 |
 |
||
|
|
|
Våra kunder: FallstudierESI International har hjälpt många företag runt om i världen med att utbilda projektledare samt att utveckla projektledarmetodik som passar den egna organisationen. Vi har många nöjda kunder som kunnat dra fördel av de goda effekter som framgångsrik projektledning bidrar till. Vi hoppas att de fallstudier som återfinns här inspirerar och på ett bra sätt visar vilken god investering bra projektledarutbildning faktiskt är. Vi har jobbat med Projektledarutbildning i över 25 år. Listan till vänster representerar de många Fortune 500 företag vi utbildat.
The State of Michigan wanted to increase the success rate of its information technology projects to better serve its customers and decrease project costs. Top officials in the governor’s office decided the solution was to implement commercial management techniques, based on recognised and repeatable best practices. This idea launched the governor’s Office of Project Management (OPM), which expanded the program to include all of the state’s projects. In order to educate its work force and managers, the executives at the State of Michigan had to find a first-class training organisation. After careful review, Michigan chose ESI International as its training partner, in large part because ESI offers both general and IT project management courses.
Continuing with the idea of using a commercial management methodology, the members of the OPM started a process to continually review industry best practices and to work closely with organisations such as the Project Management Institute (PMI®). ESI’s courses closely follow PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and therefore help prepare employees for their PMP® certification exam. ESI’S Certification and Quality of Instructors Meet Michigan’s NeedsAnother benefit of ESI’s curriculum includes the certification of its students, a key feature for Michigan. This certification, a Master’s Certificate in Project Management or Information Technology Project Management, awarded by The George Washington University, offers Michigan employees a chance to earn credible recognition for having a common knowledge base. This certificate also provides a clear incentive to enrol in the program since it defines a clear path for career growth and self-improvement. “We made a decision early on in the establishment of the state Office of Project Management to identify the best, most versatile and comprehensive company to provide project management training. ESI has filled every criterion perfectly, providing a solid base in building the project management culture across state government. Top-quality instructors, curriculum and account support have made ESI a true partner as we continue to expand project management knowledge and discipline throughout the State of Michigan,” says Beth Rigby, PMP, Project Manager/Quality Management Specialist for the State of Michigan Office of Project Management. The quality of ESI’s instructors has also played a major role in the success of the training program. “The knowledge, experience and enthusiasm that these instructors bring to the classroom helps keep the students motivated and interested,” says Rigby. “The employees who have attended classes keep coming back because they feel good about how they are learning,” continues Rigby. “Everyone involved feels a sense of excitement about the program and this furthers the changes necessary for this type of organisation-wide culture transition.” Centre of Excellence and ESI Courses Broaden Scope of TrainingAs the sophistication and knowledge levels of Michigan employees have increased, Michigan has broadened its contract with ESI because the training company offers in-depth courses that can grow along with the employees’ expanding knowledge base. In addition, ESI has customised its courses to include specific project management challenges such as civil engineering. OPM’s confidence in ESI’s training program has grown even stronger since the company’s broad base of relevant courses and ability to tailor the curriculum meets the needs of many varying projects. Michigan launched a Centre of Excellence as another focal area of the OPM. This centre provides a forum to foster greater knowledge of best practices and acknowledge statewide achievements in project management excellence and builds on the established state project management methodology, tools and training curricula to support application of project management across agencies. The Centre serves as a repository of experience, information and recognition for the state’s project management improvement initiative and successes. Stage two of the initiative involves a much larger breadth and depth of the curriculum. Through the Training Advisory Group, which monitors the project management training portion of the program, internal and external training effectiveness is monitored informally with feedback forms and questionnaires as well as with formal bench marking. ESI’S Project Management Training Contributes to State’s Project SuccessIn a little more than a year after implementing this broad-based project management initiative, Michigan employees are using project management in a structured approach to managing projects, ensuring more successful projects. As the program matures, the state will continue to conduct bench marking and to identify successes and gaps in its project management methodology. This is the beginning of incorporate project management into the state culture. Recognising employees’ achievements and nurturing their career paths is a part of the state’s initiative. Michigan realises that by offering this training program, the state can increase job satisfaction and employee retention. This effort will help to foster consistency of team members during a project’s life cycle, which increases the success rate of projects. Executives have also seen an increase in project managers with credentials, such as a master’s certificate or PMP® certification. Rigby notes that one of the challenges in any elected government organisation is not only implementation of a program of this kind but also the continuation of the program once there is a change in administration. She feels that ESI’s broad range of courses, enthusiastic instructors and the involvement of Michigan’s employees have helped the OPM to start changing the culture of the organisation. Rigby hopes that the success of the program can transcend any change in administration and that the program will continue to provide the State of Michigan with the project management training, tools and support that lead to project success.
|
The State of Michigan recognised that
it needed to develop and promote the
use of a statewide, consistent project
management methodology, including
tools and methods. There was also a
need for broader project management
training opportunities and clear
project management career paths.
ESI had many attractive features
to offer the BLM. Their project
management curriculum culminates
in a Master’s Certificate in Project
Management or Information
Technology Project Management
from its academic partner, The
George Washington University. Also,
ESI’s courses are offered publicly at
training sites located in cities all building talent, driving results www.esi-emea.com +44 (0)20 7017 7100
across the United States. Another
distinguishing feature of ESI is its
ability to customise its curriculum
for its clients and to bring that
curriculum directly to the client.
“This was a big selling point for us,”
says Ballantyne, “because we wanted
training designed specifically for our
needs. ESI could do this.”
PTC leadership determined that in
order to accelerate the transition and
ensure the program delivered maximum
ROI the first time around, strong leadership from internal and external
resources were needed. PTC chose ESI
International for its understanding of
PTC’s business, its global reach and its
reputation for outstanding customer
service. Together ESI and PTC developed
and implemented a three-stage,
worldwide initiative.
Improvements in project management
are delivering the full range
of benefits. First and foremost is
increased customer satisfaction
being driven by improvements in
product delivery. This is reflected in
recent customer satisfaction results
as well as internally by improved
project margins through better project estimations and managing projects to
scope, schedule and budget by professional
project management standard
processes and tools. Additionally:
Lisa T. Poole, PMP, Manager, Enterprise
Project Delivery Services (EPDS), formed
a centralised project management department
initially focused on finding the
right people with the right skills, within
functional lines of business and IT, and
providing career path opportunities.
While strengthening the CoE’s foundation,
Poole is now pursuing methods
to manage, measure, and report on
project performance:
As the trend toward multi-service
implementations gained momentum
over the past several years, ADP saw
an opportunity to differentiate itself
from the competition through superior
project management that achieved
higher levels of client satisfaction.
