Page 34 - SPiCE Magazine 2019_draft

34 The SPiCE Magazine • September 2019
LOREM IPSUM
Hop, skip and a ramp
A Hindawi JEO rapid ramp-up story
By Dorie Unayan Machan
Ramps in SPi are never without excitement. There
is thrill in knowing that ramps could indicate a suc-
cessful pilot, good account performance, strong rela-
tionship with the client, or simply the natural thrill of
change itself. Either way, ramps are accompanied
by exciting challenges and growth in various scales.
Looking back
The journey of SPi Laguna’s Hindawi JEO team started
with the RFP in March 2018 for Editorial Processing
work. Formally awarded to SPi in May 2018, its pilot
run was set to kick off in November last year. We had
a six-moth lead time to plan, build and train a team
of 15 editorial assistants that is mostly composed of
transitioning Elsevier researcher support members.
By the end of the first quarter of 2019, the team has
scaled to full capacity. Delivery and quality became
stable after only a short period, along with the forma-
tion of the Hindawi Customer Service team, making
Hindawi a happy client.
The rapid ramp challenge
In April 2019, Hindawi increased the workload to three er, which was much needed for the scale of the ramp.
times the current volume, or additional 41 headcount.
This includes 13 additional FTEs in Editorial Process-
ing, 24 new headcount for Editorial Screening—a new
JEO work for Hindawi—and 4 additional FTEs for the
Customer Service ramp.
We had nine weeks to create and pre-train a new
team prior to the arrival of Hindawi trainers, who
conducted two-week training beginning June 10,
The SPiCE Magazine • September 2019 35
before the transition to live work. All-hands-on-deck
approach was instituted by key players including What A-team is made of
Talent Acquisition, Management, Hindawi JEO team,
and JEO SPi Excellence Launcher (SPiEL) training team. In recognizing the success of Hindawi JEO’s hop, skip and
a ramp, we cannot forget the following key leaders behind
To complete 4 weeks of batch training and immersion its success. You are truly deserving of recognition.
prior to the trainers’ visit, we targeted eight to 10 FTEs
The Laguna Facilities Management Group for their swift
per week and began recruitment on April 8. Normally,
action in providing adequate work stations and setting up
this timeframe for hiring Editorial Assistants would
a suitable and well-equipped training room
prove challenging, but it was fulfilled on schedule.
Joey Del Prado whose expert resource management
How it’s done
provided an excellent kick-start in placing headcount
The rapid ramp success wouldn’t be possible without
Vince Camigla and Jo-anne Loñoza of Talent Acquisition
the participation of different operations and support
for rising to the occasion
units. Apart from aggressive sourcing and high
recruitment turnout in Laguna, the deferred DPD Sher Magallanes, Dustin Reyes and Denise Ferrer of the
pilot brought about a favorable situation in kick JEO SPiEL team for their dedication and hard work not
starting recruitment for the Hindawi ramp. The bench only to the Laguna team but all JEO learners
FTE pool for DPD became the first batch to be trained,
Hindawi Editorial Processing Team Leaders Kharlo Catig
allowing enough lead time to fill in the succeeding
and Katherine Sinio for playing a brotherly and sisterly role
batch.
and handholding their teammates throughout the process
Operations supplemented the same-day assessment,
Luz Desquitado for going outside of her comfort zone and
enabling Talent Acquisition to source enough candi-
taking a permanent post in Laguna to lead the team
dates. Former Journal Account Management Team
Leader for Parañaque Rosemarie Mendoza - who is Ed Bautista – JEO’s muscle and backbone - for investing
now based in Laguna - became one of the DPD bench his time and effort to lay a strong foundation of knowl-
FTEs and was immediately considered as a Team Lead- edge, competency and standards that made the entire
JEO team better, if not great at what they do today
Currently, the ramp-up team is at 75 percent capacity
To the Parañaque and Laguna JEO
and on track to complete 100 percent of the transition
teams, may the force of excellence
volume by September. As we are a hop, a skip and a
jump away from a steady state, the team, in collabora- be with you! Keep getting better!
tion with Hindawi, is now working on establishing best
practices and performance standards, and in prepa-
ration for the advised 2020 expansion of services to
Editorial QA and Materials Check.