Our Work

The client was transforming the roles and responsibilities of its Budget and Control (B&C) organization. To prepare global B&C associates for the change, they wanted to develop a 'training academy' that:

• Aligned with core accounting competencies from AICPA's Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) program.
• Provided a personal learning experience that tied CGMA online learning topics with real-life work.
• Was cohort-based, to create a learning community and strengthen organizational relationships and networks.

The design of the B&C learning academy would serve as a future template to build out a broader learning academy for the entire global Finance organization.

Contracted via The CARA Group, Heather Jencks (of Strategic Ascent, Inc., now Clever Tern):

• Researched and partnered with the client to identify the most critical and relevant CGMA core competencies and desired capabilities for the B&C organization.
• Designed and developed a holistic learning strategy that:
  • Defined a recommended order for the cohort to complete CGMA online learning content.
  • Incorporated self-paced and recommended online learning content, on-the-job application activities, social/cohort learning meetings, and onsite cohort learning events.

After presenting the overarching learning strategy, Heather was asked to continue with the project to fully develop and facilitate the pilot of all program components, including:

• Program kickoff communications and meeting materials.
• Participant workbooks, and learning journals.
• Virtual cohort meeting materials (facilitator guide and PowerPoint presentation).
• Three 3-day onsite intensive learning workshops (facilitator guides, participant workbooks, and PPT presentation).

The program was piloted with 10 associates and leaders from across the globe and received highly positive reviews and results-based qualitative feedback from participants' leaders and client partners.

When the project came to a close, the leadership for this project shifted. The client's intent was to use this program as a template to further build out the academy.

A government entity enacted legislative changes to simplify the state's driver code. The bill included over 500 changes to how vehicles and drivers are classified and what fees are paid to the state - changes that would result in wide-spread alterations to existing processes, procedures, and technology.

To effectively prepare the Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) leaders and employees for 'Go Live,' which was rapidly approaching, the client needed outside support to define a change management communications and education strategy.

Contracted via BCforward, Heather Jencks (of Strategic Ascent, Inc., now Clever Tern):

• Conducted an in-depth needs assessment, including:
  • A review of all changes to determine their actual impact on how leaders and employees do their work.
  • Interviews with critical subject matter experts to understand what was changing, why, when, and what, if anything, people needed to do differently.
  • Detailed impact assessment to define the degree of impact on customers, associates and technology.
• Defined the overarching change management strategy and detailed communications and education plans.
• Designed and developed:
  • Theme for all change communications and education.
  • Templates for change communications and education.
  • Change management planning checklists.
  • Key messages and FAQ documents.
  • All communications for the first release/wave of communication and education.
• Conducted a knowledge transfer meeting to educate the BMV OD team on how to continue implementation of the change strategy.

Due to the client's need for a short turn-around, the entire assessment, change strategy, validation of recommendations with subject matter experts, and implementation of the first wave of communications were completed in two months, ten days.

Post-implementation feedback reported that the change strategy was viewed as one of the BMV's most successful change initiatives among leaders and associates alike; receiving high praise for its completeness and ability to prepare the organization for this critical change in the BMV's history.

The client was transforming the operating model for its international sales organization. Their objective was to drive growth, re-invent their 'go-to-market' sales approach, and ensure that they were operationally optimized to position the right people in the right place at the right time.

They needed organization change management support to define the communications and education strategy for this global initiative.

Heather Jencks (of Strategic Ascent, Inc., now Clever Tern):

• Conducted a change impact and stakeholder assessment, by country and employee group.
• Designed and developed the change communications and education strategies.
• Created a change management charter document that outlined:
  • The business case for change.
  • Recommended members, activities, and roles/responsibilities of the Change Management Team (CMT).
  • Recommended change management governance plan.
  • The communication and education strategies, including their essential components.
  • Key risks, benefits, and messages, including concerns and key messages per stakeholder group.
• Wrote/developed:
  • A detailed project plan for the development and implementation of change communications and education.
  • A key messages document to support the development of change communications and to support leaders on the job.
  • Introductory communications.

The client implemented and further developed change management communication and education based upon the plan laid out by Heather.

The client was outsourcing and automating several HR business processes to reduce costs and enable faster self-service for managers and employees. The shift resulted in significant job and behavioral change impacts to the internal HR organization and to employees, enterprise-wide.

This outsourcing initiative involved several distinct workstreams - one for each business process that was changing. The client needed support to define an organizational change strategy that would effectively manage this sensitive and complex initiative.

Heather Jencks (of Strategic Ascent, Inc., now Clever Tern):

• Conducted a stakeholder impact assessment for every business process workstream.
• Assessed and leveraged available communication and education outlets within the organization.
• Designed the overarching and workstream-specific communication strategies and supporting communication plans to manage the transition.
• Developed critical communications including:
  • Key message documents.
  • Promotional communication to raise awareness and understanding.
  • Detailed enterprise and HR-leader handbooks to support leaders and employees in the implementation of change.
  • FAQ and newsletter documents.

The management of the change was a success. The client and its customers were well prepared for the change and confidently managed the transition to HR business process outsourcing among both HR teams and enterprise-wide leaders and employees.