Looking at the Bigger Picture

Over the course of this semester, I really learned how to apply the knowledge I have gained from a variety of classes into one project that definitely changed my perspective on problem-solving techniques. In terms of working with others in my group, I never realized the value of connecting with your teammates to create a bond between ourselves. As a group, we were able to overcome all the awkwardness and shy tendencies within the first week. As the team leader, I tried to emphasize the ability to feel comfortable with each other, as every meeting we had initially would be in person, in a more comfortable environment, like my apartment. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we were required to complete the second half of the project from home and utilize online services like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to communicate as a team as well as with our client, professor, and mentors. Taking control in these situations is very important because it is very easy to lose track of time, reduce the amount of focus and attention we have towards the project, as well as miscommunicate topics. This was the first time in my life I had to manage a client and attend weekly meetings specifically for one project, and it was overall a very enriching experience. Our client was very well informed on the subject manner, and always provided us with very polished documents and analyses to help assist us along the way. I very much enjoyed increasing my knowledge in the field of Robotic Process Automation, and I hope to encounter such processes in my Information Systems future. I really learned a lot as a leader in this situation, because this project was very time consuming during a difficult time for everyone. COVID-19 really overtook every single person’s life, completely altering their daily schedule and putting everyone in panic mode, not knowing when life will “go back to normal”. I think our group’s resiliency towards these unfortunate situations really showcased our ability to operate as a team successfully and produce a final deliverable our client was very satisfied with. I have learned a lot of valuable lessons that apply directly to my career, in terms of understanding your audience when presenting, being able to research for a large multinational firm while providing meaningful results, as well as an increase in exposure to the technology field. Already at this point, I had an interview for an internship this summer, where they asked if I had any experience with the RPA field, as they were planning on starting a research group within their field to explore options to take advantage of. I very proudly explained my role in this project, and it made me realize the direct importance and relevance this class has towards my career. This was a very enlightening experience, and I hope to take a class like this in the future again! As a rising senior, this experience will definitely help me get ready for the business world, as I have more first-hand experience as to how a company operates and what tends to be successful in a group team setting. I have learned a lot from this experience, and I cannot wait to apply it further in my career.