Chief Learning Officer - March 2008 - (Page 54)

case study significant initiative supported at the highest organizational levels. “We strongly believed all along that, regardless of whether an employee is running projects or running operations, project management skills are important to have,” Mills said. “So, we added everybody to the training program, not just project managers. Skills such as team management, motivation, resource management and planning were competencies we wanted all members of our staff to exhibit. Our training program brought a formalized approach to these skills.” Like any major change management initiative, this move toward a new project management culture initially was met with resistance. Many throughout the organization were reluctant to change longstanding habits and procedures. Fortunately, thanks to good communication, strong leadership and unwavering commitment, employees at Henkels & McCoy began to embrace management’s vision and understand that their customers and their highly competitive market demanded that they apply a more advanced set of methodologies than ever before. Continuing its project management transformation, the executive team at Henkels & McCoy issued an internal Project Management Challenge in 2004, one year after launching its training program. The initiative challenged employees to establish and implement a methodology based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), which was customized to Henkels & McCoy’s industry and internal procedures. Then in 2006, Henkels & McCoy established a Project Management Office (PMO). The office was created to be responsible for defining and maintaining the organization’s standards of process, as well as to act as the internal source of documentation, guidance and metrics for all project management activities. In addition, the training has enabled Henkels & McCoy to begin the process of creating an entirely new culture among its employees. “Slowly but surely, you reap rewards as people recognize that the skills they are learning are helping their projects,” Mills said. “When people begin speaking the project management language and using the methodology, you realize you’ve been successful in developing a project management culture.” Thanks to good communication, strong leadership and unwavering commitment, employees at Henkels & McCoy began to embrace management’s vision and understand that their customers and their highly competitive market demanded that they apply a more advanced set of methodologies than ever before. University Affiliation and Support Since the program’s launch, 60 Henkels & McCoy employees have earned associate’s certificates in project management, including the company’s COO, and 10 employees have earned master’s certificates in project management. These certificates are awarded by ESI and its academic partner, The George Washington University. “Our team has taken great satisfaction in the accomplishment of receiving associate’s and master’s certificates,” Mills said. “Another source of value is that [the] training is backed by The George Washington University School of Business. That affiliation is a significant source of pride for our people.” Next Steps Henkels & McCoy has no plans of slowing down its training initiative. As of spring 2007, 119 Henkels & McCoy employees have enrolled in a total of 311 courses, and the company is working hard to develop and further refine its new project management culture. Projects are grouped into one of four levels based on strategic importance and complexity. The Henkels & McCoy project management methodology applies to levels 3 and 4. The company is developing a leaner version of its methodology for level 1 and 2 projects. With expanded project management expertise and systems, Henkels & McCoy also is considering new partnerships and taking on a larger number of complex projects, which are expected to help the company continue to grow and cement its reputation as an industry leader. “We’re committed to continuous improvement,” Mills said. “We have a solid understanding of what has worked historically, and we’re also keeping an eye on what will make us successful in the future. A commitment to further developing the Henkels & McCoy project management culture is an integral part of our future success.” Delivering Expected Returns “Our bottom line has improved year over year since we implemented the training,” Mills said. “We used to bid a high number of projects. Today, we’ve learned not to bid as much. We have a solid methodology and bid-review process in place, enabling us to look at the associated scope and risk before we get too deep. There was a time when we might have placed educated guesses on whether opportunities represented a good project for Henkels & McCoy. Now, we use our processes to more closely pursue work that fits our corporate strategy and that will deliver the return we expect.” March 2008 I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer 54 http://www.clomedia.com

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Chief Learning Officer - March 2008 Editor's Letter Table of Contents Imperatives Selling Up, Selling Down Strategies Take Five Learning Solutions The Treasury Board of Saskatchewan: Training the Trainers With Experiential Learning Clo Profile Environment Xerox: Creating a Learning Masterpiece Tactics Capturing the Knowledge of the Workforce Productivity Succession Planning Tips from the U.S. GAO Human Capital Influencing Competency Management Case Study Case Study Business Intelligence Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - March 2008

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