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When it comes to customer service, serving our internal customers is just as important as serving the external ones, and there are critical support groups within P1 without whom our associates couldn鈥檛 serve their external customers.

One of those critical groups is our P1 Project Coordinators (PCs). A PC supports multiple project managers - and possibly other associates - within the organization. PCs may also carry titles other than 鈥減roject coordinator鈥� but perform many of the same functions.

As Topeka Project Coordinator Rebecca Venable points out, that requires some special skills.

鈥淭he greatest challenge is learning each project manager鈥檚 personality and preferences,鈥� Rebecca said.

Despite the challenges, St. Joseph Office Manager Misty McConnell explains how critical PC support is to the success of the company.

鈥淏eing a Project Coordinator can be a difficult yet rewarding job, and it takes the right kind of person to do it and handle all challenges within your team and position,鈥� Misty said.

鈥淥ur PMs work long days and sometimes weekends to make sure a project stays on track and they meet their deadlines. The PC is their 'go-to'. We help them manage deadlines, workflows, meetings, anything they need to ensure a job or bid goes smoothly.鈥�

Senior Lenexa Project Coordinator Laura Adkins adds that communication is critical. 鈥淐ommunication is very important for a successful project management team,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes we feel part of the team and other times we feel left out until there鈥檚 an emergency.鈥�

With a job like that, it鈥檚 important for our PCs to understand the company and its capabilities, and connect with and learn from each other.

鈥淚t鈥檚 good to mix the seasoned PCs with the new PCs,鈥� Wichita Project Coordinator Paula Ewy said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helpful to hear what issues others have encountered, and what steps were taken to remedy them.鈥�

That鈥檚 why P1 has offered a 鈥淧C Bootcamp鈥� for more than a decade.

鈥淲e set out to achieve three objectives,鈥� Director of Organizational and Talent Development Sarah Garcia explained.

Who Is P1?

鈥淧1 is an amazing organization. Most PCs are just familiar with the group(s) they support and don鈥檛 realize all that P1 offers our customers," Sarah said.

What Does P1 Do?

鈥淲e teach PCs more about our industry and the specific work we perform, including MEP systems and their importance in a building," Sarah said.

Creating a Connection

鈥淲e also wanted to do some team-building to strengthen the PCs鈥� relationships with one another," Sarah said.

Sarah notes that each PC had to create an 鈥淎ll About Me鈥� power point to present to the group, allowing all participants to walk away knowing each other a little bit better.

Training Specialist Tennille Tegeler works with Sarah to facilitate the training.

鈥淭his training really focuses on the whole picture instead of just the PC piece. The thought is that if they understand everything involved in the project process from cradle to grave, they may be able to help with other tasks, understand why we have certain processes/procedures, and get a feel for how important their role is,鈥� Tennille said.

The PCs seem to agree that getting together to trade information, best practices, and work through challenges is probably the most valuable part of Bootcamp, both from a professional and personal standpoint.

Las Vegas Project Coordinator Cristine Douglas said she came away with more understanding of the 鈥渨hy鈥� behind P1 practices and processes.

鈥淭he whole Bootcamp was beneficial,鈥� Cristine said. 鈥淚 enjoyed meeting people from different departments, putting faces to names, and understanding why we do things the way we do. It was great to see how other locations do things.鈥�

鈥淪pending time with the other PCs and making sure we鈥檙e all on the same page with policies and procedures helps with issues that may arise,鈥� Lenexa Project Coordinator Vicki Jesse said.

鈥淕etting us all together sparked reminders on little details that we may or may not have overlooked after years in the position,鈥� Rebecca said. 鈥淚t helped me learn more ways to keep things organized, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to gather knowledge from the other PC鈥檚.鈥�

鈥淏eing a PC from a remote office, I don鈥檛 get to see my counterparts, nor have I met everyone,鈥� Misty said.  鈥淚 love the fact I had the chance to bond with the other PCs and gain friendships. We appreciate P1鈥檚 willingness to put time and resources toward our professional and personal growth.鈥�

It was very informative, and fun,鈥� Paula said. 鈥淚 loved hearing the timeline and history about P1, along with explanations of everything we do. We do amazing things!鈥�

Lawrence Project Coordinator Diana Korbe says she appreciates P1鈥檚 investment in the training.

鈥淚 think the value of this training is investing in P1鈥檚 employees and letting us know that we bring value to the table,鈥� Diana said. 鈥淪arah and Tennille put a lot of work into this to help us learn our roles and ask questions that may not come up when we do one-on-one training.

鈥淗aving the PCs from all of the offices come together seems to really create camaraderie, and gives them the comfort level to lean on one another when they need help or have questions,鈥� Tennille added.

鈥淭his is my favorite part to witness.鈥