E-Training a Global Project Management Methodology
July 30, 2008
By J. LeRoy Ward
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. Several years ago, as the company executed its many large-scope projects—and continued to set its sites on many more—senior executives began recognizing a need for standardized project management methodology throughout the organization. "Our industry has become increasingly more sophisticated over the years as people look for enhanced productivity and safety," says Kathy Mills, director of human resources. "The complex projects we were winning required that our staff keep pace with industry knowledge."
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 was flexible enough meet its employees' unique scheduling and geographical needs.
"We interviewed a number of project management improvement providers from around the country and selected ESI [International] for a number of reasons," Mills explains. "One of the primary reasons was that our people could take courses on their own schedule." Henkels & McCoy employees are spread across a number of time zones, and getting groups together for traditional, classroom-based training would have been simply impossible.
In 2003, ESI International and Henkels & McCoy rolled out a comprehensive online training program to employees across the entire organization, from project team members to senior executives. Although the goal of large-scale behavioral changes was not without its challenges, the desired results began appearing quickly. In 2005, Henkels & McCoy's executive team issued an internal challenge calling on 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), a department responsible for defining and maintaining the organization's standards of process and acting as the internal source of documentation, guidance, and metrics for all project management activities.
Since implementing its online training program, Henkels & McCoy's bottom line has improved steadily each year. "There was a time when we might have placed educated guesses on whether opportunities represented a good project for Henkels & McCoy," says Mills. "Now, we use our processes to more closely pursue work that fits our corporate strategy and that will deliver the return we expect."
As of spring 2007, 119 Henkels & McCoy employees had enrolled in a total of 311 ESI courses. Sixty 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. What’s more, the company is continuing to refine its new project management culture. "A commitment to further developing the Henkels & McCoy project management culture is an integral part of our future success," says Mills. "And our continued work with ESI remains key to achieving these initiatives."
Back to Obviously Online: E-Learning Done Right (Part I)…
Back to The Evolution of Online Learning (Part II)…
J. LeRoy Ward, PMP, PgMP, is executive vice president of ESI International, where he heads ESI's worldwide training programs and international partnerships. To learn more, visit www.esi-intl.com.
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