More Information
More Information
More Information
Clinic Expectations
Attendance during scheduled class time is expected. You will likely do additional work outside the designation class time as a team throughout the week. You are responsible for arranging a common time for this additional work. Below are very broad aspects of clinics that can help your experience.
Project Management. Use effective tools to manage your time, tasks, and responsibilities. Make sure the project objectives are clear and shared between you and the supervisor. Establish a success criteria. Assign responsibilities and follow up for accountability. Communicate your status frequently with your project sponsor and the team. Document your work extensively. This includes your successes and especially your failures.
Teamwork and Group Culture. Encourage participation from all members. Be receptive to new ideas and discuss potential mistakes. Frequently revisit the purpose of the clinic project. Leverage each other’s strengths and establish a cooperative culture. Here is a short video that broadly describes how to create an effective team culture. This is an important skill in your career success.
Engineering Habits and Mindset. Junior and Senior Clinics serve as training grounds for your career. You may make mistakes. It is important that you learn from them and develop good engineering habits for your future success. Try to make connections with your courses, careers, and expectations. Think carefully about your contributions and be receptive for learning opportunities. You are building a portfolio of your skillset, be deliberate about your actions and decisions.
Mentorship. It is assumed that your interaction with your project manager or your senior members of the team will naturally lead to mentorship opportunities. Cultivate these actively. Setup regular meetings with your superiors. This is your chance to build professional relationships that will guide your future decisions and build lifelong connections.
FAQs about Clinics
How do I know how I am performing?
If you are waiting for someone to tell you what to do, you are likely missing the broad purpose of the project. Never be afraid to step up. That is an expectation. If someone in your team is not stepping up, they are probably shy. Give them tasks so that they gain confidence. Consider the following perspective from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits:
Three levels of how teams behave:
“Level 1 — You do what you are asked to do.
Level 2 — Level 1 + You think ahead and solve problems before they happen.
Level 3 — Level 2 + You proactively look for areas of opportunity and growth, and figure out how to tap into them.”
Successful clinic members and teams operate at Level 3. It is expected that you go above and beyond the expectations.
My team is dysfunctional. What should I do?
This is your opportunity to practice leadership skills. Take charge by having honest conversations. Handling such situations is a great practice for the professional-world. Besides, it gives you meaningful content for interview questions like: “Could you describe a difficult situation and how you handled it?” OR “Can you share an example of when you assumed a leadership role?” Clinics are great training grounds.
Besides my technical contributions, what else should I use clinics for?
Practicing presentation skills, team management skills, and career consulting with your project manager. You may even have an opportunity to explore conflict resolution, marketing, documentation, etc. It is difficult to coordinate such activities without meeting your project manager regularly. You must demand regular meetings to gain feedback and avoid suprises.
My project manager insists on not meeting the team regularly?
It is expected that teams meet their supervisors or project managers on weekly basis. This is how you get feedback and ensure the tasks are aligned with the project goals. Some managers may insist meeting only occassionaly. This is a missed opportunity for mentorship and relation building. You as a team must cultivate this platform of feedback and demand a regular weekly meeting.