Who We Are

Our Vision: To be the consulting & training company of choice for project professionals in both private and public sector organizations, who wish to learn to resolve project related issues. We continuously build on the innovation and creativity of our core team, associates and partners, as the premiere provider of project management, business analysis, systems engineering, and organizational dynamics consulting and training in Canada. 

Our Mission: Atocrates is committed to providing best-in-class project education and training programs that are in compliance with the Project Management Institute’s “Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBoK); the International Institute for Business Analysts’ “Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge” (BABoK); and the International Council on Systems Engineering’s “Guide to the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge” (SEBoK). The company’s Global Educational Provider arm will deliver these programs directly or in conjunction with our many university and college academic partners throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Africa.

We strive for excellence in all that we do. Our innovative programs, research & development, and collaborative partnerships are all strategically aligned to contribute to, influence and lead business by:

• Providing your employees with enhanced capability and capacity to compete;
• Meeting and shaping the changing needs of business, industry, government and society;
• Pushing the frontiers of project management, business analysis, systems engineering and organizational dynamics knowledge and skill;
• Building on our strong internationally recognized professional development programs;
• Adding value to business, industry, government and society that is both prosperous and ethical.

At Atocrates Project Sciences we align our consulting, training, research & development and partnerships along three core strengths:

• Global Focus - We focus on the Project Professional’s role in the local, national and global economy and offer unique perspective and experiences that expose client managers and program graduates to a variety of cultures and business practices.
• Creativity and Innovation - In addressing organizational and technological change we coach and develop client managers and program graduates who seek creative approaches and solutions to existing and uncertain circumstances.
• Professional Performance and Responsibility - We stand for sustainable project practices and develop client managers and program graduates who respect the multiple responsibilities of their own and or customer organizations.

Our Motto: 

                       “To be the most worthwhile consulting and learning experience for everyone we serve”

Insights Learning & Development

Atocrates Project Sciences are Licensed Practitioners of Insights Discovery® and have incorporated Insights’ solutions into our project consulting and training services.

Established in 1988 in Dundee Scotland, Insights is a global learning and development company working in partnership with leading organizations in 35 countries, in 29 languages with a wide range of clients in every business sector.

Insights specializes in tailored transformational learning and development solutions, supported by an extensive portfolio of tailorable products and services, delivered by a worldwide team of exceptional and inspirational people, to help clients improve their effectiveness in five key areas, Individuals, Teams, Organizations, Sales and Leadership.  

Click here for more information about the services offered by Insights Learning and Development in the Toronto Region. 

Atocrates Strategic Partner - Alan Maclachlan, BA, LP

Alan Maclachlan is the Chief Executive of Insights Learning & Development in Ontario. His unique life experience combines twenty five years of Business and Sales Management with elite international athletics. He has first-hand knowledge of what it takes to be an effective leader and manager, and is committed to personal development, - each person being the best they can be. Alan competed for Canada in two Olympic Games as team captain and driver of the four- man bobsleigh. Alan is committed to assisting organizations with improving Teamwork, Leadership Development and Sales Training. He is in demand both as a facilitator and keynote speaker, and has helped clients around the world. 

Suzanne McGugan & Associates

Suzanne McGugan & Associates is a dynamic Toronto, Canada based consulting firm combining extensive experience + a consistent reputation for performance + world class communication tools to deliver Project Communication and Stakeholder Management excellence for Project Managers and Project Teams.    As a Director responsible for successful project implementation, you know that communication breakdown will impact the overall success of your projects.    We provide customized solutions that can include:

•  Individual coaching for your Program and Project Managers
•  Stakeholder Management workshops for your Project Managers
•  Communications workshops or a facilitated offsite for your Project Teams
•  An intensive “Project “Triage” for a challenged project

Click here for more information about the services offered by Suzanne McGugan & Associates

