Strategy Capstone—Undergraduate Level Consulting Projects

Overview

The Undergraduate Strategy Program at BYU's Marriott School of Management prepares a dedicated group of students for careers in strategy consulting or strategic management in large or entrepreneurial firms. An important part of the strategy program is a capstone project where student teams work with a company to help it solve a real, strategic business problem. Students scope the engagement, diagnose and analyze the issues, and prepare a set of recommendations to the company to successfully improve performance.

Clients

Recent clients include: KSL TV, Boats.com, BYU Bookstore, Associated Foods, Partnet, Inc., Epic Ventures, and Natural Trends.

Past Client Reactions

"I just wanted to pass along my feedback on the group you sent us this semester. I was very happy with their work. They came up with some great insights. . . They were also very professional. Several people from our staff have commented on the effort they expended."

"Thank you for allowing your students to be part of our team for the semester. What an impressive group of young men! It is great to know we have such fine future business leaders being educated and prepared for the future."

Student Experience

"The Strategy Capstone is a fantastic program that develops valuable consulting skills. It gives students an opportunity to get practical consulting experience while being involved in all aspects of a consulting engagement. Students must take a leadership role (1) in managing client interactions, (2) in developing the scope and workplan for the engagement, and (3) in generating high-value analysis and recommendations for the client. They also must learn how to work in a non-hierarchical team and motivate their peers. All this must be done without the safety net of more senior consultants to hold their hands through the process. I know students who have successfully completed a strategy capstone project have been thrown in the deep end and learned to swim as a team."
—Former Strategy Student Charles Barrett, employed at McKinsey & Company

About the Director

Dr. Paul C. Godfrey directs the strategy program capstone projects. Paul received his PhD in strategic management from the University of Washington in 1994. He is an active researcher and teacher at Brigham Young, and brings a strong interest and competence in experiential learning. He has engaged in experiential learning in one form or another for almost two decades and has published both academic and practitioner work about experiential learning. Paul has directed over 50 separate capstone projects over the past decade and will help direct and guide each student team to provide an outstanding client deliverable.