I have worked on a few client based projects at SIPA, and this by far has been a really positive project in terms of client and team relation. It was really easy to schedule the kick-off call with the client. During the call they provided us with an overview of their work and identified some of the gaps where our research could supplement. They guided us in brainstorming a few potential research agendas after assessing our interests and gave us the ultimate decision to move forward with the one that best fit the team’s interest. I really believe that they gave us a large scope to frame our research based on our understanding of their work. This provided a very positive experience for our team as we were able to discuss elements that we were collectively interested in exploring from both professional and academic perspectives. We were able to bring in our expertise into developing the project while taking into account the gaps that were highlighted by the client. This opportunity to shape the research based on our interest really changed the experience of consulting as students as it provided a wide opportunity for us to explore our interests. It definitely has impacted the outlook on work we put as a team. The flexibility within the research has provided us with higher incentive to put in more work. Personally for me, I am excited to work on this project because I am getting the chance to explore something which I have always been interested in but never had the opportunity to. Oftentimes with consulting projects it is the need of the client that is taken into consideration, but the opportunity that our client has provided us with perfectly blends their needs and our interests.
In addition to the flexibility, the client has also been very responsive to our deadlines. After sending in our outline, we received feedback instantly and this also created a positive experience for our team. The feedback has been very helpful and again not aggressive on how the research should be shaped but rather on pushing us to think about methodology and highlighting some of the gaps we missed. The positive experience with the client has been really helpful and a great incentive to put more effort into the research. The instant response from the client has shown their interest in the project and makes me believe that the research could really add value to their work which for me is the most important aspect for a consulting project. Therefore, I would really like to highlight the importance of positive client and team relationships in creating an easy and incentivizing environment for us to work.