To achieve this, ADP’s traditionally
independent approach to delivery of each
service — benefits, payroll, tax services,
etc. — meant that project managers
would have to be brought in sync.
 |
 |
|
För ett antal år sedan insåg HP Services att om de ville fortsätta att vara konkurrenskraftiga på en allt hårdare marknad var det dags att införa vissa ändringar. Företaget hade blivit allt mer projektinriktat och HP Services insåg behovet av att standardisera sina projektledningsmetoder. De införde en plan för ökad produktivitet för sina projektledare över hela världen. Målsättningarna var klara: minska antalet problemprojekt, öka driftsmarginalerna och skapa flexibla projektteam. Efter en noggrann behovsanalys beslutade HP att de behövde anlita ett externt utbildningsföretag för att få den heltäckande projektledningsutbildning som krävdes. Standardisera projekt över hela världenRon Kempf, Director, HP Services Project Management Competency Development and Certification, förklarar: "När vi granskade slutförda projekt, stod det klart att vi måste utbilda våra projektledare i grundläggande projektledningsmetoder, men också ge dem en praktisk inställning till att utföra projekt. Vi ville ha en utbildning som innefattade beprövade redskap och tekniker, så att alla våra projektledare hade gemensamma referensramar. Tack vare detta skulle de kunna bilda nya projektteam eller börja arbeta i befintliga team var som helst i världen och kunna sätta igång att jobba med en gång." HP Services valde ESI som utbildningsleverantör 1996 eftersom ESI mer än väl uppfyllde alla deras kriterier - utbildning baserad på riktlinjerna i Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), både publik utbildning och utbildning på plats, högt kvalificerade instruktörer och ett internationellt rykte. "Vi behövde en utbildningspartner med etablerad internationell erfarenhet", säger Kempf. "ESI berättade om sin erfarenhet av internationell utbildning, speciellt med betoning på kulturella hänsynstaganden, och det var viktigt för oss. Det var uppenbart att ESI hade den erfarenhet som vi behövde. Ingen annan var ens i närheten." Utformandet av ett heltäckande programTillsammans med HP Services utvecklade ESI ett integrerat utbildningsprogram i grundläggande projektledning för 1 200 projektledare. (Antalet kursdeltagare har sedan dess växt till mer än 2 500 projektledare i 160 länder och ännu fler projektmedlemmar.) Genom ESI-programmet kan HP Services erbjuda sina projektledare ett kursutbud baserat på en standardiserad och allmänt accepterad uppsättning projektledningsmetoder, kunskapsbasen PMBOK® Guide. Deltagarna i programmet erhåller ett Master's Certificate i projektledning från George Washington University, ESI:s akademiska partner sedan mer än 20 år tillbaka. |
Översikt av fallstudie Problem
ESI:s lösning
Resultat
|
Denna heltäckande kursplan förbereder HP Services projektledare för certifiering till Project Management Professionals (PMP®) vid Project Management Institute (PMI®).
"Förmågan att kunna utbilda PMP®-certifierade projektledare är av avgörande betydelse för oss", säger Kempf. "Möjligheten att kunna erbjuda PMP®-certifierad projektledning har blivit en väsentlig faktor i anbudsprocessen och är nu avgörande för att vinna nya kontrakt." 1997 hade HP Services 12 PMP®-certifierade projektledare, idag har de mer än 1 000.
ESI fortsätter att utveckla sitt kursutbud, så HP Services kan nu erbjuda relevanta avancerade kurser till det växande antalet anställda som har genomgått projektledningsprogrammet och är redo att gå vidare till högre utbildning. "Vi håller 250 kurser runt om i världen varje år, och ESI:s kapacitet och kursplan är betydande bidragande orsaker till programmets framgång. Tack vare ESI:s expertis och vägledning har vi kunnat utveckla och genomföra vårt utbildningsprogram för projektledare", säger Kempf. Eftersom ESI kan erbjuda publik utbildning, utbildning på plats och e-utbildning kan vi vara säkra på att alla projektledare vid HP Services får ett konsekvent kursinnehåll och lär sig att använda samma redskap och tekniker.
Att förstå den ekonomiska sidan av projekt
"Före ESI-utbildningen granskade vi genomförda projekt i affärsenheter runt om i världen och fann att våra projektledare i vissa fall inte var fullt medvetna om eller använde sig av riskhanteringsmetoder, ändringshantering och ekonomisk förvaltning. De förstod att de måste slutföra ett projekt i tid och visste att de måste uppfylla kundens önskemål, men de insåg inte att de var ansvariga för projektens vinstmarginaler. Och de befann sig i företagets frontlinje", förklarar Kempf.
HP Services kompletterar sin projektledningsutbildning inom områden som risk- och kontraktshantering med utbildning inom specifika kompetenser, till exempel kurser i att föra effektiva förhandlingar, ge presentationer och hantera de ekonomiska aspekterna av ett projekt. "Vi utbildar inte bara mer effektiva projektledare, vi förbättrar också deras allmänna affärskompetens", säger Kempf.
Som ett resultat av denna inställning till projektledarutbildning har HP Services sett en markant ökning av den kunskap och de färdigheter inom projektledning som tillämpas i deras affärsenheter världen över. ESI:s utbildningsprogram har hjälpt HP Services att minska antalet problemprojekt och öka projektledarnas medvetenhet om vikten av ekonomisk kontroll. Enligt Kempf har detta initiativ för förbättrad produktivitet lett till att 70 % av deras projekt genomförs inom eller under budget (långt över 50 % som är genomsnittet inom branschen) och har i vissa fall ökat vinstmarginalerna med så mycket som 50 % .
"ESI:s utbildning får högt betyg i kursutvärderingar", säger Kempf. En klar majoritet av kursdeltagarna uppger att de kan relatera utbildningen direkt till sitt arbete och säger att de metoder och arbetsprocesser som de lärde sig under kursen var en bidragande faktor till deras effektivitet och produktivitet.
"Ett annat resultat av utbildningen är ett nytt förtroende i projektledarnas förmåga att genomföra komplexa projekt", säger Kempf. "Projektledare är mer öppna för att ta över problemprojekt eller projekt som saknar projektledare. Eftersom våra projektledare nu har en konsekvent inställning till projektledning är det inte ett lika stort problem att ta över ett projekt under arbetets gång som det har varit tidigare", säger han.
Andra, mindre påtagliga fördelar har också uppnåtts tack vare samarbetet mellan HP och ESI. "Våra anställda är medvetna om att de har stora möjligheter för kompetensutveckling här och det gör att de är mycket motiverade. HP Services inriktning på kompetensutveckling har givit oss en fördel på lång sikt eftersom vi sparar hundratusentals dollar varje år på utbildning, rekrytering och träning av nya anställda."
"Tack vare att vi har välutbildade projektledare på plats får vi en konkurrensfördel på marknaden, och ESI:s utbildningsprogram i projektledning har hjälpt oss att uppnå detta."
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
 |
|
I början av år 2000 bestämde sig PeopleSoft för att ändra inriktning för affärsområdet Global Services för att bättre kunna uppfylla sina kunders skiftande behov. Detta innebar en förändring från att främst vara en leverantör av PeopleSoft-specialiserad teknisk kunskap till att bli en leverantör av "best-in-class"-lösningar till kunder som inför, uppgraderar eller optimerar produkter från PeopleSoft.
