HOME / CAPSTONE FIELDS / SUSTAINABILITY CAPSTONE / ENVR 599A CONSULTING FOR SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS CAPSTONE /

Precapstone Tutorial

Pre-advising

Undertaking the ENVR 598a Consulting for Sustainability & Development Practice Precapstone Tutorial is preceded by advising sessions with Neil Hawkins where the following topics will be covered:

  1. Your professional experience and knowledge which you hope to apply and enhance during the capstone project.
  2. Ideas regarding the types of Industries or organizations; e.g., corporate, non-profit or governmental that you'll want to work with.
  3. Strategies for leveraging your professional and personal network to identify, qualify and secure a commitment with the right  client  for the capstone project.
  4. Identification of stakeholders within client organizations potentially impacting, or being impacted by the capstone project.
  5. The importance of obtaining a commitment from an executive in the client organization to support the capstone project.
  6. The consulting methodology to be used during the capstone project, the importance of project scoping as well as properly setting the client’s expectations.

Prework

Prework. Create a Word document that answers all the following points, in detail. Please be sure to include your full name on the Word document. Submit the Word document by email to ALMCapstones@extension.harvard.edu with "ENVR 598a Consulting Capstone Prework" in the subject line.

In order to submit a successful prework document, you'll be (1) identifying prospectiveclient/clients with identified client executives, and (2) completing additional questions to qualify for taking the consulting capstone track. Once the ENVR E-598a course begins, a solid and complete draft “statement of work” (project charter) will be developed with the instructor and with the client. Upon receiving a commitment from the client executive, you'll resubmit the capstone proposal with client specific information for final approval. Once the SOW/project charter is approved at the end of the 598a class period, you’ll then be approved for entry into the final ENVR E-599a consulting capstone to complete your degree requirements.

The consulting capstone tracks takes place over about six months and has a prework submission, development of the Statement of Work / project charter during the ENVR E-598a period, and development of a Sustainability Action Plan for the client (with group problem solving) during the ENVR E-599a period. You cannot work ahead of your project at any step in this two-course sequence.

Be prepared to submit your prework early in the submission period in order to ensure a client has been identified and an executive sponsor confirmed by the prework approval deadline (see Timeline). In two pages (not including references) respond to the following requests for information for your proposal:

  1. Provide your full name, address, email address, employer, current job title and prior degrees.
  2. Why do you want to do the consulting capstone track rather than an individual research project? What attracts you to this capstone experience?
  3. Describe the areas of interest that you would like to focus on as you work with a client to develop a Sustainability Action Plan.
  4. What prospective client or clients do you have in mind for a project? If so, please list the client or clients, and briefly describe the possible projects. For each, what makes you confident that they are willing to sponsor you for a capstone project?
  5. Provide the name and title of the potential client executive sponsor of the project. Have you interacted with the potential sponsor?
  6. What do you hope the project(s) will accomplish? Why would it matter if the project is completed? Are you excited to undertake the work?
  7. How has your coursework or experience prepared you for this undertaking? Are you ready?

The Consulting Capstone track is unique. Individuals have their own projects with their own client (individual projects), but the class portion of ENVR E-599a focuses on group action and cross project input and support as each student is a member of a consulting firm with fellow students.

Works cited: You need to begin a working bibliography as soon as the topic is approved. Eventually, this document will become your final bibliography, which will include all sources that you use during your research. It is helpful to use bibliographic software like RefWorks, EndNote, and others (free research tools from the Harvard Libraries are available at library.harvard.edu, under Get Research Help).