By Jolie Lee
Federal News Radio

The key to keep a project on track is to focus on measurement, said Bill Damare, Vice President of Government Markets for ESI International.

“The need for measurement has just gone off the charts,” Damare said in an interview with Francis Rose as part of the Industry Chatter series.

For nearly 30 years, organizations have partnered with ESI International to create and implement strategic learning initiatives to improve project management. Damare has more than 20 years of experience working in the government sector. During his tenure at ESI, he has worked with a wide range of agencies including the Departments of Commerce, Management and Budget, Treasury, the Navy and the Air Force.

In order to measure goals, the biggest challenge for agencies is determining what their hopeful outcomes are, Damare said.

“How would you measure success?” Damare said.

Agencies must ask themselves if they want an awareness, practitioner or expert level of outcome, and ESI tailors to those expectations, Damare said.

Follow-up assessment is also crucial. In addition to immediate assessment after a course, ESI also conducts assessments three to six months afterward, asking, “Was there an opportunity to apply the knowledge, and did you?” Damare said.

In developing training for an agency, Damare said he also recognizes that different departments have different goals. For example, an acquisition office and business office have “a totally different concept” of how to reach their goal. The acquisition officers must do market research to compare products or services, while the business office is concerned with getting the lowest price.

The challenge is “how to get the two to come to a consensus,” Damare said.

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