Technical Skills: Overseeing Technical Work Flashcards
What was the situation?
For my master’s thesis, I conducted five months of field research in Malaysian rainforest.
What was the task?
There were 5 challenges
Task: to collect enough data for my project
There were numerous challenges to this task:
- Only five months
- Samples had to develop in-situ for 3 weeks
- Multiple repetitions needed
- 11 plots spread hours apart in a challenging landscape
- Monsoon season
So I managed a team of three local research assistants to help me with data collection
How did you…
Provide clear technical leadership?
Direct work effectively?
Promote collaboration?
By arranging an initial meeting to introduce myself, the project and our goals as a team.
By asking about their experiences/preferences during the meeting so I could delegate work according to strengths - we were time limited, and people are better/faster at things they have done before/enjoy.
Delegating tasks made our work interdependent, so I emphasised that we had to work together to get the job done.
How did you…
Champion an openness to scrutiny?
Give 2 points.
- By encouraging my team to ask me questions about what I was doing and why
- This normalised asking questions so they didn’t feel singled out if I asked them something
How did you…
Promote integrity?
Give 2 points.
- By encouraging my team to be honest about any mistakes made, so we could fix it and learn together
- I didn’t vilify mistakes, I framed them as a positive because they are learning opportunities
How did you…
Review the team’s work?
Give 2 points.
- By recording each day’s activities in a field log and comparing it to the project schedule to identify barriers to progress
- By discussing the barriers in weekly meetings
How did you…
Identify learning and development opportunities
for your team?
- By encouraging team members to swap roles when time permitted so they could learn new skills
What was the result?
OUTCOME:
- I lead my team through a project that none of them had any prior experience of
- We completed 1 week ahead of schedule.
IMPACT:
- They learnt new skills
- I was able to return home early and had an extra week for data analysis
How did you…
Manage risks effectively?
Give 5 points.
- By completing a risk assessment prior to commencement
- By providing thorough training to all team members on all activities prior to commencement
- By providing each person with a copy of the experimental protocol
- By providing each person with their own safety equipment (goggles, gloves etc.)
- By being responsive and re-arranging the project schedule to minimise exposure to threats, e.g. storms and dangerous wildlife (elephants)
