Fast-moving Public Financial Management (PFM) and enterprise software innovation requires continuous learning
Imagine the challenge: a distributed workforce with teams across the globe delivering customer government implementations, upgrades and ongoing support and maintenance in multiple time zones. Building public financial management skills is, therefore, an important FreeBalance objective – both in terms of ensuring that our own employees are at the top of the game, and in building the capacity of the civil service in the countries in which we operate. We believe that skills development and continuous learning is core to enabling governments to achieve improved governance for inclusive and sustainable growth.
The FreeBalance Academy
We developed an approach for customer and partner training, called The FreeBalance Academy. Consisting of online courses developed by FreeBalance and partners, augmented by customized content, this approach has enhanced our ability to build government capacity.
In addition, we have developed an internal FreeBalance Academy to certify our staff. There are three certification tracks that for:
- Sales: product and market knowledge, with an emphasis on government-centric insight to link national development strategies to our services and products
- Marketing, Business Development, and Innovation: extended product and market knowledge
- Professional Services and Customer Support: PFM, change management, and methodology
Our staff are also encouraged to take online courses in PFM, technology and project management.
Mentoring Approach
Training is but one method of skills development. Mentoring plays an important role in building capabilities, particularly with new local hires. Every new project begins with a group of international experts from FreeBalance. Our experts help to achieve a shared project consensus with government professionals. Requirements are clarified, schedules adjusted, and governance structures developed.
Our international experts focus on building capacity with local hires simultaneously with government staff. One of the mandatory deliverables of the A-i3+qM methodology is generic product training for government project teams. This provides the level of familiarity required to reduce unnecessary code customization, and has over the years delivered some unexpected benefits. This training is an ideal vehicle for mentoring because it answers the rationale behind adaptable GRP systems and how progressive activation can be enabled.
As limitations to onsite project assistance remain in many countries, we also provide open virtual rooms for remote staff working on country implementations. This approach has been effective at bringing in FreeBalance experts to solve problems, suggest changes, and share lessons from other countries.