BREMERTON, Wash. –
Employees with Code 350, Inactive Fleet, Submarine Recycling and Reactor Compartment Disposal (IRR) program, held their first Integrated Project Team Development Step III knowledge share fair at the Kitsap Conference Center in downtown Bremerton, Jan 13.
The team-focused IPTD Step III training focused on aligning team members with established, objectives, expectations and strategies. The event also allowed employees to share their ideas about safety, paths forward and innovative ideas.
“I thought this was the best way to get this information down the deckplates,” said Paul Michaud, Code 350 project superintendent. “This event shows our appreciation to our workers and their safety and demonstrates we care about their education.”
The all-day event allowed the submarine recycling team to take time away from their normal work stations and learn about their jobs, training opportunities and services offered at PSNS & IMF at one of 30 information booths at the event. Representatives from Command University, Employee Resource Groups and mental health were also available to share information.
“This is a great chance to get familiar with our new employees and show we care about them,” said Lorenzo Perez, zone manager. “It shows we aren’t just there to direct work and tell them what to do. It’s an opportunity to talk with them in a casual setting and talk about their schedules, goals, ideas — all the stuff that could be put off until later when we are working.”
While the benefit of the event for new employees was obvious, Danielle DeSouza, Project Engineering planning manager, stressed its importance to everyone.
“This is an important event for everyone, from the customer, program manager and project superintendents, to the WG1 on the deck plates,” DeSouza said. “We saw a need with a lot of incidents happening around the Navy and decided this was the best way to touch base with our people to ensure everyone was working together.”
To encourage participation, Code 350 had drawings to give team members time off awards and had a booth that allowed them a chance vote for the code’s new logo.
“I think it’s a really good event,” said Perez. “For our older workers it’s a chance for them to share what they know and reconnect with each other. For our newer workers it’s a chance to ask questions and gain some knowledge they may not be comfortable asking about when work needs to get done.”
Initiated in 2000, the IPTD is an ongoing NAVSEA 04 initiative to train and develop personnel from the naval maintenance community in project management applications and performance improvement. Project management methods and processes are presented and explored, as well as shipyard-specific business practices in each of the five practice areas determined to be critical to the success. The practices areas are leadership, management, technical skill, perspective and team building.