Introducing the Mentoring Team

My name is Mira, I am 21 years old and currently studying Management & Technology with a focus on Computer Science in the sixth semester at TU Munich. I have been working at digatus as a working student in the Consulting unit since May 2018. There, I have supported Patrick from the beginning with internal data protection issues and on external customer projects. Since we were already a well-coordinated and well-functioning team, the mentor-mentee constellation between Patrick and me was very suitable.

“The collaboration with Mira was very productive and worked excellently from the start. It was also very exciting for me to take on the role and perspective of the mentor and thus pass on my experience gained so far.”

Patrick Streit

How My First Independent Project Unfolded

Defining the Topic

At the beginning of the internal project, of course, was finding a suitable topic. One challenge that should not be underestimated was certainly that I was in Malaysia for the majority of the time during the project implementation due to a study project. Therefore, the project had to be feasibly implemented without my presence in the Munich office and considering the time difference. Under these conditions, the choice fell on creating a concept for a clear project management flyer for existing customers and prospects, in close coordination and collaboration with the marketing department. My task was to first develop the content and then present it visually.

Defining the Goals

Before I could start with the actual development of the flyer, the exact project goals had to be defined in the first step. The structure and methodologies on the individual pages should be oriented towards the industry standard PRINCE2®, on which digatus trains all consultants. Accordingly, the entire concept and the terminology used should refer to the established project management method. Furthermore, it was necessary to create both a German and an English version of the flyer to also cater to internationally operating customers and prospects. In the design of the developed graphics by a designer, the digatus CI specifications naturally had to be observed and adhered to.

Implementing the Tasks

After clearly defining the goals and requirements, it was time for implementation, which was divided into a total of three phases.

In the first phase, an initial rough draft of the flyer was created. First, I gained an overview and then intensively familiarized myself with the topic. In addition to research on the internet and in specialized literature, I sought valuable advice from my experienced colleagues. The resulting draft was discussed in an initial feedback round with all project participants via Skype, as I was already abroad at this time. Thanks to the communication and collaboration tools used, we managed to work together smoothly despite the time difference and spatial distance.

Based on the results of this feedback round, I went into more detail in phase two and implemented the improvement suggestions from my colleagues. In addition to the pure content of the flyer, the possibilities of visual preparation now also came more to the fore. After finalizing the detailed draft, another feedback discussion took place via Skype.

In the third project phase, the task was to create an additional English version of the flyer. Accordingly, I translated the texts and also paid attention to the correct expression according to PRINCE2®.

Finally, I was allowed to present the result of the project as part of our weekly team meeting. I went into the exact project process and explained especially the approach in the individual project phases. Following the project completion, the final concept was transferred into a print-ready flyer by the marketing team.

What I Take Away from the Project and the Mentoring

Often, starting at a new company can be challenging. However, thanks to the mentoring concept at digatus, I had a specific contact person by my side from the very beginning, whom I could approach with questions at any time. This made my integration easier, and I felt fully integrated into the team from the start. By working on the project, I was able to get to know digatus’s internal processes more closely and familiarize myself well with the procedures. In addition to personal development, I was also able to acquire technical knowledge, for example about the PRINCE2® project management method, which is used as standard at digatus. This initial project experience was already very helpful for my subsequent tasks, as it was the first time I independently took responsibility for the entire project process and organization.