Mike Barnard, Director of PeopleSoft Global Services i Storbritannien, säger: "Vi insåg att vi måste göra våra produkter och tjänster mer sofistikerade för att uppfylla våra kunders förväntningar. För att kunna anpassa alla våra tjänster till en projektmiljö var vi tvungna att omstrukturera vår servicedivision och anamma en projektledningskultur. Detta innebar bland annat att vi upprättade ett projektledningskontor för att fokusera på processer, verktyg och bästa praxis under hela projektets livscykel. Vi hade som mål att skapa standarder och se till att de tekniker och metoder som de anställda lärde sig under utbildningen användes i det dagliga arbetet."
En av de största utmaningar som man till en början ställdes inför var den förändring av företagskulturen som krävdes av skiftningen till en projektmiljö. Förändringen från en funktionell struktur till en matrisstruktur förde med sig utmaningar rörande allokering och hantering av personal.
För att underlätta denna förändring i företagskulturen satte Gary Fitchett, PeopleSofts Solutions Delivery Manager i Storbritannien, igång med att utveckla teamet ytterligare genom att rekrytera en blandad grupp av professionella projektledare både med och utan IT-bakgrund. Målet var att skapa en kritisk massa från vilken man kunde bygga upp entusiasm för projektledning och sätta fart på strategiförändringen. Rekryteringen baserades på en standarduppsättning kriterier, och det viktigaste av dessa var att de som anställdes hade en bevisad förmåga att använda de verktyg, koncept och processer som krävs för arbete i projektmiljöer.
Professionell certifiering visar att PeopleSoft tar projektledning på allvar
Genom att införa en kompetensförändring ville PeopleSoft klart visa på det mervärde som detta skulle ge deras kunder. "Inom IT-branschen har man publicerat många rapporter som jämför framgångsrika och misslyckade projekt. Detta innefattar ett antal projekt som, fastän de genomfördes i tid och inom budget, inte uppnådde de förväntade affärsfördelarna", säger Mike. "Vi bestämde oss för att om vi ville differentiera PeopleSofts produkter och tjänster genom våra anställda, måste deras kunskaper, färdigheter och arbetsmetoder vara konsekventa och kunna påvisas genom professionell certifiering."
|
Efter noggrann utvärdering beslutade PeopleSoft att PMP®-certifieringen från Project Management Institute (PMI®) skulle bli prioriterad ackreditering och beslutade att följa PMI:s metodik som är dokumenterad i kunskapsbasen Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). De ansåg att detta var den mest lämpliga ackrediteringen eftersom den inte bara utgjorde ett komplement till deras egenutvecklade projektlednings- program, Compass, utan även gav dem en global standard för projektledning. Med tanke på att ett stort antal av PeopleSofts kunder är internationella företag, ansåg man att en global standard var av största vikt. |
|
För att underlätta införandet av initiativet och stödja företagets nya inriktning blev deras målsättning att alla projektledare vid PeopleSoft i Storbritannien skulle erhålla minst certifiering till Project Management Professional (PMP®).
ESI:s certifieringsprogram uppfyller PeopleSofts behov
Mike tog nu kontakt med ESI International för att få hjälp med att implementera denna nya inriktning.
"Vi ville hitta en samarbetspartner som kunde ge oss en heltäckande utbildningsplan och stark global närvaro så att vi kunde upprätthålla en konsekvent standard för alla PeopleSoft-kontor runt om i världen. Efter noggrann utvärdering var vi övertygade om att ESI International var en idealisk samarbetspartner för detta viktiga initiativ, så vi startade ett pilotprogram", säger Mike. Man började med att använda ESI International:s utvärderingsverktyg PMAppraise™ för att mäta kunskaper och färdigheter hos de anställda som arbetade med projekt. Detta, tillsammans med ett antal individuella intervjuer, gjorde det möjligt för företagsledningen att skapa en standard som de kunde utgå ifrån för att fastställa sina målsättningar.
Tack vare att man nu hade en fullständig bild av företagets projektledningskunskaper och en förståelse för de kunskaper och färdigheter som är avgörande för att ett projekt ska bli framgångsrikt, kunde ESI och PeopleSoft utveckla en klar utvecklingsplan för alla anställda som arbetar med projekt.
Man krävde att alla som är involverade i projekt inom organisationen fullgjorde en av ESI:s flaggskeppskurser, Managing IT Projects, som utgör en grund för vidare utbildning. Alla projektledare fullgjorde alla delar i kursplanen från ESI och erhöll ett Master's Certificate i projektledning från George Washington University. Genom att fullgöra dessa kurser var de garanterade att täcka alla de 10 kunskapsområden som identifierats i PMBOK® Guide och var helt förberedda för att ta en PMP®-certifieringsexamen.
Projektframgång för PeopleSofts anställda och kunder
Det har nu gått två år, och PeopleSoft har haft möjlighet att tänka tillbaka på den framgång initiativet har åstadkommit.
Innan programmet infördes bestod allt arbete som utfördes av PeopleSoft Global Services i Storbritannien av traditionell kunskapshöjning. Nu levereras mer än 70 % av tjänsterna i en projektmiljö där PeopleSoft Global Services är ansvarig för projektets framgång. Detta har medfört att andelen projekt där en enda leverantör har ensamt ansvar har ökat markant. Detta ger i sin tur PeopleSofts kunder ett betydande mervärde.
"Sedan vi startade det här programmet har andelen anställda som stannar inom företagen ökat betydligt, vilket i sin tur har lett till att vi har kunnat bygga upp starkare relationer med våra kunder" säger Gary Fitchett.
|
|
En av PeopleSofts projektledare, Gary Martin, säger, "Sedan utbildningen har det blivit mycket lättare att föra diskussioner med kunder på alla nivåer. Det har definitivt förbättrat PeopleSofts rykte. Och med våra professionella certifieringar har våra kunder blivit positivt överraskade av vår projektlednings- kompetens och vår förmåga att anta en strukturerad, konsekvent approach till deras projekt." |
Dave Exall, European IT Director på Bausch & Lomb, kommenterar, "Vi valde programvara från PeopleSoft och anlitade sedan deras konsulter för att implementera projektet, eftersom vi ansåg att de var de bästa inom branschen. Vad som blev uppenbart var projektledarens roll i projektutförandet. Deras styrka och disciplin inom professionell projektledning innebar att de hade full kontroll över projektet och kunde, tack vare sofistikerade övervakningsprocesser, producera detaljerade statusrapporter varje vecka och varje månad. Det var ett utmanande projekt med strikt budget och snäva tidsramar, men jag var alltid säker på att projektet var under kontroll. Ur både planerings- och riskhanteringssynpunkt var kombinationen av uppmärksamhet på detaljer och tillämpning av etablerade projektledningsmetoder en ovärderlig tillgång."
"Genom mitt samarbete med PeopleSoft har jag insett vikten av att betrakta projektledning som en egen disciplin", fortsätter Exall. "Genom att ha en projektledare som tillämpar etablerade projektledningsmetoder hålls projektet under kontroll. I framtida projekt kommer jag definitivt att betrakta erfarenheten och utbildningen hos den projektledare som vi anlitar som ett avgörande kriterium i urvalsprocessen."
