An Agile Approach to Student Consulting Projects: Iteration and Communication to Improve Decision Making, Presentations, and Teamwork

Hari K. Rajagopalan (), Sarah Woodside () and Kay Lawrimore Belanger ()
Additional contact information
Hari K. Rajagopalan: School of Business, Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina 29506
Sarah Woodside: D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Kay Lawrimore Belanger: School of Business, Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina 29506

INFORMS Transactions on Education, 2025, vol. 26, issue 1, 34-47

Abstract: Embedding consulting projects into the curriculum presents an effective means of providing students with experiential applied learning opportunities. However, creating, planning, and managing such projects can be challenging. This paper introduces a unique approach to managing consulting projects: Agile Project Management with Scrum. By incorporating a commitment to iteration and communication as the core of the project experience, Agile with Scrum fosters an impactful, realistic, and engaging student consulting experience. This approach enhances decision making, presentations, and team dynamics. This article discusses how one supply chain management course embedded Agile with Scrum into a client consulting project to convert a mediocre experiential learning opportunity into a transformative one. After describing Agile with Scrum and explaining its potential in the classroom, this paper discusses the consulting project before and after Agile; the results; the lessons learned; and the value created for students, clients, and faculty.

Keywords: student consulting projects; experiential learning; Agile Project Management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/ited.2023.0057 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:orited:v:26:y:2025:i:1:p:34-47

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in INFORMS Transactions on Education from INFORMS Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Asher ().