Goizueta IMPACT: From Classroom to Client
I first learned about Goizueta IMPACT at Welcome Weekend as a prospective student. Sometime during that whirlwind, the faculty explained the IMPACT program – as part of the core curriculum we would learn problem solving and presentation skills in the Fall and apply them in the Spring with a client team. As a consultant before business school, I was familiar with project-based client work, and liked the idea of bringing it into the classroom. But between the packed schedule and meeting my future classmates, curriculum details took a backseat. I didn’t think much about IMPACT again until school started.
It didn’t take long once my first semester was underway to realize that IMPACT (formerly Management Practice) was a lot more than a core class. It started during orientation when we learned how to structure teams and create the right dynamics to bring out the best in each other. In class, we dove into structured problem solving – how to summarize a problem accurately and succinctly, identify key decision-makers, clarify what we would need from them to succeed, and break down the issues into manageable chunks. After learning how to “plan the work,” we learned how to “work the plan:” how to allocate and monitor efforts to keep the team moving forward. Finally, we learned how to communicate our solutions persuasively to senior stakeholders, ensuring our recommendations would lead to action.
After a semester in the classroom learning fundamentals, it was awesome to finally meet our client and begin to apply our new skills! I quickly got to know my new team, and we worked with our coaches to wrap our minds around the new project. My team is working with a biotechnology firm called Metaclipse Therapeutics. Metaclipse is developing a personalized cancer immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer. The work is currently in the pre-clinical stage, but soon they will be pricing, manufacturing, and distributing the cancer therapy.
That’s where we come in!
As we transition from the classroom to the client, our team will get to solve problems in a high-stakes environment with support and guidance from professors, coaches, and advisors. I feel very lucky to be in this position! Stay tuned for my next installment on how we are progressing with our client engagement.