight:

• System Dynamics – how your organisation interacts with external change
• How to make existing energy and environmental management systems more useful
• Challenging unstated assumptions, asking the right questions
• Providing better operational support for strategic decision-makers
• How to implement change programmes into day to day management systems

Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Collect and interpret data on system dynamics to support strategic decision-makers
• Ask the right questions, challenge unstated assumptions, define better metrics
• Understand the operational aspects of the Transition Engineering discipline
• Advice and support strategic decision-makers on the implementation of change programs
•  Contribute to corporate change towards sustainability by “thinking differently”

Training Methodology

This training course includes various techniques to maximize understanding, retention, and ability to apply the learning, including a training course manual, suggested reading, presentations, individual and group exercises, video and group discussion.

The training course will be interactive and will challenge delegates to “think differently” about “sustainability” and about their part in delivering the strategic direction of their organization. The tutor will guide delegates to apply the learning and their understanding of their own organizations.

Who Should Attend?

This course is suitable for a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

Staff in organizations that are dependent on engineered systems including manufacturing, transport, buildings, and food, are facing any “wicked problem” like climate change, energy supply or other environmental or resource challenges.

• Staff in operational roles responsible for energy, environmental and quality systems that support strategic decision-makers
• Staff responsible for implementing programs of change into day to day management systems

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction - The importance of System Dynamics 

• What is “Sustainability”?
• Overview of global problems of unsustainability
• Systems Thinking and the Operating Environment
• The importance of energy in society, industry and engineered systems
• Historical background to current global challenges
• Introduction to Transition Engineering methodology

Day 2: Identification of Risks of “Un-sustainability”, ISO management tools 

• Understanding an organisation in its operating environment; past, present and future changes
• Energy, Climate, Population; why the future will not look like the past
• Examples and use of future scenarios
• The unsustainability challenges facing my organisation under “business as usual”
• The potential usefulness of Environmental and Energy Management tools
• Collecting data about the past, present and future of an organisation

Day 3: Designing Metrics, Collecting Data, Describing Future Scenarios 

• Using data to describe systems and challenge unstated assumptions
• Using data to describe the forward operating environment.
• Using data to describe future system constraints
• Un-sustainable and Sustainable models for economic activity and capital
• Achieving resilience to external change

 Day 4: Overview of Strategic Planning, Starting a Change Programme 

• Transition Innovation and Creating Path Break Solutions
• Designing a Path Break Solution for my Organisation – worked example
• Back-casting, Designing a Programme of Change
• Safe Operating Spaces for Organisational Change Programmes
• Re-Defining Competitive Advantage
• How to start the process of change in an organisation; trigger activities

 Day 5: Implementation and Management Tools. Course Assessment 

• How the Essentials of Management Systems Help to Implement Change
• Back-casting and Translating a Change Programme into day to day Management
• Examples of Management Tools for New Product Development and Construction
• Building and Managing Teams to Support Change
• Using Communications to Maintain Momentum
• Assessment; multiple-choice test