Newcastle-based Gradvert works with businesses across the UK to improve business performance by improving people. Here managing director Michaela Reaney talks through their partnership with PAB Coventry.
Family-run business PAB has a long history of working with the automotive, aerospace, rail and defence industries. Taking projects from inception to completion, PAB uses its years of expertise and knowledge to offer a range of quality services in laser cutting and metal forming projects.
Working with top brands such as Aston Martin and JLR, PAB prides itself on advising and supporting customers through the whole process, never compromising on quality and delivering against cost, quality and budget.
The People Challenge
After a successful period of growth, PAB were looking to diversify and take their expertise into new areas. Gradvert started working with PAB in December 2016 to support them with their ambition to develop their talent and skills across the business in order to achieve their growth plans.
Gradvert helped to create this change and develop a culture of continued development, working at all levels to create the change needed.
In particular, a management programme was needed to address project planning, with the goal of improving the percentage of projects that were delivered on time. PAB also wanted to develop the business and people management skills of its newly-appointed team leaders and hone the skills of senior management. The Solution Gradvert provided a solution to develop talent across the organisation at team leader, management and senior management levels.
Gradvert designed and delivered a five day Management Development Programme that had two main areas of focus:
1. To develop the capability of PAB’s managers and allow them to become stronger at people management.
2. The second was more commercially targeted and focused specifically on Project Management.
Gradvert was able to breakdown and redesign the project management process, focussing on time, quality and cost, and implement a set of best practice guidelines to reduce delays.
Additionally, the programme provided the opportunity to deliver the mandatory skills needed to motivate and engage teams. We then progressed to delivering a 3.5 day development programme for newly appointed team leaders within the organisation.
This helped them to understand their role and how to balance their time between leading and delivering on projects. Team leaders also developed the ability to motivate, communicate and manage conflict, and deliver projects on time and to a high standard. Finally, we moved on to design and deliver a five day programme for PAB’s senior management team.
The senior managers were given training to help them to lead and manage at a more strategic level. As well as making them more commercially aware, the programme allowed them to greater understand and contribute to the business planning process and ensure they have the ability to capacity plan and interpret profit and loss.
The Impact
The redesigned project management system vastly improved the percentage of projects completed to deadline. PAB now operate to best practice guidelines for project planning, which has halved the number of projects that are delayed.
The team leaders who took part in the programme to improve their people management skills have an increased level of confidence. Recently they were able to use their knowledge of the business on the shop floor, combined with their new business skills, to recommend to senior management changes which have been implemented to improve safety and ensure projects are delivered on time.
PAB is now in a stronger position than ever and is planning to expand further into other sectors, including transport, rail and defence, as part of a continual growth process.
