Growing through project management

No matter their job title, department, or tenure, every Truity Credit Union employee can be involved in a project management team. That participation has delivered results, according to Senior Vice President of People Development Andria McCollough, who says the $1 billion asset credit union in Bartlesville, Okla., has seen a 63% better retention rate for staff who have been involved in project teams compared to those who have not.

“That tells us a great success story of involving people in that process,” McCollough says, noting the credit union has run 106 teams, typically made up of 8 to 10 employees, with 254 employees since launching project management in 2008. “They’ve been more engaged in the credit union overall, and they’ve built skills they may not have built had they not worked on project teams. Many want to stay with us as a result.”

McCollough and BCU Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Lisa Baron shared the benefits of project management at America’s Credit Unions’ 2024 HR & Organizational Development Council Conference Monday in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

Both organizations found that project management teams improve cross-departmental appreciation. Furthermore, involving more people in conversations and processes creates what McCollough calls a decision-making shift.

“It’s not just executives who can make decisions. It’s also employees around the organization, so it was great for us to identify those decision-makers and their thought processes,” McCollough says. “And someone who is involved with making the decision is going to have the most buy-in. We have this amazing amount of buy-in that we didn’t have before.”

“One of the ways we really grew is from having to make decisions,” Baron adds, noting the $5.9 billion asset credit union in Vernon Hills, Ill., was thrust into project management when they lost their healthcare provider this year, requiring them to build systems, benefits, payroll, and more. “We wanted to take in different voices and look at it through a broader perspective. Who raised their hand? Who had ideas? Who saw things differently?”

Asking people to engage in new ways builds skills throughout the organization. Truity and BCU saw individuals participating in project management teams build the following skills:

• Research and implementation. Participants research what vendors can provide, what other credit unions are using, and why.
• Public speaking. At the end of every Truity project, participants present to the management team and executives. 
• Leadership. “We look around the organization at who we think are our up-and-coming leaders, and we assign them to lead a project team,” McCullough says. “It’s amazing how many of them have shown amazing leadership skills that our executives never would have seen. On the other hand, we’re able to see skill gaps and areas where they need work.”
• Time management and organization. Participants log tasks and keep projects structured. “They know what they have room for, and what has to come off their plate,” Baron says.
• Dealing with ambiguity. “They gain confidence and know that they have a process to work through and come up with decision,” Baron says.

The beneficiaries of project teams aren’t just the participants. The credit union also improves processes, increases efficiency, and enhances culture. Truity and BCU’s key takeaways of project management teams include:

• Generate excitement. Successful project management teams require getting employees excited and on board. “Create a culture where it’s encouraging to participate,” McCullough says, noting Truity allows people to volunteer for project management. “Encourage team leads to make it fun.”
• People versus tasks. “We have really committed to this being as much about developing people as it is about getting the work done,” McCullough says.
• Communication can’t be overdone. Employee engagement improves, cross-departmental appreciation increase, and the credit union culture is enhanced.
• Celebrate. Recognize and reward project management teams along the way.
• Getting started is the hardest part. “You may be thinking, ‘There’s no way we can apply this,’” McCullough says. “Just try with one team and see.”
• Embed in culture. "It’s something we talk about from day one at new hire orientation,” McCollough says.
• Consider your stakeholders. “Our stakeholders are our employees,” Baron says. “We wanted to get their feedback early on, so surveyed them about what they wanted.”
• Communicate early and often. BCU created a weekly bulletin to provide the entire staff with the information they needed to know that week, and also action items on what they needed to do next.
• Build resumes. Project management participation provides decision-making and skill-building opportunities that build employee resumes.