Additionally, ethical business practices are a point of emphasis throughout IPM Prep. The learning and development desires of our workforce members are taken into consideration through the Development Plan portion of the PS&DP, which the employees originate. Development activities are required to be business relevant and address the Elements of Success identified in the Performance Summary. Employee development specific to unique technical skills of the Corporate Services staff is provided on an individual basis, through one-on-one coaching, and/or via outside sources. Acquired knowledge and skills are reinforced through weekly one-on-ones with managers and touchpoints with KPM, as well as working on projects where the skills must be applied. Additional on-the-job training occurs through formal channels like PLAs and other roundtables, as well as in less-structured ways, like casual interface with SME coworkers. 5.2b(2) Learning and Development Effectiveness KPM monitors the effectiveness and efficiency of training modules offered to the staff. Training is evaluated through feedback collected at the end of each session. The trends from survey results are analyzed and used to improve both course content and the selection of training offerings. The most important outcome of our learning and development systems is the excellence of our PMCs’ performance, which is evidenced in the key business result of our Project Performance Evaluation (PPE) scores (Figures 7.2-1, 7.2-2, 7.2-3) . A continuous improvement process for new hire onboarding has led to numerous improvements to IPM Prep over the last several years. This includes the identification of developmental needs of new PMCs during IPM Prep and linking them to individual Development Plans with suggested training modules to shorten the learning curve. Many training courses also contain a follow-up component, such as the development of a 30-day plan for improving on the skill covered, which bolsters the effectiveness of the training and ensures meaningful development comes with the learning. 5.2b(3) Career Progression The leadership team utilizes PS&DP input and Org Planning data to understand the alignment between an employee’s career goals and current assessment of skill and potential. Career progression of employees (staff, PMCs, managers, and directors) is supported using several approaches, including mentoring, opportunities for skill building, participation on internal teams, and promotions. Employees are mentored by leaders, and opportunities for growth and development are identified through the PS&DP when goals and Development Plans are set. The formal Mentor/Protégé program—protégés are all new hires and those recently promoted to management—was updated in 2016, by better defining the roles and responsibilities.
Project assignments are also an important vehicle for the development of a high-potential employee/future leader. Demonstrated leadership at the client site or via participation in Initiatives or CoEs provide tangible evidence of potential. IPM promotes from within, thereby nurturing our culture. As mentioned, all members of Ops management began their careers at IPM as PMCs. IPM’s recently implemented performance management software has a “Career Preferences” functionality, thereby formalizing the capture of an employee’s career aspirations and providing transparency to the management team. It also includes career pathing for all employees, Ops and Corporate, which allows employees to select the role they want. Based on their PS&DP results, the system then maps out the skills the employee will need to prepare for the role. On the heels of the addition of the PMA position, in 2015 the role of Senior PMC (SPMC) was redefined, and the Principal Consultant (PC) role was created. This resulted in career progression in Ops (non-management track): PMA PMC SPMC PC. Similarly, the management track progression could follow PMA PMC SPMC Director Managing Director (though time as a SPMC is not required). Org Planning is the succession planning process for management. Succession planning for manager level and above is managed by the ET. CATEGORY 6: OPERATIONS 6.1 Work Processes 6.1a Product and Process Design 6.1a(1) Determination of Product & Process Requirements Senior leadership designs, implements, and refines IPM’s key work processes and functions to deliver maximum customer value. These processes/functions combine to form the IPM Customer Value Work System (Figure 6.1-1) , which was defined in 2015 and refined in 2017. The system has been designed to facilitate delivery of outstanding project management consulting services to clients within our targeted markets. In terms of the consulting services delivery key work process, the demands of each project are unique, and while there are some standard areas of focus—scope, schedule, and leadership, among others—each product must be customized. This process begins by identifying individual project requirements as part of the proposal process. We start with general requirements based on a combination of the standard PM best practices per the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), and our own from years of collecting Voice of the Customer (VOC) data from both the Project Performance Evaluation (PPE) and Project Quality Plan (PQP). Then a customized set of requirements is generated for each specific engagement. When a client accepts the resulting specific proposal, we know we have properly captured the high-level requirements, which will be further defined as part of the PM process and detailed in the project charter. To determine the remaining key work process requirements, we first identify the internal and/or external customers of the
Page | 25
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator