Solving a Company's Technical and Business Problems

A reimagined capstone project partners MSAI students with MBAi students to identify technical solutions for a company and understand their effect on the business.

The capstone project for students in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) program has historically been focused on helping solve a company's technical problem.  

This year, the capstone expanded on that concept. 

Kristian Hammond

Rather than focusing solely on technical problems, MSAI students partnered with counterparts in the MBAiprogram, an AI-focused MBA designed as a collaboration between Northwestern Engineering and the Kellogg School of Management. Students worked in cross-functional teams to help companies understand how to use artificial intelligence, and how that application can be transformational for their business. 

It's an approach MSAI director Kristian Hammond said is both innovative and incredibly useful for students. 

"These students learn how to work with each other, how to communicate with each other, and how to actually manage a problem that ranges from figuring out the ROI of a solution to the technical details of an algorithm," Hammond said. "The students also have to understand how to communicate with the client about how they can actually implement the approach and solve their problem." 

Fifteen companies presented open-ended problems to the student teams, and part of the assignment for the students was to help their client frame and scope their issue so it can be addressed within the capstone's timeframe.  

"Managing stakeholders with vague problems and evolving scope, and working on teams with people with different backgrounds and skills is what real life looks like," MBAi co-director Andrew Fano said. "This is a chance to gain experience in a safe way, with supportive companies and faculty." 

Fano said there is a perception that if a problem involves a technical challenge, it should be given to an engineer to solve. The temptation is to jump right in and start coding, but the reality is that problems don't tend to occur so neatly. 

During his 25 years at Accenture Labs, where he worked as the global managing director for artificial intelligence research, Fano saw this scenario play out on multiple occasions.  

The goal of the new capstone structure was for technical students to understand how their work can impact a business, and for business students to learn more about technical capabilities and opportunities.   

"There are a range of issues that engineers don’t always see because often they start with a technical challenge rather than a business problem," Fano said. "This provides a chance to work with and learn from people addressing the value of a problem and articulating it effectively." 

The companies spanned a range of industries including high-tech, financial services, consumer packaged goods, hospitality, and heavy equipment. No matter who students worked with, the priority was to have them experience business strategy, technical solutions, project management, and team dynamics. 

"Given the range of backgrounds that the MBAi and MSAI students brought to the capstone, some students were more experienced in some of these aspects than other students," said Jim Lecinski, who co-taught the capstone with Mohammed Alam. "The hope was that the capstone experience and working with diverse team members would expose students to approaches and methods in the areas where they were not experienced, thus broadening the learning and experience base for all students." 

Hammond agreed.  

"Although the technical skills associated with MSAI are of paramount importance, the reality is every one of these students is going to work on teams with non-technical people," he said. "The ability to work with them, communicate effectively with them, get them to understand what solutions are possible, and understand the real nature of the business problem is crucial for the future of AI. It's also crucial to making our students incredibly valuable to the companies they'll be working with." 

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