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GEP GamePlan Season 8 National Runners Up Darshan Sabalpara's Story
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After the national final round, when the result for the Leadership Round of GEP GamePlan Season 8 was being announced, wherein top 3 teams would give a boardroom presentation, I was confident as well as nervous at the same time. When they called out "Team Alpha Omega", I gave a confident big smile and fist pump to my teammate.
We applied for GEP GamePlan Season 8 to work on and make a winning mark in one of the most complex and challenging consulting case challenges. At IIFT, I was quite known for cracking consulting & strategy cases. My teammate and I wanted to prove our mettle in a complex real-life case solving scenario.
Each step for the preparation for GEP GamePlan Season 8 was to be planned in advance. It is nothing like other competitions where you can just grasp the problem when it is given to you. Through secondary research and communication with seniors, we developed a clear and thorough understanding of what procurement consulting is and what is the broad spectrum of challenges that can arise.
After the case was launched and before the submission for campus round, we worked around 2-3 weeks daily for roughly 3 hours on the problem. The most challenging phase was developing an assessment model which pinpoints to various problems in the degree of their severity. Showing the impact of our solution was also another big challenge because the "how" of the impact was more difficult to determine than the "what" of the impact.
It was an inventive experience. Together, we both discovered an entire area of solving problems which we were never exposed to before. We had a few disagreements but never any major conflicts. We never took these things personally, that was, I think, the real reason why these disagreements always got resolved without any serious damage.
When we teamed up, both of us knew that we are very different when it comes to solving cases. We were an unusual duo, like Maverick and Iceman. Our team's forte was a combination of two things: ‘Thinking on Feet’ and ‘The Winning Attitude’- the traits which are revered in the consulting industry. We were Team Alpha Omega - "Swagger and Smarts, Equal Parts".
A total of 18 teams participated in the national finals. The case and the format of the competition were very well framed and executed. In terms of the organization, it was a seamless experience, with almost no hiccups. The quality of judgement was quite sound which was reflected in the Q&A session.
Towards the end of our national finals presentation, the panel asked a couple of questions we didn't expect. Quick thinking and thorough understanding of the case helped us answer those questions with uncanny accuracy. The panel members were surprised and we could feel the "Nailed It" moment.
Major learnings for me:
Our experience with the organizing team was very good. They were very helpful about scheduling our travel, arranging a mentor session before the national finals and making sure the event is smooth and successful. Every team had filled their kitty with special moments by the time the event concluded.
Read more about GEP Gameplan Season 8 and the organizers GEP.
We applied for GEP GamePlan Season 8 to work on and make a winning mark in one of the most complex and challenging consulting case challenges. At IIFT, I was quite known for cracking consulting & strategy cases. My teammate and I wanted to prove our mettle in a complex real-life case solving scenario.
Each step for the preparation for GEP GamePlan Season 8 was to be planned in advance. It is nothing like other competitions where you can just grasp the problem when it is given to you. Through secondary research and communication with seniors, we developed a clear and thorough understanding of what procurement consulting is and what is the broad spectrum of challenges that can arise.
After the case was launched and before the submission for campus round, we worked around 2-3 weeks daily for roughly 3 hours on the problem. The most challenging phase was developing an assessment model which pinpoints to various problems in the degree of their severity. Showing the impact of our solution was also another big challenge because the "how" of the impact was more difficult to determine than the "what" of the impact.
It was an inventive experience. Together, we both discovered an entire area of solving problems which we were never exposed to before. We had a few disagreements but never any major conflicts. We never took these things personally, that was, I think, the real reason why these disagreements always got resolved without any serious damage.
When we teamed up, both of us knew that we are very different when it comes to solving cases. We were an unusual duo, like Maverick and Iceman. Our team's forte was a combination of two things: ‘Thinking on Feet’ and ‘The Winning Attitude’- the traits which are revered in the consulting industry. We were Team Alpha Omega - "Swagger and Smarts, Equal Parts".
A total of 18 teams participated in the national finals. The case and the format of the competition were very well framed and executed. In terms of the organization, it was a seamless experience, with almost no hiccups. The quality of judgement was quite sound which was reflected in the Q&A session.
Towards the end of our national finals presentation, the panel asked a couple of questions we didn't expect. Quick thinking and thorough understanding of the case helped us answer those questions with uncanny accuracy. The panel members were surprised and we could feel the "Nailed It" moment.
Major learnings for me:
- Thorough research goes a long way in helping you solve the problem, directly or indirectly;
- The ability to think on your feet while presenting is the key to handling all unforeseen questions and discussions; and
- Confidence can be a make or break moment to your pursuit to acing a consulting case challenge.
Our experience with the organizing team was very good. They were very helpful about scheduling our travel, arranging a mentor session before the national finals and making sure the event is smooth and successful. Every team had filled their kitty with special moments by the time the event concluded.
Read more about GEP Gameplan Season 8 and the organizers GEP.
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ankit kumar 4 years ago