SP Jain Essay # 2

Explain a situation when you were part of a group process and/or the intended outcome failed. What was your role, how did you contribute to the outcome, and what did you learn? (200 words max.)

While interning for a small company in New York, I encountered an experience where collective effort failed due to individual lapses.

I had developed research software to be used by engineers in-house, and assumed a certain familiarity with the product and use protocol. It was later decided to make it available to the end-users as well, and the task of making it user friendly was handed over to a team member. However, each of us did not understand the other's implementation leading to mutual incompatibility. Our supervisor evaluated our work in isolation and hence failed to catch the discrepancy.

A demo of this software by the CEO to an important corporate client resulted in obviously incorrect results. The client was disappointed with the product, which led to loss not only of his business, but also of credibility due to bad publicity. Obviously, everyone involved in the episode received a strong reprimand.

This experience taught me the importance of communication. The situation could have been avoided if we had explained ourselves clearly to the other person. Further, I also learnt the importance of understanding the full scope of a concept, and not restricting myself to a narrow portion of it.