Two Georgetown University McDonough of Business MBA students participated in a special internship this summer that offered an intimate look at how Washington DC works. According to a story published on the school’s website, Paul LaCorte (MBA ’18) and Leo Dzidziguri (MBA ’18) spent three months at the DC Department of Public Works’ Office of Organizational Effectiveness and Change Management.
This office supports DPW’s Solid Waste Management, Parking Enforcement, and Fleet Management departments through performance management, data analysis, process improvement, strategic planning, and project management. The internship was part of a trial program between the department and the business school.
The two MBAs were tasked with conducting a management study to evaluate:
- Light vehicle repair turnaround
- City-wide compliance with preventative maintenance appointments
The project involved intensive data collection, analysis, and visualization; process mapping; site visits; and audits. LaCorte and Dzidziguri also worked on a data integrity project to confirm the accuracy of information housed within in the DPW integrated data warehouse.
“We were involved in projects that required knowledge from multiple fields,” Dzidziguri said. “For example, I performed statistical analysis on several years of data to identify reasons why the Fleet Management division could not meet its key performance indicators, while at the same time studying the operations and recommending a new map for more efficient processes.”
Dzidziguri explained that the the internship was a rewarding experience, and one that required that the second-year MBAs to use the skills they learned in the classroom in the real world.
“I learned the importance of being comfortable showing others drafts of my work, asking them for feedback, and incorporating the feedback. This gave me a chance to learn and grow from other people’s experiences,” Dzidziguri said. “Presenting our recommendations to the executives also helped me to employ soft skills acquired during my leadership and negotiations classes.”