Tack vare att företaget nu har en konsekvent projektledningsmetodik får alla projektledare vid PeopleSoft samma utbildning och har lärt sig att använda de verktyg och tekniker som används för alla projekt.
"När du lär dig att använda nya verktyg, tekniker och arbetsprocesser bygger du samtidigt upp dina färdigheter och lär dig att tillämpa dem inom din egen bransch. Och tack vare ESI-instruktörernas expertis inom projektledning kan vi relatera utbildningen direkt till praktiska situationer", säger en projektledare vid PeopleSoft.
Programmets framgång bevisas av att projektteam nu har en konsekvent och etablerad arbetsprocess och metodik, vilket innebär att de kan ge sina kunder allt de stöd de behöver och även kan utvärdera projekt på ett effektivt sätt enligt definierade kriterier som tid, produktkostnad och kvalitet, service och lösningsleveranser.
PeopleSoft Global Services kan nu erbjuda en rad olika typer av avtal och kommersiella kontrakt - en av programmets ursprungliga målsättningar. I den föregående organisationsstrukturen var samarbetet endast baserat på tid och material. Nu kan företaget erbjuda sina kunder olika villkor rörande risk/belöning eller kontrakt med fast pris. Det är tack vare att projektledning nu styrs via ett etablerat projektkontor som PeopleSoft har kunnat uppnå detta.
Nu fokuserar PeopleSoft på att använda dessa kunskaper för att bli marknadsledande leverantör av programvara och tjänster för realtidsföretaget och överträffa sina konkurrenters förmåga att föra ut dessa lösningar på marknaden, både när det gäller time-to-market och kostnadseffektivitet. PeopleSofts fortsatta succ� inom denna snabbföränderliga, komplexa bransch beror i stor utsträckning på framgången av deras projektledningsprogram.
Mike sammanfattar, "Fler PeopleSoft-kunder än någonsin uppnår sina affärsmål och får även ökad tillväxt tack vare realtidsapplikationer. Dessutom implementeras mer än 50 % av dessa projekt på 16 veckor eller mindre. Detta beror till stor del på att PeopleSoft nu kan erbjuda en utökad tjänstekapacitet eftersom vår projektledningskompetens har sin grund i ESI:s heltäckande utbildningsplan och yrkeskunnande."
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
 |
|
|
För några år sedan beslutade Siemens Enterprise Networks (SEN), ett dotterföretag till Siemens Information and Communication, nätverksdivisionen inom Siemens AG, att ändra inriktning från försäljning av maskinvara till försäljning av integrerade lösningar. Beslutet att bli en lösningsleverantör visade sig vara ett framgångsrikt drag, men innebar också att komplexiteten i ett typiskt installationsprojekt ökade betydligt. Detta strategiskifte medförde också stora förändringar i den typ av arbete som de anställda utförde och ett ökat behov av expertmässig projektledning. Kandi Miller, Vice President of Information Management, säger: "Projektledning var viktigt om vi ville fortsätta att vara konkurrenskraftiga". Siemens förlorade också ett betydande kontrakt till en konkurrent, till stor del på grund av brist på installationschefer med projektledningscertifiering. "Det fanns projekt som vi ville lägga anbud på, men eftersom det första kravet rörde projektledningskapacitet var det inte möjligt", förklarar Sheila Dummer, Manager of Knowledge Management and Project Management vid SEN. "Det blev uppenbart att projektledning måste bli en kärnkompetens för våra chefer och projektmedlemmarna!" Plan för förbättring av arbetsprocesser inkluderar utbildning från ESIEfter att ha utvärderat företagets mognadsnivå inom projektledning fann företagsledningen att det fanns utrymme för förbättring och utarbetade en plan för att stärka arbetsprocesserna och därmed öka antalet framgångsrika projekt. Det första steget var att inrätta ett projektledningskontor som kunde övervaka programmet för professionell utveckling. Det andra steget var att göra upp en lista över de kompetenser som krävdes för olika befattningar och bedöma vilken utbildning som var lämplig. När man hade sammanställt listan upptäckte Siemens att mer än två tredjedelar av dessa befattningar krävde en viss grad av projektledning. Cheferna för Siemens Enterprise Networks insåg att företaget behövde ett formellt utbildningsprogram. "Vi visste att vi måste betona för alla våra anställda att projektledning är en egen disciplin - en metodik som fungerar på samma sätt i hela företaget och runt om i världen", säger Dave Ellebrecht, Vice President of Professional Services. Siemens utvärderade potentiella leverantörer enligt ett flertal kriterier, bland annat utbildningens effektivitet och efterlevnad av riktlinjerna i PMBOK® Guide, kapacitet för global implementering, kostnad och förmåga att ge stöd till Siemens interna program. Efter noggrann utvärdering bestämde sig Siemens för att anlita ESI International, då de var övertygade om att ESI uppfyllde alla de kriterier som krävdes för ett framgångsrikt utbildningsprogram. Som utbildningspartner för detta viktiga initiativ kunde ESI ge Siemens en skräddarsydd, branschspecifik projektledningsutbildning, och dessutom alla de uppföljningstjänster som Siemens behövde för att mäta programmets framgång. Sheila Dummer säger att den första målsättningen för denna plan för processförbättring var att höja företagets nivå av projektledningskompetens till samma nivå som deras konkurrenter. För att nå detta mål började företaget kräva att alla som var involverade i projekt fullgjorde ESI:s kurser. En annan målsättning var att öka antalet chefer med Siemens egen projektledningscertifiering och i sista hand certifiering till Project Management Professional (PMP®). Utbildningen från ESI hjälper de anställda att nå detta mål. Den ökade kunskapen och certifieringen inom projektledning syftade till att hjälpa Siemens att vinna anbud som krävde bevis på projektledningskunskap och även behålla befintliga kunder genom att genomföra projekt på ett framgångsrikt sätt. |
Översikt Problemställningar
ESI:s lösning
Resultatet
|
Projektledningskompetens och ESI:s utbildningsprogram knutet till arbetsmål
Siemens nya projektledningskontor samordnar programmet för professionell utveckling för hela företaget. "Vi upprättade projektledningskontoret för att skapa standarder och se till att de anställda använde sig av de tekniker och metoder som de lärde sig under utbildningen", förklarar Sheila Dummer.
Företagets chefer genomgår nu varje år en utvärdering för att mäta både deras egen och projektmedlemmarnas projektledningskompetens och bedöma hur väl de har uppnått de målsättningar som formulerades i utbildningsprogrammet. Målsättningarna är knutna till en uppsättning interna certifieringar som är uppbyggda runt ESI-utbildningarna och andra interna kurser.
Alla som är involverade i projekt förväntas fullgöra en av ESI:s flaggskeppskurser, Managing Projects in Organisations, Managing Software Project Management eller Managing IT Projects , som utgör grunden för vidare projektledningsutbildning. Projektledare måste fullfölja alla delar i ESI:s kursplan för att erhålla ett Master's Certificate i projektledning från George Washington University, och projektledare på toppnivå måste erhålla PMP®-certifiering. Sedan programmet introducerades för två år sedan har nästan 3 000 chefer och projektmedlemmar, inklusive personal från andra affärsenheter inom Siemens, deltagit i detta initiativ.
