Developing project management expertise as a technology consultant – an interview

Bianca: Thank you, Steffi, for taking the time to conduct this interview with us. I’d like to begin our discussion by asking how you got your start in the field, what you studied and what motivated your choice.

Stefanie: At school, I was always interested in technology. My favorites were math, physics, and chemistry. I even took part in a technology competition involving small racing cars (similar to the „Formula Student“ project that INVENSITY supported in the past), and my team made it all the way to the world championship.

I was already doing project management (PM) for the team, but I never thought I’d do it for a living. Through internships with our sponsors back then, I got in touch with people and learned about their careers. This information and an orientation semester at the Technical University of Munich led me to study mechanical engineering.

My areas of interest became clearer during my studies: electric vehicles and automated driving. I really enjoyed learning more about it, applying my knowledge, and creating the interface to greater sustainability and environmental awareness.

Bianca: Were there specific aspects about project management that drew you in?

Stefanie: What I liked about it was that you can cover a lot of ground. You have a ton of options for specialization, and you can keep your options open for a long time in terms of what you really want to do professionally.

In my early days at INVENSITY, I took part in operational project management and management coordination activities for client and research projects. I was also in consulting projects related to agile transformation, model-based systems engineering (MBSE), and efficiency analysis of development departments.

Bianca: Speaking of INVENSITY, how did your path lead you here to work in technology consulting?

Stefanie: I met a master’s student in the student council who was writing her master’s thesis with Simon Stieber. Through her, I was invited to a training session at INVENSITY and found my way into working for the PM department as a visiting consultant for three and a half years. I always wanted to get a taste of real projects with my bosses so I could get a better idea of what everyday life as a consultant looks like. That worked out well, and I already worked on client projects on site during semester breaks.

I really enjoyed working with the INVENSITY team, so when INVENSITY offered me a job while I was still doing my master’s degree, I gladly accepted and started a full-time position in the PM department.

Bianca: Let’s go deeper. In your opinion, how is your work meaningful or impactful in your area of expertise?

Stefanie: I think it’s important to first define what „meaning“ and „impact“ mean. For me, it means contributing to something bigger. Helping people. Making a difference through my actions.

In project management, you are rarely the person who generates output yourself. However, you are the person who creates clarity, ensures that work is done more efficiently and quickly, and brings order to chaos. Through structures, processes, and responsibilities, you give your team the opportunity to work in a more focused and effective manner. The impact is more indirect, and that’s okay.

For example, I handled a project where I was in operational PM and filling in for someone on parental leave. They had a brand-new department head who wasn’t familiar with project management but had nevertheless been given the responsibility. Without knowing it, I taught him a lot about the field’s know-how and methods. He later said that I had played a key role in helping him find his feet in his role and get started in PM.

What matters most to me is that I’m helping others with their challenges by identifying where the problems lie and solving them.

Bianca: Last question before we end our conversation. What advice would you give to new starters or young professionals?

Stefanie: I’d like to offer several pieces of advice:

• Try out as many things as possible, do internships, talk to people who are working in the field, and get a variety of perspectives to find out what inspires you. Especially in consulting: Take advantage of opportunities in consulting to discover different industries, topics, and your own strengths. Get to know yourself and how your colleagues do their work.
• Don’t let yourself be too influenced by others‘ expectations. Go your own way, figure out what you really want and what you’re willing to go the extra mile for.
• Finally, find a mentor you can ask about a wide range of topics. This helped me a lot when I was starting my career, especially in becoming more confident and dealing with challenges.

Stefanie currently works as a Consultant for INVENSITY with a focus on Project Management. She is deeply interested in new technologies and finds ways to create structure and guarantee success. When she’s not on project manager mode, Stefanie engages in her hobbies like inline skating, dog sitting, yoga, and cooking with friends.

Interested in working as a technology consultant? Check out our career website and start on your career journey with us!