For someone in mid-career taking classes as a full-time student can feel like a drastic deviation from the office routine. I thoroughly enjoyed each one of my classes in the first semester. Yet, despite rich learning, there was a mild sense of disconnect. I realized the need to be in touch with the application part to feel complete. In the second semester, I am happy to get an opportunity to be in Professor Flammer’s class. Under her guidance, working on an actual investment project and looking at them through the lens of a sustainability professional is a step in the right direction for my career aspirations.
Preparation is often underrated, yet one of the most crucial phases of the project. It has been a good start for the team, getting to know the teammates and their interests, passion, strengths, and expertise. From our side, it has been a good start, yet we are nowhere close to completing this phase, as we are awaiting a meeting with our client. Initial steps in the project are often crucial in setting the pace. It is quintessential to build a solid understanding as it is the basis of the problem-solving pyramid. In our case scheduling a meeting became a complex task, it also made us understand the scarcity of client availability, a crucial resource for project success. As a team, we are weighing different possible approaches, considering Plan A, Plan B, and even Plan C, knowing that our initial line of thoughts can change based on clients' inputs in our first meetings. It is required to eradicate assumptions to move in the right direction and our much-awaited meeting with the client is a critical step in our preparation phase. Kick-off meetings are often seen as a simple ritual however that plays a vital role. It is not just about setting the scope and expectations; it is also an opportunity to know the client's vision in detail, explicit and implicit.
Interacting with the client would be the next step for us to consolidate our understanding, remove assumptions, know their definition of success, and finalize the project scope. I am learning Sustainable Investment modeling in another class here I get reminded of the challenges in practical application. The project with our client seems to be gearing me in the right direction where I can apply the academic lessons and feel complete.