This March, first-year Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) students Priyanvada Barve, Smritilekha Das and Deborah Schumacher participated in the 2011 Strategic Uses of Information Technology (SUIT) Showdown, a business case competition held in Bloomington, Indiana. Their team pitted their problem solving skills against some of the nation's top graduate programs. The three were asked to analyze a business problem, develop a solution, and present their solution to a panel of judges. While they didn't win, the competition exposed them to new ways of thinking about information problems and how their education at the UW Information School is preparing them to lead.

The SUIT Showdown is an annual event for graduate students enrolled in information systems programs. Participants compete with students from other universities in an environment that allows them to share their skills. Schumacher, Barve and Das were the only representatives from an Information School.

"We were given one week to do analysis on the problem, come up with a solution, and then we were able at the competition to present our solution before a panel of judges from the university and local businesses," said Schumacher.

The hypothetical problem this year was to develop a set of solutions for a vacation resort that was having IT problems. "We had to figure out what was wrong with those systems, based on the data they provided, research what kind of solutions were already out there, the benefits of those solutions and how to implement them in a logical manner," Schumacher said. "Most importantly, we had to sell our judges on those solutions as the right solutions."

The team found out about the competition through the MSIM program's academic adviser. They spent much of winter quarter writing a proposal to compete internally for selection as the UW iSchool's representatives.

"One of our goals was to think outside of the box. We tried to envision ourselves in the roles that you might see on a [project team]. We had a business analyst, a marketing and finance analyst, a technology analyst."

During the competition, the team presented their solutions.

"It was quite a challenge to strike the right balance between the big picture things such as business justifications and at the same time work out the technical and financial nitty-gritties," said Barve. "The MSIM coursework and practice presentations helped us enormously in this regard."

"Interaction with other students and the Dean of the Kelley Business School made us realize the importance of having case study analysis knitted into the core curriculum," added Das. All three members expressed their greater appreciation for their experiences in iSchool classrooms once they had an opportunity to put them into practice.

"Presentations done as a part of the curriculum had given our team a clear idea on how to present relevant details and keep them pertinent for our audience. Practice presentations prior to SUIT were a great learning experience -- we were lucky to get some really great feedback and suggestions from faculty members and second year students who had represented the iSchool in the previous year," Barve said.

The team also experienced how students from business and MBA programs addressed the problems posed in the challenge.

"There wasn't a lot of understanding about what an Information Management program was, so it was a way for us to evangelize the differences in our program that you don't see in a standard business program -- to talk about how we think about information differently, and how we include the human aspect," said Schumacher.

"The business and MBA students appreciated hearing about the depth of coursework on the information side of things. We also got to see the other presentations, and see what the other teams were doing," Schumacher added. She said all three team members found the competition a powerful complement to coursework in information services and managing strategic initiatives, in particular.

"This project was tightly deadline driven, and we were pressed to make a very professional presentation, and that was an important experience to have at least once," Schumacher said about the competition. "Seeing a problem from a real world perspective, and looking at how it fits in with our focus on people, information and technology, helps you get a sense of the different approaches you can use to solve similar problems."

Das summed up her experience in the competition as a chance to bring everything that she had been learning, and the skills she brought with her to the MSIM program, together.

"As we walked through the winning presentations and spoke to the judges, we understood what it takes to create and present a compelling business case and that practice, practice and practice is the key to create the Unique Selling Proposition for your innovative ideas. It's good to have innovative ideas but it is equally important to know how the ideas should be presented and pitched," Das said.