Empathize and Define Assignment

1. Assigment
author: Luis Eugenio Bravo Soza
1. Prepare for the empathy work.
2. Go out and talk to people.
3. Process the data gathered via interviews using an Empathy Map.
4. Craft a problem statement.
I decided to interview the Director (head) of a Computer Science Department, a
professor the the CS department and 2 students of the same department. After that I
went out an interview two people a Business Manager of an Insurance Company and
the head of IT department of the same Insurance company.
1. Empathy work.
Hello, I am an University professor doing a research on the competences that
Computer Science students must have after finalizing their studies at school. Would
you collaborate with us, please attend us some minutes of your time. We appreciate
your time.
Which are the main competences that a young engineer must have in software
business? What attitudes must this engineer have in regards to difficult times? Which
are the main knowledges that this engineer must know?
2. Go out and talk to people.
SAY
Director of a CS department: Our students are very well prepared for the
industry. They have a solid theoretical and practice of IT.
Students: We think we have a very good formation and we can very good at the
business environment. We have little experience writing software code but we can
manage that. We don know why we study so much mathematics, physics and other. We
think that courses are not useful.
Business Manager: I think young engineers do not understand business. We
have to re train them....I do not know what they teach at the CS departments. The (CS
departments) are out of touch of the needs of industry. CS departments are a waist of
time and money!
Head of the IT department(Insurance Company): Students that come from this
university (USS) are pretty good designing computer programs but the lack of
experience in real work. They are missing knowledge in business technology! We have
to train them for 6 month before doing serious stuff!
DO
Director of CS department: This person look very confident! Of his knowledge of
the real needs of the industry.
Students: The look confident on what they know but shy regarding their
industry experience.
Business Manager: Did not show much interest on the research and his actitude
was not very fond.
Head of the IT department: His proactive and fond of the research.

2. 3 . THINK and FEEL sections
Is difficult to understand these encounter opinions of the interviewees . They have
different perspectives on the matter. The university people think they are okey with
knowledge they give to the students and the business people are completely in
disagreement.
Problem Statement Craft
Stakeholder
The only person that can really manage the problem are the Stakeholder(they are
many, it depends on the view! ), in this case the Head of the Department of CS.
Certainly there is a disconnection between the University Department and the real
business. Both and students as well, have different views.
I don not have one unique solution for this problem. IN the solution there must be
considered many views and needs.
May be some of them:
- consider forming a board of director integrated by academics and business people
for analysing the curricula studies of the Master of Computer Science plan.
- consider a workshop with experts from the industry that gives a refresh view of the
future and needs of the industry regarding competences for the new software
engineers.
- consider a consultancy from Stanford University.
- Refurbish the university curricula copying an adapting the Stanford curricula.
- Work with the students, industry and academia and design a “dream curricula”.
-design pilot programs with the industry where students demonstrates their abilities
and analyse “how” they did their work.
-many other and combination of them.