Organization: City of Roseville (http://www.roseville.ca.us/ )

Challenge: According to Michele Voelkert, Human Resources Technician, her department received several requests for project management training. After researching training methods and providers, the city selected Sierra College Training & Development. The human resources staff felt that employees needed more than a one day class and wanted customized training.

Solution: Sierra College developed a five week program that included four sessions of practical project management and one week of training in MS Project.

The college recommended a very practical approach for the training with the goal of teaching employees how to build a team, develop a plan, organize the project and execute it.

Participants learned the steps they needed to follow in order to have a successful project. They also developed skills in team building. This helped the project managers include others, gain information, secure buy-in and encourage team contributions. The instructor taught employees methods for breaking down tasks and using tools to simplify scheduling, communication and information presentation.

Competitiveness: "Our employees loved the course. It was attended by representatives from IT, fire, utilities, library, finance and other departments. Staff suggested that we offer it again so more employees who are involved in projects can take it," said Voelkert. "Now several departments are using the same project management methodology. This should save time, especially with multi-disciplinary teams."

Customization: "Sierra College Training & Development was very responsive to our training request. The program came together seamlessly. It was very easy to work with the college and I would recommend the training to other organizations."