ESI:s utvärderingsverktyg mäter utbildningens framgång
Siemens mäter framgången av utbildningsprogrammet med ESI:s Project FRAMEWORK®, en mognadsmodell som utvärderar företagets projektledningskunskaper. Detta utvärderingsverktyg identifierar även områden för förbättring, skapar en standard som Siemens kan utgå ifrån för att fastställa sina målsättningar och ger företaget en plan för förbättring.
ESI har utbildat två av Siemens anställda för att genomföra denna utvärdering en gång om året. Inom 12 månader efter programmets lansering förbättrades testresultaten för flera grupper markant. Denna resultatförbättring kan ställas i direkt relation till deltagande i ESI:s utbildningsprogram.
Projektledning är en ovärderlig tillgång för Siemens Enterprise Newtworks
Enligt Siemens uppskattning har tillväxten i deras projekt ökat med 30 %, till stor del tack vare den expertmässiga utbildningen från ESI och projektledningskontorets arbete.
Enligt Siemens har antalet anställda som certifieras till PMP® också ökat dramatiskt tack vare populariteten av programmet för professionell utveckling. Sheila Dummer tillägger: "Siemens Enterprise Networks har genomgått en förändring av företagskulturen som är ett direkt resultat av utbildningen från ESI."
Projektledning har visat sig vara en ovärderlig tillgång för Siemens Enterprise Networks progressiva affärstaktik. Genom att ge de anställda inom ett projekt möjlighet att öka sin projektledningskunskap har Siemens Enterprise Networks uppnått sin målsättning att kunna erbjuda sina kunder framgångsrika komplexa nätverkslösningar.
Nu fokuserar Siemens på att använda dessa kunskaper för att bli marknadsledande inom konvergenslösningar för VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) och överträffa sina konkurrenters förmåga att föra ut dessa lösningar på marknaden, både när det gäller time-to-market och kostnadseffektivitet.
Siemens fortsatta succ inom denna snabbföränderliga, komplexa bransch beror i stor utsträckning på framgången av deras projektledningsprogram.
PMBOK och PMP är registrerade varumärken som tillhör Project Management Institute, Inc. Project FRAMEWORK är ett registrerat varumärke som tillhör ESI International.
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
 |
 |
|
Brasil Telecom, one of the largest telecommunications companies in Brazil, was one of three fixed-line operators that broke out when the industry was deregulated in 1999. Through its nine operating subsidiaries, Brasil Telecom operates in nine different states throughout central and southern Brazil, serving 34% of the country, including the capital. Like many telecommunications companies around the world, Brasil Telecom faced high-risk project and IT challenges. Employees were managing many different projects but without any consistency in quality, cost, communication and leadership. Company executives knew that if they were going to compete in this newly deregulated, highly competitive industry, it was time to change. The need for structured project management methodologyRaimundo Ramos, Corporate Education Manager at Brasil Telecom, knew from experience that a structured project management methodology was needed. After managing the training program at another company, he understood the benefits of a professional development program in project management. And he knew there was only one place to get it - ESI International. "We needed to improve quality and reduce costs, and we needed consistency in how employees managed their projects," Ramos says. "Our employees are working on more than 3,000 projects, budgeted at $1.5 billion. If even one of those projects is delayed by just one month, we could lose up to $30 million." Ramos had worked with ESI and knew first-hand the training provider's commitment to performance improvement. Not only was ESI able to provide the structure and training so critical to Brasil Telecom's project needs, ESI offered professional credentials to validate the training. Through a partnership with the prestigious George Washington University in Washington, DC, ESI's seven-course curriculum culminates in a Master's Certificate in Project Management. ESI delivers solution to meet Brasil Telecom’s specific needsOne of the selling points of the ESI program was that it took into consideration that project management has discrete techniques that can be applied to projects of any size or complexity. "Successfully managing projects is not an easy task. It takes a lot of knowledge and skills that few of us possess," says Henrique Neves, President and Chief Executive Officer at Brasil Telecom. "This is why we chose to partner with ESI. The program they offer provides a solid foundation in project management concepts, practices, and skills, as well as many advanced tools and techniques. |
Case Study Overview The Issues - The deregulation of the telecom industry in Brazil meant the need to embrace a methodical PM culture in order to compete effectively in the newly competitive industry - Consistency in how projects were managed was seen as the only way to improve quality and reduce cost The ESI Solution - Determine a tailored program of courses to meet Brasil Telecom’s specific requirements - Establish full curriculum paths for PMs to attain a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the prestigious George Washington University – bringing a consistent approach to how projects are managed throughout all areas of the business The Result - Project Managers are now delivering projects on time and within budget thanks to the tools and techniques learned from the ESI program, giving Brasil Telecom a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace - Brasil Telecom is now on track to meeting the 45 goals as stipulated by the Brazilian government, and as such has received praise from the government for its high performance in meeting quality objectives - The investment in training has led to 100% staff retention rates and greater collaboration between states sharing best practices and competitor information |
Project success for Brasil Telecom’s employees
Since that time, approximately 150 out of the 250 employees required to participate in the training have completed the program, Ramos says. "Employee feedback has been very positive," he says, adding that students have been extremely impressed with ESI's instructors. "All of ESI's instructors have brought real-world experiences to the classes they have taught. It's clear they have worked as practitioners and know what life is like on the front lines of project management."
The program also offers an added bonus: it acts as a retention tool. Ramos says all 150 employees are still with the company. They now network with their counterparts in other states to exchange best practices and share information about how their competitors are performing.
ESI training the key for future success
Brasil Telecom reports that they have been so pleased with the program that they are planning to train 500 project team members this year and 1,500 more over the next three years. "The training couldn't have come at a better time," says Ramos. The Brazilian government recently identified 45 goals that each telecommunication company must now meet. He says the company is in great shape, due in large part to the training Brasil Telecom has received from ESI. "In fact," Ramos says, "earlier this year, the Brazilian government recognised Brasil Telecom for its high performance in meeting quality objectives."
ESI's project management training is already proven to be worthwhile for Brasil Telecom. "Our project managers are using the tools and techniques they learned from ESI's program and are delivering projects on time and within budget," Ramos says. "We now have consistency that we didn't have before. I feel confident this will be a key to our success in our industry."
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
 |
|
Delta Technology (DT), a wholly-owned IT subsidiary of Delta Air Lines based in Atlanta, is committed to leveraging technology to create a competitive advantage for the airline.
The Challenge
As DT began relying more and more upon the use of outsourcing for its mid-tier server engineering and limited application development, the company identified the need among its employees for a consistent methodology to more successfully gather and clearly document requirements.
