DPR Rolls Out Award-Winning Program Focusing on the Business of Construction

Fifty-five trainers across the country. Twelve courses. One world-class training program.

DPR’s Global Learning Group (GLG) created some internal, and external, raving fans with the launch of its company-wide training program that was developed based on direct feedback from employees and customers. “DPR conducts Customer Satisfaction Surveys on every job to measure our performance and identify opportunities for improvement and also conducts an annual employee survey that everyone is required to participate in,” said Stephanie Dutton, ever forward champion in DPR’s Sacramento office and one of the lead organizers of the GLG effort. “We took a close look at what our customers and employees said and created courses that specifically addressed their most critical business and construction needs—from discussing the key differences between GMP and lump sum buyout strategies to analyzing different approaches for subcontractor buy-in to accelerate the schedule.”

Supplementing regional training programs, DPR’s global training program is available to every employee and consists of the following courses:

• Schedule Tracking and Recovery
• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Mechanical Systems
• Procurement Tracking
• How to Buy Right
• What is Leadership Anyway?
• Billing and Cash Management
• Change Management Fundamentals
• Subcontracts
• Contact to Raving Fan
• Managing Self-Performed Work
• Risk Identification and Management (101 and 102)

Faced with the choice of internal or external trainers, the GLG determined that having individuals within DPR teaching the courses would be most effective. Therefore, the group identified a total of 55 individuals, considered among the best and the brightest at DPR, to teach particular subjects. Each person participated in an intensive three-day “Train the Trainer” course to hone their teaching skills.

“The result is increased consistency in the quality of service delivery that our customers receive across the country,” said Doug Adler, ever forward champion in San Francisco, who also leads the program. “Our goal is to provide the same DPR experience to every customer and, at the same time, ensure that everyone at DPR has the tools, experience and knowledge needed to continuously improve the process and work as efficiently as possible.”