Clients

Success Stories

Total Quality Management using Competency Management

With stringent measurement requirements and deadlines, this technology manufacturer Director of Training was presented with a certification challenge by the President and very little time to accomplish it. But with the correct tools he found the challenge would not only be met, it would revolutionize how the organization trained and managed its workforce.

Background
This innovative company prides itself on being ahead of its competitors in technology, education, and social responsibility, among other categories. In being ahead of the curve, this client saw the potential in a more efficient and better managed workforce, particularly in its manufacturing plants where workforce efficiency is easier to measure and where quality increases are vital to company productivity.

Challenge
It was no surprise when the company’s President asked the training department to develop a program to meet a set of basic skill requirements, called Level I Certification. The training department had only one year to create a quality management initiative that increased product quality, decreased workforce inefficiencies, and show proof of it by statistical data. Over the year timeline the training department was required to show the steps taken, the measured improvement over time of its workforce, and an increase in product quality.

Solution
The Program Manager at the organization had heard a colleague discuss his success with a similar certification challenge and in the end was referred by his colleague to Hal Gerrish, Avilar’s Director of Competency Management. Hal Gerrish and his team worked closely with the trainers, and a small group of line supervisors to create assessments that would accurately measure the necessary knowledge for employees to meet Level I Certification. Hal’s team began developing a Windows-based extension to their licensed software while the internal manufacturing team finalized the tasks and skills to be assessed to address each area of certification. Supervisors assessed the proficiency of their employees. Data was aggregated to provide management with consolidated reports showing where training and coaching was needed most.

Results
Within months the managers and trainers were able to assess their employees and analyze those assessments, and within the year the trainers were able to use the efficiencies of competency management to train specifically and efficiently to the needs of the manufacturing employees. In addition to a successful TQM initiative, other sites initiated projects to address quality objectives and became efficient and systematic in training methods. The Director of Training admitted that without the tools to support this vision, the project would not have met its stringent time requirements.

Click here to learn more about WebMentor Skills.