After the April 2016 merger with Benham, Haskell’s Program for Management Development (PMD) was revised from an organizational level to a Group-specific level for the Consumer & Packaged Goods (CPG) markets. The challenge was that different employees, including newly acquired team members, needed a better understanding of Haskell’s project delivery model and best practices.
An emerging need was identified when the manager of Learning and Development (L&D) met with CPG leaders and managers to understand the challenges. In order to meet client needs, all team members must have a comprehensive understanding of the Group’s overall structure, operations, resources, and capabilities. L&D leveraged the skills, knowledge, and experiences of a team of talented professionals to create a “best of the best” subject matter expert (SME) team to instruct CPG employees. The SMEs earned this designation by their unique experiences combined with relevant licensure and/or accreditation—along with a record of successfully delivering great projects.
Program Details
The coursework starts broad and covers the Haskell Organization and CPG Group Structure. From there, the subjects break out into discipline-related areas that allow participants to understand the broad-based activities and knowledge for becoming a well-versed design or construction professional. Tied to Haskell’s operational units of Food & Beverage; Consumer Products; Beer, Wine & Spirits; and Bio-Pharma, attendees learn about:
- Architecture
- Engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, civil, and structural)
- Packaging and process fundamentals
- Systems analytics
- Food safety
- Building information modeling (BIM)
- Specifications
- Design sequencing
- Project management
- Field management
- Contracts
- Accounting
- Business development activities
The overall goal of this comprehensive cross-functional program is to create the ultimate, well-rounded design and/or construction professional who has been introduced to all aspects of Haskell’s integrated project delivery processes for the CPG Group.
PMD is delivered via online blended learning:
- Classroom training is based in the corporate Development Center (in Jacksonville) utilizing video Web-based connections with five other office locations, as well as multiple jobsites (zero travel costs).
- The program combines 22 months of two-hour meetings, two classes per meeting, 44 classes total.
- Each class is a 45-minute, instructor-led discussion followed by a short pass/fail quiz.
- Participants attend in real time and videos are available on Haskell’s intranet for make-ups.
A division leader—working alongside the Group Operations vice president—revised the organizational PMD program to specifically fit CPG Group. The L&D manager reviewed the program’s content and provided the technological and tracking resources for optimal delivery. The L&D manager serves as a presentation coach for less-seasoned facilitators and has increased the confidence and capabilities of newer SMEs. The feedback has been outstanding as learners have connected with facilitators’ personal testimonies and visual imagery, which increases the credibility and effectiveness of this training. With 46 internal SMEs facilitating the program, it seamlessly migrates into mentoring and on-the-job training, providing increased knowledge on both sides—including the professional growth of the SME.
Results
The outcomes support successful project delivery, sales, profitability, safety, and operational investment necessary for sustained growth. In 2016, cumulative sales for the Group exceeded budget by 14 percent. On-site project man hours increased by 12 percent while safety performance from the prior year (1.43) improved to an overall incidence rate of 1.27, contributing to historic lows at the enterprise level. Quality scores also reached a historic high and scores spiked to 9.3 (out of 10) by mid-year.
As Haskell continues to deliver projects to Fortune 500 clients, team members are establishing clear market leadership in delivering food safety and sanitary design—and engaged in learning all the best practices and latest technologies in the process. Haskell continues to see repeat business exceeding 85 percent in markets that are served by the CPG Group.
