Solving Real-World Problems

Katz Graduate School of Business faculty have offered the Consulting Field Project course for more than two decades. This course teaches management consulting as a problem-solving framework, allowing you to apply the analytical tools and concepts you’ve learned at Katz to real-world problems. The final requirement of the projects is the McKinsey Cup Competition. Teams present their project summary to a panel of judges who evaluate each presentation based on its rigor and content. Select projects qualify as Global Consulting Projects and involve complex business or organizational problems relative to a global or off-shore issue, challenge, or problem.

If your organization is interested in sponsoring a Consulting Field Project, please contact Prof. Tom Davis at 412-383-7117 or tom.davis@katz.pitt.edu.

Course Structure

The project includes up to five students assembled as a team, with one student designated by the team as the team lead. The project involves a single “client” organization. The client will provide the team with a project of immediacy, as well as an executive dedicated to assisting the team. The team also has an assigned faculty coach to ensure students are procuring the appropriate data and communicating effectively with the client.

Responsibilities of Sponsoring Organizations

• Define the scope of the project, in discussion with the faculty member
• Appoint a coordinator who will meet regularly with students
• Share relevant data and contextual information in a timely fashion with the students
• Identifying executives who participate in the project presentations to make sure project is on track
• Provide feedback on the course

Recent Sponsoring Organizations