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Consulting Lessons Learned Report Subject: 3103GBS Consulting Name: Alex Gillan Group: Ctrl+Alt+Consult - OL Tues 6pm P1 G5 Project: Owlbum Marketing Plan Word Count: ~750 words

1. Consulting Experience Reflection

Working on the Owlbum project was one of the most hands-on, eye-opening experiences I've had during my degree. Our task was to ,create a five-year marketing plan for a digital platform that supports students both academically and socially. My main focus was helping shape the strategic direction using frameworks, particularly around stakeholder needs and user engagement.

A defining moment came early in the project. During one of our initial meetings, it became clear that our first ideas didn't fully align with the client's vision. That was a wake-up call. It pushed us to pause, listen more carefully, and rebuild our direction based on clearer communication and mutual understanding. For me, this really highlighted how essential it is in consulting to stay adaptable and open to feedback, even if it means stepping back and rethinking your approach.

There were definitely challengestight timelines, lots of moving parts, and the pressure of trying to balance academic expectations with real-world delivery. What helped was splitting responsibilities clearly, using frameworks like the Customer Journey to guide our thinking, and staying open to iterating as we learned more. The experience sharpened my ability to work collaboratively, communicate under pressure, and stay focused on delivering something meaningful for the client.

2. Academic Foundations

My degree in Business Management, with majors in Supply Chain Logistics and Economics, provided a strong and surprisingly adaptable foundation for this consulting project. While the focus of our task was a marketing strategy, I found that skills developed through my logistics studiessuch as process thinking, stakeholder coordination, and system efficiencytranslated well into project planning and strategic rollout. Likewise, my background in economics was crucial for understanding market behaviour, evaluating value propositions, and applying decision-making frameworks. Subjects like Business Research Methods, Managerial Economics, and Operations Management were particularly helpful, giving me the tools to interpret data critically, structure strategic recommendations, and forecast growth patterns effectively. These disciplines helped me approach the Owlbum project not just through a marketing lens, but with a systems- and outcome-oriented mindset.

We used frameworks like Porter's Five Forces, Stakeholder Analysis, and the Customer Journey to build structure into our approach. These gave us confidence when tackling each phase of the plan. That said, I also saw the limitations of academic models. For example, Porter's Five Forces helped us assess the competitive ed-tech environment, but didn't fully account for how fast student behaviours and digital platforms evolve. So, we leaned on agile principlesupdating our plan as we gathered real-time insights.

One of the most surprising takeaways came from my experience with research methods. Designing surveys and interpreting feedbackthings I used to see as "academic"suddenly became mission-critical. This changed how I view research: not as background noise, but as a key driver of strategy. That shift will stick with me.

Interdisciplinary thinking also made a big difference. Combining logistics logic, economic reasoning, and marketing strategy helped us craft a solution that was not only effective, but scalable and sustainable.

3. Forward-Looking Reflection

This project genuinely helped shape how I see myself professionally. I discovered that I enjoy finding structure in messy, ambiguous problems. I liked working with a team, turning data into a strategy, and translating big ideas into something a client could actually use. It helped me realise that some of my biggest strengthslike being organised, data-focused, and systems-mindedare valuable well beyond logistics.

While I'm still interested in supply chain and economics, this experience opened my eyes to broader roles in strategy, digital innovation, or consulting. I now see how transferable my skill set is. Whether it's mapping a user journey or optimising a distribution network, the process of solving problems, iterating, and delivering value is something I'm passionate about.

Five years from now, I see myself in a role where I can work across teamsbringing people, data, and strategy together to solve complex business problems. I expect future challenges will include staying on top of tech trends, working with diverse stakeholders, and balancing innovation with operational reality. To prepare, I plan to keep building on my communication skills and seek out roles that challenge my comfort zone.

One thing I want to improve is being more confident in uncertain situations. There were moments in this project where I held back, unsure if I had the "right" answer. I now know that leadership isn't about certaintyit's about being willing to step forward, even when things aren't perfect. That's something I'll keep working on.