In developing what DT called its Business Analyst Practise, the company was faced with several key decisions. These included determining:
- If the Practise would be centralised or decentralised
- If all 90 of its business analysts would be included in the Practise
- Whether business analysts would sit within the Practise or within their specific project areas
The centralisation issue was particularly complicated because most of DT’s business analysts are also subject matter experts in their respective areas. As a result, they're often involved in tasks that stretch beyond business analysis. This, obviously, makes centralisation difficult. DT determined that in order to succeed, its business analysts must be able to fulfil their specific roles and then move on to their next projects. So, DT decided to keep its current decentralised group and also create a centralised group of business analysts within the Practise to be "matrixed" to various projects.
The Strategy
Upon creation of its Business Analyst Practise, DT implemented a number of successful initiatives, including the use of SharePoint™ to post and share information throughout the company, and the implementation of a coaching and mentoring program. They also more clearly defined their business analysts’ responsibilities based on a newly created Business Analysis Lifecycle, which aligned with the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA™) Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®).
"ESI helped us build the team of skilled business analysts we need to become a more effective, successful organisation."
Kathleen Morison
Manager Enterprise
Project Management Office
Delta Technologies.
Still, to create and maintain a consistent methodology organisation wide, which was its ultimate goal, DT knew that it needed to provide its employees with a comprehensive training program. For that, in January 2006, they turned to the leader in project management and business analysis training, ESI International.
Together, ESI and leaders from DT chose a training program that would create a baseline for success and ensure consistency in gathering and documenting requirements. The program consists of a suite of courses from ESI's curricula in business analysis and project management along witha four-hour workshop for managers that presents the expectations for the program and how it will ultimately benefit the organisation.
Results
The initial phase of the ESI-DT training program lasted nine months and—despite the usual corporate challenges, including resistance to change and adaptation of new processes—it was a rousing success. In April 2007, DT found itself with a core team of business analysts equipped with the skills to coach and mentor others and to promote a set of best practises and consistent methodologies.
The Next Step
With Phase One of training complete, ESI and DT are now preparing to begin Phase Two, which will not only enhance the newly established coaching and mentoring program, but will help DT's business analysts continue to effectively develop metrics, governance standards and assessment methodologies. The focus will be on identifying any existing knowledge and skill gaps as well as identifying any opportunities to further increase the overall effectiveness of DT's approach to business analysis.
"ESI understands that every company is unique. From the very beginning of our relationship, they were interested in helping us choose the training options that were best not only for our individual employees, but for our organisation as a whole."
Kathleen Morison
ManagerEnterprise
Project Management
Office Delta Technologies
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
 |
|
Background
Leading pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has a very clear mission: to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For GSK and its 100,000 employees around the world, turning this mission into a reality requires the management of many large-scale medicine discovery and development projects—projects that can typically run the course of a decade, include a broad range of business units and consume vast amounts of resources.
In 2006, GSK Research and Development (R&D) launched its iPlan initiative, a global program sponsored at the highest levels of management. The initiative sought to improve people capabilities, processes, enabling technologies and support services to deliver integrated project and portfolio planning. Key aspects of the approach include—
- Defining the planning process, responsibilities and key practices
- Live piloting the new processes, practices, work breakdown structures and IT enablers within various medicine development teams to learn, refine and confirm the effectiveness of the changes
- Extensive project management education and development
- Selecting and validating an enterprise project management system
- Integrating project and clinical development planning
- A targeted communication strategy to engage and build momentum for the change program
To make this ambitious initiative a success, and to roll it out effectively throughout such an expansive organisation, GSK leaders knew they would need help from experts in the delivery of large-scale performance improvement training in project management.
Strategy
One of the several performance improvement providers that GSK turned to for assistance with iPlan was ESI International. ESI, who has worked extensively with GSK since 2002, was chosen for this new initiative because of its impressive experience and its proven ability to meet tight deadlines and tailor its programs and services to meet client needs.
Jacqui Alexander, Director of Project Management Learning & Change Management summarises the main reason for selecting ESI as follows: "Having forged a strong and collaborative relationship with ESI over a number of years, it was clear that ESI would be our ‘partner of choice’ in further extending our professional project management development program."
After meeting with ESI representatives, it became clear that tailoring, cooperation and internal support would be keys to GSK’s strategy. In order to ensure relevance of content for its employees, GSK asked ESI to not only customise its courses to cover specific GSK topics, but to allow GSK experts to work along side the ESI instructors to co-teach the courses
Along with relevance, GSK leaders also understood that internal support was vital to the success of the iPlan program. The company alreadyhad executive support; however, to ensure support among its employees throughout the organisation, GSK took to recruiting internal line champions from various business units. These champions were tasked with assuring that the course material was relevant and, equally as important, that it generated awareness and enthusiasm for the overall training initiative. To date, the company has 40 active line champion.
Tactics
GSK and ESI worked together to craft a number of courses for GSK employees, including an introductory course that defines the roles within a project team and how to be an effective team member, as well as a more advanced course that focuses on project planning for project team members. ESI also delivered courses on accountability and practical risk management, which helped participants understand the risks and opportunities that are inherent in drug development projects.
For the delivery of courses, GSK chose to take advantage primarily of ESI’s on-site training ability, which sent instructors directly to GSK locations to teach courses.
Results
With more than 1,000 GSK employees trained to date—and many more currently queuing up for courses—the company has managed to change individual behaviour, particularly regarding risk management. Project team members now use a common language in identifying the risks on their projects and approach risk management in a more consistent way, which is having an effect throughout the entire organisation. There is a clear mandate from senior management in place that all new projects must come with a detailed risk plan to be reviewed before that project is given the green light for large-scale development.
Speaking of the partnership with ESI, Karl Donn, Vice President of Global Project & Portfolio Management said, "This has been a great partnership between ESI and GSK. ESI brought both content knowledge and training skills to complement the knowledge in GSK R&D on how to apply the ESI capabilities to obtain maximum benefit. The joint efforts have allowed us to derive benefit immediately after the training programs have been completed across the organisation."
This has been a great partnership between ESI and GSK. ESI brought both content knowledge and training skills to complement the knowledge in GSK R&D on how to apply the ESI capabilities to obtain maximum benefit. The joint efforts have allowed us to derive benefit immediately after the training programs have been completed across the organisation.Karl Donn
Vice President of Global Project & Portfolio Management
GlaxoSmithKline
Next Steps
GSK's commitment to performance improvement through training shows no signs of relenting anytime soon. The company has now begun working on the development of a center for project management resources for the entire R&D organisation. In addition, GSK leaders plan to continue reviewing employee feedback regarding individual training courses, measure progress against its many performance benchmarks and build a 2008 program of training that will take project management to the next level of maturity within the R&D enterprise.
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
Background
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.(NYSE: THG) is a leading property and casualty insurance provider based in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The company distributes its products through independent agents across the country. Established in 1852, The Hanover has grown to rank among the top 30 property and casualty insurers in the United States with more than 4,000 employees.
The Challenge
One of the core skill sets identified as being critical to The Hanover’s continued business success is that of business analysis. For the past five years, The Hanover has partnered with ESI International to deliver instructor-led learning to business analysts in its technology division. There were, however, business analysts in the business areas of the company as well.
