The semester and the projects are halfway through – the teams have been busy researching and developing a midpoint presentation to their client contacts! Based on classroom discussion and talking with the teams, the students have had incredible and unique learning moments in a wide number of areas, including project management and scoping, working as a team, and researching a problem. The teams are certainly gaining perspectives on real-life business scenarios and learning to dig deeper in ways that can be impactful for their client organization. The students received valuable feedback on their midpoint presentations, and we are confident that these projects will be a success!
Many teams have faced challenges with their project scope. As anyone who has consulting experience can affirm, developing a thorough understanding of the central question/issue with a client is rarely easy – among other things, there are resources, constraints, and human perspectives that are essential to consider in order to provide impactful recommendations. Students have a limited time to develop that understanding, so we have been encouraging thoughtful engagement with their client contacts. One team visited a distribution center of their client organization – they gained valuable perspective around the constraints, and developed a new research approach! We are very lucky to have engaged clients with our corporate partners, who not only enrich the student learning experience but support the students in making their projects successful.
For the remainder of the semester, students will research the issue further and develop skills and perspectives to support an impactful deliverable. One team is taking an online programming course to dig deeper! Our newest challenge will be adjusting to a virtual classroom discussion, adopting the precautionary measures taken by the University concerning COVID-19. We will continue to support the student process and push them to learn more, work together, and deliver a valuable recommendation to their clients. We’re excited to see what these teams will bring to their final presentation!