Atocrates Strategic Partner - Suzanne McGugan, PMP, LP

Suzanne is CEO of Suzanne McGugan & Associates providing her considerable expertise in Project Stakeholder Management. Previously Suzanne enjoyed a successful 32 year career in the Financial Services Industry, including positions in Retail Branch Banking, International Audit, Finance, IT and 20+ years in increasingly responsible roles in Project & Program Management.  In 2003 Suzanne launched Suzanne McGugan & Associates, to offer clients her insights and hard-won experience in the trenches of Project Management. Suzanne combines her extensive experience, a Masters Certificate in Project Management from Boston University, a Project Management Professional (PMP®) designation, with her accreditations as a Licensed Practitioner of Insights Discovery®, and an accredited trainer and practitioner of advanced facilitation services from the Facilitation First® organization to create the suite of tools and services she offers today. It is this combination that resulted in successful implementation of a critical BMO Financial Group Program, and ultimately earned her the title of “World’s Best Project Manager” from the international research firm “The Standish Group”.  It is also this same combination that makes Suzanne a high-demand resource for our clients.

Project Performance International

Project Performance International was founded in 1992 by Robert Halligan, FIE Aust. PPI is a truly international company, with its head office in Australia and courses, both public and on-site being performed over six continents.

PPI conducts training & consulting worldwide in the areas of:

• Systems Engineering
• Software Development
• OCD & CONOPS Development
• Cognitive Systems Engineering
• Requirements Analysis
• Specification Writing
• PRINCE2®
• Tender Evaluation

Click here for more information about the services offered by Project Performance International. 

Atocrates Strategic Partner - Robert Halligan, FIE, Aust

Robert is the founder and Managing Director of Project Performance International (PPI). He is an executive professional engineer, manager and engineering practitioner, he is renowned internationally for his role in the practice and improvement of technology-based projects. Robert obtained his qualifications at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. After early engineering, engineering management and project management roles with Telecom Australia, Department of Defence (Australia), Rockwell International and Andrew Corporation, he has for the last twenty-two years contributed to major systems projects worldwide as a consultant and trainer. Robert has worked extensively in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. In recent years, He has consulted and trained on engineering processes for companies whose goals have been to successfully commercialise their technologies. Clients include Mitsubishi (Japan), BAe Systems (United Kingdom), Aerosystems International (United Kingdom), Tellabs Inc (United States), Kongsberg Defence (Norway), Cochlear (Belgium), EADS (Germany), Thales (The Netherlands) and many others. Application areas in which he has significant experience include consumer products, medical products, radio and digital communications, land transportation, aviation, space and defence. Robert lead the development and delivery of the Masters module "Managing Engineering Projects" for the Australian Graduate School of Engineering Innovation, a joint venture between two Australian Universities. Robert is Past President of the Systems Engineering Society of Australia. He was also a member of the interim Committee of the Victorian Node of Software Engineering Australia, formed to implement the Australian Government's policy towards software engineering. He was an Australian delegate to the ISO WG7 developing the new international system life cycle processes standard, ISO/IEC 12258, and until recently lead the delegation of the International Council on Systems Engineering to ISO/IEC JTC1 SC7 on software and system engineering. Robert was a key reviewer of EIA 632 (Engineering of Systems) and EIA 731 (Systems Engineering Capability Model). He was a contributor of content to EIA/IS 632 and its successor in the area of requirements quality, and to IEEE 1220 in the area of functional analysis. Robert served as Director (International) of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). Robert has lead five systems engineering capability assessments, between other consulting engagements and an extensive program of public and in-house training in systems engineering. He delivers this training program on six continents. 

COGNITIVE SYSTEMS DESIGN

Founder and President, Dr. Gavan Lintern

Gavan Lintern earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Psychology from the University of Illinois in 1978 and M.A. and B.A. degrees in experimental psychology from the University of Melbourne, Australia, in 1971 and 1969. He has worked in aviation-related human factors research at the Defense Science and Technology Organisation (then known as the Aeronautical Research Laboratories), Melbourne (1971-1974), and in flight simulation research on a US Navy program in Orlando, Florida (1978-1985). He returned to the University of Illinois in 1985 to take up a position as a faculty member at the Institute of Aviation (1985-1997). He has subsequently filled positions as head of human factors at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation in Melbourne (1997-2001), senior scientist with Aptima, Inc in Boston (2001-2003) and chief scientist with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems in Dayton Ohio (2003-2009).

