THE CHALLENGE Create Cisco’s European Sales Support Centre in Lisbon in about 12 weeks, recruiting a 53 talented multi-linguistic team, managing all third-parties involved, creating innovating methodologies and tools that foster communication strategy and engage newcomers.
Project Management project at CISCO
BUSINESS CASE THE CHALLENGE In 2007, Cisco understood the sales growing opportunity of creating a centralized European Sales Servicing. Cisco needed to rapidly create the “Hercules Centre” in about 3 months. Jason Associates was invited to present a solution to the following challenge: recruit 53 talented multi-linguistic team (5 different languages of 3 different hierarchies), being a social inclusion example to Cisco Group and Portuguese corporate community, attend internal and external communication goals and accomplish the project in less than 12 weeks. The complexity of the project demanded different providers (difficulty in managing different methodologies, timings, contacts, calendars, fees, reporting systems, etc) and it represented a true liability to the project’s success. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create the Internet solutions that make networks possible-providing easy access to information anywhere, at any time. Cisco was founded in 1984 by a small group of computer scientists from Stanford University. Since the company's inception, Cisco engineers have been leaders in the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networking technologies. Today, Cisco has more than 67,647employees. www.cisco.com and Country Manager
Project Management project at CISCO
OUR APPROACH Jason Associates guaranteed, trough a project management approach a high-value service in managing all third-parties involved in the recruitment process and in project communication. Acting as Project Manager, we designed a single methodology to all recruitment partners involved (guarantying less quality variance), implemented a reporting system that could be access on-line 24/7, design internal and external communication strategies that not only internal visibility and accurate information but also increase the project impact in the local market. Our creative approach has definitely impacted Cisco management team, engaging newcomers within the company from the first day. THE RESULTS Cisco as able to launch “Hercules Centre” after 12 weeks with all 53 new employees. After first year we’ve studied the project impact: Zero Rotation in the recruited team, 2 handicap persons were hired and a disability policy was designed, 15% of the recruited professionals were promoted to management positions and Cisco Group choose Portugal for the implementation of a new international centre in the beginning of next year.