We partnered with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a global nonprofit dedicated to advancing innovative energy solutions, at a time when they were undergoing rapid expansion, nearly doubling their workforce to about 300 employees. Although known for deep expertise in climate and energy science, RMI needed additional support to address new operational complexities and evolving demands of their business. Their subject-matter experts were suddenly tasked with managing sophisticated, grant-funded initiatives, often without formal project management training.

Challenge

Like professionals in many mission‑driven organizations, a number of RMI’s scientific, engineering, and climate‑focused specialists found themselves serving as “accidental project managers.” In this role, RMI’s professionals faced numerous hurdles:

• Project Delays & Contract Extensions: Resource constraints caused projects to run over schedule, requiring contract extensions and administrative rework.
  

• Disconnect Between PMO & SME Areas: RMI’s Project Management Office (PMO) had rolled out processes and standards, but these weren’t always embraced by technical teams focused on delivering on climate and energy research.
  

• Rapid Growth & Changing Requirements: As RMI expanded internationally, they struggled to establish consistent project oversight across teams, time zones, and new acquisitions.
  

• Workday Implementation & Other Software Tools: New internal systems—particularly Workday—caused confusion and frustration, making it more difficult for teams to manage budgets and organize project data efficiently.
  

Solution: Project Management Excellence Training

In response, we developed Project Management Excellence, a highly tailored training and support program designed to elevate RMI’s organizational capacity. We structured the solution around multiple practice areas and incorporated flexible “composable” modules that allowed us to adapt swiftly to RMI’s shifting requirements.

Key Components of Project Management Excellence

1. Experienced Training Facilitators
   Our team consisted of certified project management professionals with a combined decade and a half of instructional design experience. This balance of practical know-how and adult learning expertise ensured each session was engaging, relevant, and outcome-driven.
   

2. Interactive Learning
   We emphasized real-world practice by blending workshops, case studies, and group discussions. Participants used current projects to apply tools and techniques in real time, reinforcing the importance of planning, scheduling, and resource allocation under authentic conditions.
   

3. Composable Training Modules
   We divided the content into highly flexible modules so that RMI could schedule and deliver sessions in a format that best suited managers’ busy schedules. This provided elasticity when RMI needed to adjust the content due to regional variance and managers' time constraints.
   

4. Comprehensive Materials
   We supplied detailed course handouts, project management templates, risk assessment worksheets, and interactive exercises to ensure that participants had ready-to-use resources for their day-to-day work.
   

5. Customized Content
   The core curriculum—Project Management Excellence—was specifically tailored to RMI’s context, addressing everything from multiple grants and global teams to frustration with new software systems. We integrated each element of RMI’s environment into the training, so participants could see immediate applications.

Training Focus Areas

Our training sessions for 150 managers—equivalent to approximately 40% of the organization—included an average of 18–20 participants per class.

The following modules formed the backbone of Project Management Excellence:

• Project Planning & Scope Management

• Stakeholder Management & Project Communications

• Schedule & Resource Planning

• Risk Management

• Budgeting & Financial Oversight

• Project Execution, Monitoring & Control, & Reporting

• Change Management

• Managing Team Performance

• Quality Management

• Closing Out a Project
  

Results

We rolled out these modules over several months in multiple cohorts. By the end of the engagement, RMI had:

• Greater Alignment & Reduced Delays
  Teams reported fewer schedule overruns and contract extensions. Through resource planning techniques, managers more accurately forecasted staff availability and better coordinated efforts.
  

• Stronger PMO & SME Collaboration
  The PMO gained broader acceptance for its standards, and researchers began to view project management tools as an asset rather than an administrative burden.
  

• Increased Responsiveness to Changing Needs
  With our composable training modules, managers had room to pivot quickly and apply lessons to live projects in real time—a vital capability given RMI’s rapid growth and multi-continent operations.
  

• Enhanced Project Management Culture
  Most importantly, those once “accidental project managers” evolved into adept leaders who confidently planned scopes, managed stakeholder relationships, and executed projects—enabling RMI to maintain momentum on critical climate initiatives.
  

Through Project Management Excellence, we helped RMI managers gain a better understanding of project management best practices. By equipping managers with the tools and mindset to keep projects on track, we ensured RMI could continue driving transformative change in the fight against climate change—now with a stronger, more cohesive project management backbone.