The Impact Lab Client Experience

We partner with organizations facing messy problems - complex challenges that lack straightforward solutions due to their ambiguous, interconnected, or evolving nature. These problems often persist despite previous solution attempts and can manifest as operational inefficiencies, customer experience issues, or organizational roadblocks. While the immediate pain points are evident, the root causes typically run deeper and require careful investigation to uncover. Many organizations, especially those with limited resources, find themselves too immersed in day-to-day operations to step back and address these complicated challenges effectively. Our collaborative approach combines your deep organizational knowledge with our fresh perspective and dedicated resources to identify, analyze, and tackle these layered problems at their source.

The problems that we work on:

• Lack clear solutions 
• Require deep research and analysis
• Need creative approaches to implementation
• Impact multiple stakeholders or systems
   

At the Carlson School, our students are equipped to solve complex problems through a structured, collaborative process. They leverage skills from their coursework and collaborate with Carlson School Alumni Mentors to deliver innovative solutions for clients.

We ask that clients meet with their student team seven times through the semester, on set dates that will be shared with you. The same person from your team should plan on attending each touchpoint session. Each check-in serves a different purpose, and helps our students stay on track to solve your problem:

1. Discovery & Definition: Meet your student team and share your organization's challenge. Together, we'll define the scope and identify key objectives for your project.
2. Research Review: Students present initial market research and industry insights, helping sharpen our understanding of your challenge and refine the project's focus.
3. Research Strategy: Collaborate with students to design a comprehensive research plan, including stakeholder interviews, data analysis, and market exploration.
4. Insights Workshop: Dive into the team's research findings and uncover key insights that will drive innovative solutions for your organization.
5. Solution Development: Explore potential solutions based on research insights. Students begin crafting strategic recommendations aligned with your resources and goals.
6. Solution Refinement: Review and refine proposed solutions through prototype presentations. Your feedback helps ensure recommendations are practical and implementable.
7. Final Project Meeting: Students deliver their final recommendations, complete with implementation roadmap and supporting materials to drive real impact in your organization.

By participating in this process, you’ll not only contribute to the professional development of our students but also gain valuable insights and creative solutions that can drive your business forward. We look forward to collaborating with you throughout the semester to address your challenges and create actionable, innovative outcomes. Together, we can achieve meaningful results that benefit both your organization and the next generation of leaders. Join us to foster impactful relationships and innovative outcomes!

Clients commit to collaborating in several ways:

• Designate a primary contact for the entire project
• Attend 7 scheduled meetings during business hours
• Provide necessary background information and access
• Engage with student teams during solution development
• Complete post-project feedback

At Impact Lab, we understand that meaningful projects are vital for both our students and clients. We invite organizations to collaborate with our talented student teams to tackle complex challenges. Each project involves seven key meetings, allowing clients to share insights and guide the direction of deliverables that align with their needs. By designating a primary contact, clients facilitate student access to resources and ensure effective communication throughout the process. These meetings will happen during business hours, in person at the Carlson School of Management. Impact Lab will provide a parking pass for clients at the 19th Ave parking ramp connected to Carlson. After the projects have been completed, you will be asked to provide feedback.
 

You can expect several tangible deliverables from Impact Lab students:

• Weekly progress reports
• Comprehensive research findings
• Implementation-ready recommendations
• Final presentation and documentation

Student teams will provide weekly status reports, create engaging slide decks, and deliver comprehensive final presentations. Students will be provided with various resources that will help with primary and secondary research. Some of the databases available to students include Mintel and GuideStar to help further their research. Students work with creative solutions to the problems given to them. They will look at the root cause of the problems and dive deeper into the problem, rather than looking at just the surface. This is what helps transform innovative ideas into impactful solutions. Additionally, students work within constraints by co-creating solutions with the client to ensure that the deliverables developed go beyond a recommendation. The deliverables will be something implemented in your organization with its current structure. Join us at Impact Lab and experience the power of collaboration, creativity, and real-world problem-solving that benefits your organization and enriches our students’ learning journey.

In the Impact Lab, students are learning from each other through shared experiences and learning. They might be working with other individuals on the project, like faculty members, Teaching Assistants, and other student teams to help improve their process and deliverables.  As such, students do not sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). If your project involves confidential elements, we’re committed to finding solutions tailored to your needs on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to foster a dynamic learning experience where your unique insights contribute to our community. Together, we can tackle challenges while respecting the privacy and integrity of your organization. Join us in creating impactful solutions that benefit everyone involved!

If you still have questions about the client experience, reach out to Managing Director Amee McDonald at [email protected].