With approximately 200 business analysts across the company, The Hanover’s leadership sought to formalize an enterprise wide strategy for positioning the business analyst role as a pipeline for analytical and operational roles. With the implementation of its Future Leaders Program in 2009, work was begun on developing a consistent profile for entry-level business analyst talent at The Hanover.
The challenge before ESI and The Hanover was to develop a learning program for the Future Leaders Program effort that could indoctrinate new team members within various business units quickly and focus on raising the bar for the entire company, steering a course for continuous leadership development.
The Strategy
With approximately 200 business analysts stretching across multiple lines of business, bringing enterprise-wide focus to this role as a career-growth opportunity is a winning strategy. Planning for the program focused on a number of key strategic goals, including:
- Identifying and effectively recruiting outstanding university students and recent graduates
- Determining a consistent, common approach and language around business analysis
- Delivering learning through arange of modalities to ensure skills and knowledge are reinforced and effectively applied
The Hanover chose to partner with ESI International to guide the development and implementation of this new program. “It was clear that ESI was the ideal choice as our partner for this program,” said Irene Brank, Assistant Vice President and Director of The Hanover’s Future Leaders Program. “Their direction, commitment and support have helped us chart the path to this initiative.”
The Solution
The Hanover and ESI began by mapping a set of core competencies for the Future Leaders Program, which was divided
into two broad career focus areas: business management and risk management. Assessment tools to effectively benchmark and evaluate the progress of program participants were also developed.
Once recruited into the two-year program, candidates are assigned an IT or non-IT career track. At the conclusion of the two years, candidates will find placement in a role that allows them to continue to grow their career. To ensure participants have the skills and knowledge they need to be leaders, the Future Leaders Program guides participants through a range of learning opportunities:
- Traditional instructor-led classroom curricula
- Reinforcement workshops delivered in person and via webinars
- A participant forum promoting formal group interaction, including program coaches
- Corporate-wide access to online reference materials
- Practical, on-the-job application of new skills and knowledge
- Continued mentoring after program completion
The program’s design ensures that learning and reinforcement take place before, during and after classroom training. Pre-class webinars create a foundation that prepares participants for specific learning events and reinforcement workshops conducted after courses further reinforce key competencies.
“We believe that offering a range of learning opportunities greatly increases the program’s success,” said Ken Joseph, Business Learning Manager, The Hanover. “By combining what we could offer in-house with ESI’s various, interactive modalities, we’ve achieved a robust solution.”
The Future Leaders Program also offers coaching and mentoring, as well as
the opportunity to earn professional and technical certifications including Actuarial, Business Analysis, and INS certifications.
As university graduates progress through the program, the company’s current leaders also undergo targeted learning based upon position and role, which promotes consistent knowledge across the organization. These include:
- Traditional, instructor-led classroom courses
- Executive level workshops and webinars that overview key program knowledge areas
- Skill specific workshops and webinars
Results
The Future Leaders Program builds upon the success of ESI’s ongstanding partnership with The Hanover, which has demonstrated:
- Significant improvements in project completions and adherence to budgets
- A dramatic reduction in project change requests
- A reduction in project errors
- Faster time to market for new products
While still in the early stages, the Future Leaders Program has begun to deliver decisive impact by:
- Charting a clear and fast track for new leadership
- Defining a consistent approach and language around business analysis
- Improving recruiting and retention
- Increasing organization-wide competency in business analysis
Each year, approximately 75 future leaders are accepted into the program. At this rate almost 10 percent of the company will have completed the leadership program in the next five years.
Planning Forward
The Hanover and ESI are identifying ways to further enrich the program. Specific considerations include:
- Enhancing The Hanover’s companywide business analysis methodology
- The addition to the core learning program of a “live” practicum project
- Inclusion of a set of business consulting and skills curricula focused on such topics as financial literacy, critical thinking and leading organizational change
- Inclusion of additional project management specific curricula
- Executive workshops to refine the mentoring skills of those managing Future Leaders Program participants to help them more effectively reinforce the program’s competencies
- Ongoing individual and organizational assessments to add value and uncover areas for greater learning emphasis
“Despite the early stage status of the program, it’s already delivering clear benefits to us,” said Greg Tranter, Senior Vice President and COO, The Hanover. “Much of the benefit is a direct result of the emphasis we’re placing on business analysis for decision making, which is changing the way our company approaches its decisions.”
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
 |
|
The Background
Henkels & McCoy, Inc. is one of the largest privately held engineering, network development and construction firms serving the communications, information technology and utility industries in the United States. Additional offerings have traditionally included installation, maintenance and training services. Several years ago, the company, which boasts 4,600 employees in 80 permanent offices and operations facilities across the U.S., identified the need to establish consistent project management throughout its organisation.
The Challenge
Upon winning significant utility infrastructure contracts ranging from the building of transmission lines to inside wiring for the Pentagon, which is one of the world’s largest office buildings, and Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, Henkels & McCoy had firmly established itself as one of the country’s premier speciality contractors.
However, as the company executed these large-scope projects—and set their sites on many more—senior executives began recognising a need for standardised project management methodology throughout their organisation. The benefits to improved project management practises, they determined, would be numerous, including increased efficiency internally and seamless communication with their many large general contracting partners.
"Our industry has become increasingly more sophisticated over the years as people look for enhanced productivity and safety," said Kathy Mills, Director of Human Resources. "The complex projects we were winning required that our staff keep pace with industry knowledge."
Why ESI?
Henkels & McCoy sought a project management training provider with the global infrastructure required to easily and consistently deliver high-impact training to its employees. Additionally, the company was looking for a partner who not only understood Henkels & McCoy's complex industry, but who had an effective on-line training capability that could accommodate demanding staff workloads and differing styles. Henkels & McCoy chose ESI International.
"We interviewed a number of project management improvement providers from around the country and selected ESI for a number of reasons," Mills explained. "One of the primary reasons was that our people could take courses on their own schedule through ESI's comprehensive e-Training program. Our team is spread across a number of time zones, so we needed a provider that was as geographically diverse as we were. Most of our work is done in the field, meaning most of our staff members spend little time in the office. ESI understood this and worked within our schedule constraints to deploy an on-line training program that meets the needs of the entire company."
The ESI Solution
From the beginning of its partnership with ESI in 2003, Henkels & McCoy's executives were committed to providing training to staff members across a variety of internal levels, ranging from project team members to senior executives. Executive involvement, which included participation from the CEO/President, COO and CFO, helped staff members understand that creating a project management culture was a significant initiative supported at the highest organisational 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," said Mills. "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. ESI's training program brought a formalised approach to these skills."
In 2004, after one year of training with ESI, the executive team at Henkels & McCoy issued an internal "Project Management Challenge." The initiative challenged employees to establish and implement a methodology based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), which was customised to Henkels & McCoy’s industry and internal procedures.
Continuing its project management transformation, in 2005, Henkels & McCoy established a Project Management Office (PMO). The office was created to be responsible for defining and maintaining the organisation's standards of process and acting as the internal source of documentation, guidance and metrics for all project management activities.
Skills such as team management, motivation, resource management and planning were competencies we wanted all members of our staff to exhibit. ESI’s training program brought a formalised approach to these skills.Kathy Mills
Director of Human Resources
Henkels & McCoy
The Impact
"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.