A cognitive system is a thinking (or intelligent) information system. However, the enhanced intelligence is not generated by the activity of intelligent technological functions as many in the discipline of Artificial Intelligence will want to claim, but emerges from the coordinated collaboration of distributed human agents via their interactions with each other and with functionally heterogeneous technological artifacts.

In the sense that collaborations between human agents and their use of technological artifacts are coordinated, effective, robust, and meaningful, the cognitive system is intelligent.

It is sometimes argued that computer-based agents can be employed to reason about the beliefs of human participants in teams. From the perspective I promote here, people reason but technological devices do not. Two people in coordination can possibly reason more effectively than either in isolation, and if they (as a coordinated dyad) avail themselves of the opportunities presented by technological devices that can compute logical relationships, find and organize information, and probably offer a number of as yet un imagined supporting functions, these entities (the two people together with their technological devices) constitute a reasoning system.

Click here for more information about the services offered by Cognitive Systems Design. 

What We Do:

We consult with and train project professionals in the disciplines of project management, systems engineering, business analysis and organizational dynamics. We develop excellent project professionals. Atocrates is the principal architect and producer of Canada's number one Masters Certificate curriculum in Program and Project Management, Business Analysis, Systems Engineering and Organizational Dynamics (in partnership with Insights Training & Development) offered through leading colleges and universities coast to coast.

How We Do It:

At Atocrates we strive to serve our clients by promoting in-depth corporate maturity models, project management knowledge transfer and value-added consulting services through the provision of a comprehensive and practical framework inclusive with the required education for all of our clients.

Coaching and mentoring is the basis for our consulting practice and we are committed to working with our clients to make certain that the resources they have entrusted us with are treated with the respect and attentiveness they deserve. Our signature learning methodology is experiential learning or using simulations to assess and train project professionals. This allows the student / trainee to practice and fail without damage or loss and of course to practice until success becomes the norm.

Key Project Stakeholders

Individuals who will be affected by an endeavor and can influence it but who are not directly involved with doing the work. Internal Stakeholders - Market (or Primary) Stakeholders are those that engage in economic transactions with the business. (For example stockholders, executives and managers, customers, suppliers, creditors, and employees). External Stakeholders – Non-market (or Secondary) Stakeholders are those who - although they do not engage in direct economic exchange with the business - are affected by or can affect its actions. (For example the general public, communities, activist groups, business support groups, and the media)

Program Managers

Program management or programme management is the process of managing several related projects, often with the intention of improving an organization's performance. In practice and in its aims it is often closely related to systems engineering. There are two different views of how programs differ from projects: On one view, projects deliver outputs, discrete parcels or "chunks" of change; programs create outcomes. On this view, a project might deliver a new factory, hospital or IT system. By combining these projects with other deliverables and changes, their programs might deliver increased income from a new product, shorter waiting lists at the hospital or reduced operating costs due to improved technology.

Systems Engineers

Systems engineers design and coordinate large and complex projects known as systems. There are many kinds of systems, and although all are large, they vary in their complexity. A system has many parts that all interact extensively with one another. Often small systems can be part of larger systems. For example, a jet airliner can be a system. So, too, can all of the airplanes owned by one airline. Systems engineers are responsible for coordinating the work of many engineers, each of whom is an expert in one part of a system. For instance, in the building of a jet airliner, electronics specialists are responsible for the guidance and control systems. Structural engineers design the body of the plane. Other experts decide on a power source for the jet. Still others design landing and takeoff methods. Each specialist concentrates on one area. The systems engineer coordinates all of these specialized efforts in order to produce the jet airliner.

Project Managers

A project manager is the person or firm responsible for accomplishing the stated project objectives. Project managers can have the responsibility for the initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling and closing of any project, typically relating to construction industry, architecture, computer networking, and telecommunications or software development.

Business Analysts

A Business Analyst (BA) analyzes the organization and design of businesses, government departments, and non-profit organizations; BAs also assess business models and their integration with technology. There are at least four tiers of business analysis: Planning Strategically; Operating/Business Model Analysis; Process Definition and Design; and IT/Technical Business Analysis.