Preparing for the dissertation has provided a plethora of learning opportunities, most of which were extraordinarily useful both for academic progress and future practice. Namely, the development of the dissertation and the identification of the key milestones in its completion have assisted me in understanding the basics of strategic planning and project management. The latter is expected to bear especially vast significance for my career development since it will provide a chance at improving the management of projects in the workplace. Specifically, the time taken to complete key tasks, the process of setting SMART goals and essential milestones, and the evaluation of results will allow for rapid personal and professional progress (Mazzotti et al., 2018). To approach the retrospect into writing the dissertation and the lessons learned in the process, a reflective framework will be applied. The specified model allows examining the overall experience, as well as scrutinizing its particular aspects, in order to gain insight into the information acquired in the process.
Strengths
Among the primary strengths observed when writing the dissertation, the ability to apply statistical analysis properly to examine the essential trends in the target environment deserves a mention. The selection of research methods and the application of the respective tools for the assessment of the target setting can be seen as the main advantage of the study since it has allowed producing accurate results. Moreover, the outcomes of the research have led to rather accurate forecasts, which can be considered an important
Weaknesses
In the course of implementing the project, several weaknesses were identified as well. Specifically, the ability to utilize the available metric in order to gauge the extent of companies’ compliance with the ISO 9001 standards was quite complicated, which suggested that the ability to transition smoothly from theoretical frameworks to practical analysis could use an improvement. Indeed, although the connection between theory and practice has been established, the struggle to align the main theoretical premises with the observed reality suggests that the specified skill needs to be trained further.
In addition, the problem of time management became an evident concern when focusing on achieving the main milestone of the dissertation. Despite the creation of a clear and elaborate strategy for implementing the main objectives, I struggled to stay on schedule due to the vast amount of information that had to be processed. Therefore, the described experience suggests that a more coherent framework for managing time along with a more accurate delineation of essential objectives and the criteria for their completion are needed (Aeon & Aguinis, 2017). Thus, training the specified skills should be seen as an important academic priority.
Development Plan
The necessity to transition from theory to management of practical concerns is one of the marks of an expert, which is why developing the described ability should be regarded as the top priority for me currently. For this reason, a closer analysis of the connection between the premises of specific economic and financial theories and the management of key risks observed in the target market setting will have to be included in the list of goals. Moreover, a better management of the project goals and planning, in general, should be viewed as a vital step in my professional growth (Nagorny-Koring & Nochta, 2018). As the experience with the project in question has shown, ensuring that every task is completed in a timely manner is instrumental to the implementation of further steps.
Finally, it will be instrumental for me to gain greater agency in building skills and learning new information. Due to the increasing role of flexibility and adaptability in the contemporary business and academic context, one has to learn quickly and apply newly developed skills and innovative tools to solve multifaceted problems, which is why active learning is vital. Therefore, I will have to understand how to integrate multiple sources of information in order to build a profoundly developed skillset.
Resources
In order to develop the skills outlined above, one will require quite a number of respective resources. Namely, the development of the ability to perform financial analysis and develop forecasts based on the available range of information will demand the presence of the necessary software. Moreover, due to the need to embrace an immensely large amount of factors, one will need the information resources that will supply the specified data to provide the needed context. Thus, the key risks and opportunities will be identified precisely, and the chance to comply with the set ISO 9001 standards will be delineated accurately. Similarly to the equipment mentioned above, the specified type of tools will need to be purchased and integrated into the evaluation and forecasting accordingly.
Needless to say, the skills for operating the equipment described above are also instrumental in conducting a thorough assessment of the financial risks and the related concerns. Therefore, manuals and other types of resources providing the necessary knowledge will be required. Likewise, the integration of the resources needed for more impressive time management will entail learning to use digital software for projects and planning. Specifically, online calendars, frameworks for building work and resource breakdown structures, and similar tools will be needed to address the issues observed in the course of writing the dissertation (Gomes & RomĂŁo, 2016). In general, the development of digital skills for managing is deemed as the essential step in the improvement of the current range of competencies and skills.
Furthermore, writing this dissertation has demonstrated the rapid development of every aspect of business and economy, including both theory and industry. Therefore, the project has shown me the significance of continuous education and the focus on self-directed learning as the main premise for effective performance and professional growth. The ability to define one’s weak spots and locate learning opportunities independently has gained increasingly high value in the current business setting since it helps one to build one’s competitive advantage in the selected market (Nagorny-Koring & Nochta, 2018). As a result, the role of the skills needed for establishing SMART goals for professional development and completing them respectively has been amplified in the modern economic context. For this reason, the development of skills needed for an accurate analysis of the chosen market and the identification of the gaps that one may fill by introducing a corresponding product should be regarded as paramount to the successful career development.
Therefore, the personal development plan currently consists of five primary steps. First and most important, the identification of key development criteria, including the areas of financial analysis and the software skills needed for productive analysis will have to be identified. Simultaneously, essential goals, including the acquisition of the said skills and the ability to apply them to solve specific business situations, will be charted. Afterward, the main resources providing vital information will be located (Rubens et al., 2018). These may involve the available courses for increasing the range of business-related competencies, as well as the vast array of academic resources, including multiple scholarly journals and the related sources on the subject matter. Moreover, consulting the reports issued by trustworthy organizations concerning changes in the contemporary global business setting and the trends in marketing, the current financial environment, and the risks that organizations may face will be instrumental to my development as an expert.
Overall, completing the dissertation has helped me to understand the extent of my skills and their limitations, as well as chart the plan for the future professional and academic growth. Namely, the necessity to frame the analysis of the existing risk factors and opportunities in the context of the target economic and financial setting has become an important discovery that will guide me further in my academic and professional endeavors. Writing this dissertation was an incredibly challenging and often overwhelming experience, yet, by planning it carefully and applying a combination of creativity and analytical skills, it became possible. This experience has shown that there are multiple areas on which I will have to improve in the future, while also demonstrating my strengths and the areas that currently constitute my main advantage (Rubens et al., 2018). Furthermore, writing this dissertation has caused me to gain impressive confidence and an array of positive emotions, developing self-sufficiency as a researcher and an expert in business and economy.
Delineating the further areas of exploration, namely, delving into the financial analysis and a study of the management of economic risks should be seen as the foundational advantages of this experience. Due to the focus on the analytical nature of the research, the experience of writing the dissertation has served as a vital step in improving my assessment skills and the overall ability to analyze the key issues related to a specific problem. Thus, I will be able to develop as a learner and an expert.
References
Aeon, B., & Aguinis, H. (2017). It’s about time: New perspectives and insights on time management.Academy of Management Perspectives, 31(4), 309-330. Web.
Gomes, J., & RomĂŁo, M. (2016). Improving project success: A case study using benefits and project management.Procedia Computer Science, 100, 489-497. Web.
Mazzotti, V. L., Rowe, D. A., Simonsen, M., Boaz, B., & VanAvery, C. (2018). Steps for implementing a state-level professional development plan for secondary transition.Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 41(1), 56-62. Web.
Nagorny-Koring, N. C., & Nochta, T. (2018). Managing urban transitions in theory and practice-The case of the Pioneer Cities and Transition Cities projects.Journal of Cleaner Production, 175, 60-69. Web.
Rubens, A., Schoenfeld, G. A., Schaffer, B. S., & Leah, J. S. (2018). Self-awareness and leadership: Developing an individual strategic professional development plan in an MBA leadership course.The International Journal of Management Education, 16(1), 1-13. Web.