Congratulations to KCAD Consulting! Kristal, Cerryn, Alex and Danny were the recipients of the Management Consulting Team Prize for Semester 2, 2017. The Faculty of Business and Economics awards a team prize to the highest achieving Management Consulting team at the end of each semester.
We underwent an experience well beyond the confines of a classroom environment and can now make an informed decision as to where we want our careers to take us. - Cerryn
The project
AFL is Australia’s most popular spectator sport. While around 40% of the population are fans of the game, the AFL’s vision is to be “Unassailably the #1 sports and entertainment offering in Australia”. Our team’s goal was to help the AFL attain a greater understanding of the entertainment market they currently compete in and explore what can be learnt from alternative entertainment offerings, in order to grow their fan base.
The process
As part of an evidence-based consulting approach, we conducted research using both primary and secondary sources. We used secondary research to understand the state of the entertainment market, while primary research came from in-depth interviews and online surveys, which allowed us to gain a better understanding of consumers’ entertainment preferences. Being given access to resources such as industry reports as well as internal AFL insights enabled us to provide realistic, evidence-based recommendations.
We needed to be proactive from day one; Management Consulting students determine how much they learn and the teaching team provided key tools. At first, we found it challenging to decide how to approach the project. However, we knew the importance of creating a strong foundation. We put heavy emphasis on determining a clear project scope and developing an exhaustive plan as to how we would collect data. Outlining our project aims at the beginning was critical because it helped us to map out a project path and provided guidance on the depth of research we were expected to conduct. Being able to design and complete these fundamental tasks used in real world consulting practices, gave us the independence to take control of our project investigations.
The presentation
The Management Consulting subject requires students to give a presentation to their class and workshop coach based on an assigned project. A secondary presentation to the client may also be necessary if agreed upon, as was the case with us.
As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect” and that is something we found extremely helpful. The goal of delivering a high-quality presentation became much more achievable as we progressed in our 12 weeks with AFL. Learning in a professional environment allowed us to adapt to AFL’s company culture and expectations. This meant we were confident in the content we were presenting. We became familiar with every aspect of the project issue and displayed unity and confidence when answering questions.
Delivering a professional presentation can be difficult but the Management Consulting teaching team helped make it easier. -Daniel
Feedback from fellow classmates and workshop coach Luckshie Haran, helped us learn from our initial university presentation. This enabled us to then tailor our client presentation to meet AFL’s expectations. What seemed like a terrifying task at first, turned out to be a fantastic learning experience. We felt incredibly satisfied when our client expressed how thorough and insightful our research and recommendations were. Our findings will be used to support further research by the AFL.
We are proud of what we have achieved over the course of the semester, both as individuals and as a team. We underwent an experience well beyond the confines of a classroom environment and can now make an informed decision as to where we want our careers to take us.
How we succeeded
Timely and effective communication with our client was one of the key contributors to our success. We have learnt the importance of limiting a project within a realistic scope, while ensuring the project outcome is relevant and achieves the agreed purpose. The scope helped us focus on specific issues that were important to our client and served as main discussion points during progress meetings. Seeking feedback throughout the project also helped us clarify key issues and overcome gaps in our knowledge.
The opportunity to work in a practical and cohesive team environment was a major contributor to our success and we are pleased with our project outcomes. On average, we spent about 12 hours per week together outside class and at client visits. Spending this time together allowed us to build a strong rapport and establish a supportive team culture. By understanding one another’s schedules and demands, we could manage our time effectively and meet project deadlines throughout the semester. During intensive periods, the rapport we had built within the team improved our ability to work under pressure and perfect client deliverables.
Get a head start
Management Consulting offers experiences that put you ahead of the competition in the consulting industry. It is a golden opportunity for students to get a foot in the door to establish themselves as future management consultants.
Acknowledgements
KCAD Consulting would like to thank the Strategy team at AFL who have been a pleasure to work with and made carrying out our project a memorable learning experience. Our special thanks to Laura Millington for her guidance and continued support. We would also like to thank our workshop coach Luckshie Haran, lecturer Paul Wiseman and all the Management Consulting staff at the University of Melbourne for coordinating and mentoring us throughout the program.
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