Like any major change management initiative, the move toward a project management culture at Henkels & McCoy was initially met with resistance. Many throughout the organisation were reluctant to change longstanding habits and procedures. However, through time, leadership and unwavering commitment, employees at Henkels & McCoy have come to understand that their customers and their highly competitive market required them to apply more sophisticated methodologies to their work in order to succeed.
"Slowly but surely, you reap rewards as people recognise that the skills they are learning are helping their projects, said Mills. “When people begin speaking the project management language and using the methodology, you realise you’ve been successful in developing a project management culture."
Since beginning training with ESI, 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.
"Our team has taken great satisfaction in the accomplishment of receiving associate's and master's certificates from ESI," Mills said. "Another source of value is that ESI's e-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 ESI courses, and the company is working hard with ESI to develop and further refine its new project management culture.
Projects are currently grouped into one of four levels based on strategic importance and complexity. The current Henkels & McCoy project management methodology applies to Level 3 and 4. The company is now developing a leaner version of its methodology for Level 1 and 2 projects.
With expanded project management expertise and systems, Henkels & McCoy is also considering new partnerships and taking on a larger number of complex projects, both of 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, and our continued work with ESI remains key to achieving these initiatives."
Our bottom line has improved year over year since we implemented the training.Kathy Mills
Director of Human Resources
Henkels & McCoy
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se
|
|
The Background
Improved customer satisfaction is always top of mind at Tetra Pak. The world’s leading food processing and packaging solutions company provides safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people around the world each day. Founded in Sweden in 1951, today the company boasts more than 20,000 employees and operations in more than 165 countries. In 2007, it delivered 137.3 billion packages.
In order to maintain its superior marketplace position—while containing costs for the company and its customers—Tetra Pak continually seeks to improve in four capability areas it believes directly impacts all aspects of its business:
- Leadership
- Total quality
- Customer understanding
- Project management
Specifically, Tetra Pak focuses project management toward improvements in new product development, product and service delivery to its customers, and improving its own internal operations. Tetra Pak’s capabilities development program drives continuous improvement in the processes, systems, people and tools associated with these four capability areas—across all levels and job functions.
Acknowledging that effective project management underpins leadership, quality and customer understanding, Tetra Pak partnered with ESI International to build and deliver a globally consistent, instructor-led project management learning and development program. The two companies have been working together on project management learning programs since 2001.
The Strategy
Tetra Pak’s executive leadership understood that to achieve their aim of world-class project management, the capabilities development program needed to look beyond the project management job function. ESI worked with Tetra Pak to tailor a learning program that involves everyone from executives to front line sales and support staff, ensuring all employees have the knowledge, processes, systems and tools to contribute to the company’s world-class project management goal.
| “The capabilities development program has benefited from support at the highest levels of the organisation,” says Matts Larsson, Director, Global Training and Development. “From the very start we knew we needed a holistic approach because if the entire organisation is not speaking the same language and applying the same methodologies to drive uniform processes, systems and tools, then the foundation for success does not exist.” |
“ESI delivers the same learning experience from Lund to Singapore to Panama, setting a standard that guarantees we will get consistent global behaviours, regardless of location.” |
Tetra Pak examined its business processes to embed project management best practices as per the Project Management Institute (PMI®). Then a thorough gap analysis was conducted to identify the competencies needed to meet or exceed the standards.
Next, to create a path to guide individuals toward the company’s goal, Tetra Pak developed and implemented competency profiles and updated job descriptions for virtually every position. “We wanted every employee working in a project to realise that he or she belongs to the project first and the specific line organisation second,” said Larsson. Additionally, Tetra Pak is working with ESI to refine their recruitment tools to ensure they bring people with the right skill sets into the company in order to retain high-performing project management-focused personnel.
Pre- and post-learning assessment tools complement the career paths. “These tools ensure that the people we invest in are fitted for the purpose and that this is the correct career path for them,” says Larsson.
To execute this ambitious capability development program, Tetra Pak selected ESI for its instructor-led efforts to ensure consistency of the entire learning experience from classroom materials to pre- and post-evaluation. “In the past we were forced to fly personnel to centralised locations for classes,” says Larsson. “Fortunately, ESI has the reach to deliver learning wherever we need it in the world, saving us a great deal of money while minimising disruption to our employees and their work.”
Tactics
Tetra Pak’s capability development program is tailored to correspond to the company’s methodologies. The courses focus on a broad range of topics, including:
- Project governance
- Leadership
- Coaching and mentoring
- Risk management
- Planning and analysis
- Managing projects for non-project managers
- Project management fundamentals for sales people
A key focus area across all responsibilities has been governance with an eye to ensuring all projects are properly resourced.
“Our focus is much clearer now. We are steadily improving the quality of our project management at all levels—from executive governance to sales and service.” |
“The executive governance workshops encourage a common approach organisation- and world-wide while delivering a greater understanding of how to focus on strategy, value proposition and managing risks, rather than technical matters,” says Lars Eyrich, Director, Plant Sales and Engineering. “The classes emphasise interaction, giving the management team an opportunity to discuss how to apply guidelines and ensuring they have a solid understanding of the project managers’ world.” |
Along with the suite of courses—all of which are delivered in English to drive consistent vocabulary across regions, teams and cultures—Tetra Pak demonstrated both its sophistication and commitment to the program through pre- and post-learning assessment tools. These tools assess competencies in the nine knowledge areas identified by PMI® as well as team members’ internal behaviours and attitudes.
Two of the pre- and post-assessment tools, ESI’s PMAppraise: A Knowledge and Skills Assessment® and PM360: A PM Competency Assessment™, enable Tetra Pak to determine the strengths and weaknesses of employees and guide refinement of the learning program. “Pre-learning and post-learning activities are essential for us,” says Larsson. “In fact, I would say they are as important as the actual instruction.”
Results
Since initiating its performance improvement efforts with ESI, more than 800 Tetra Pak employees have participated in the program and 280 have gone through Tetra Pak’s tailored Advanced Project Management Programme. Participants have earned a range of professional certificates from ESI and its academic partner, The George Washington University in Washington, DC.
The program also has helped Tetra Pak launch the bench marking effort essential to tracking progress toward its goal of becoming a world-class project management organisation. “Our focus is much clearer now,” says Larsson. “We are steadily improving the quality of our project management at all levels—from executive governance to sales and service— and this translates to continually higher levels of customer satisfaction.”
Next Steps
Tetra Pak recognises that an effort of this importance and magnitude will never actually conclude. Rather, this on-going effort will continue to be refined in support of consistent global business processes and to ensure, once Tetra Pak achieves its benchmark of world-class project management, they maintain that position.
“ESI delivers the same learning experience from Lund to Singapore to Panama, setting a standard that guarantees we will get consistent global behaviours, regardless of location,” says Larsson, “That is what ESI really contributes.”
Need More Information?
Contact one of our Business Development Managers by calling +46 (0)8 555 403 80 or by sending an email to information@esi-intl.se