Battelle invests in developing highly qualified project managers.
Columbus, OH - Managing projects and programs is the backbone of Battelle’s multi-billion dollar contract research business.
Recognizing that excellence in the planning and execution of project management is a key to its sustainability and growth, Battelle embarked on several initiatives to standardize and improve project management performance. One of those initiatives was to grow a more professional project management staff.
Battelle’s management team has actively supported efforts by Battelle staff members to become professionally certified project managers through associations such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International (AACEI). The support—or investment—includes holding annual meetings to discuss the certification process, paying for examination fees, purchasing training aids, and facilitating training sessions to prepare for the examinations.
Bill Altman, Vice President of the Program Management Office said, “These initiatives have increased the awareness of staff that projects and project management are the driving force behind Battelle’s future success.”
These efforts have paid off. More than 200 staff members have obtained their certifications as either Project Management Professionals (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), Earned Value Professional (EVP), and Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP); some staff members even have earned multiple certifications.
The initiative was based on a perception that the market place would require certifications as a way to assess a project manager’s ability to manage a client’s project. Recent requests for proposals have validated that perception when commercial and government clients have either required or preferred project managers to have certifications. With thousands of active projects at any one time managed by hundreds of staff, these highly trained project managers can make a big impact on the bottom line.
"International Institute for Learning (IIL) is pleased to have contributed to Battelle's project management improvement initiatives by providing a tool to teach the fundamentals of project management," said E. LaVerne Johnson, President and CEO of IIL. "During the past three years, we have licensed our self-paced online PM Basics course to hundreds of Battelle project managers, giving
them the flexibility to learn about project management and build their capacity how, when, and where they learn best."
Battelle’s Altman added, “When we started this initiative, there were fewer than 20 staff members with project management certifications. Growing to over 200 provides a small army of staff members to support our future proposal and project requirements as well as providing a marketplace discriminator for Battelle.”
As the world’s largest, independent research and development organization, Battelle provides innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $5.2 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and two international laboratories—a nuclear energy lab in the United Kingdom and a renewable energy lab in Malaysia. Battelle also is one of the nation’s leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science and math education.
Media contacts:
Katy Delaney: (614) 424-7208 or delaneyk@battelle.org
T.R. Massey: (614) 424-5544 or masseytr@battelle.org
