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Creating Value Accenture, Krenicki Center partner on analytics project

Accenture, a global leader in IT services and management consulting, was looking for support in building analytical modules and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) around its Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing (SAP) capabilities. The firm found a partner in the project with students in the Krenicki Center for Business Analytics and Machine Learning at Purdue’s Mitch Daniels School of Business.

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Among the services provided by students was developing an approach to summarize process insights for Signavio, an SAP business process management software platform. Students were also tasked with generating process insights and recommendations via Large Language Models and Generative AI solutions. Deliverables included process insight dashboards and a recommendations document, as well as a process recommendation dashboard.

“We have crafted an immersive experience for Purdue students and our Accenture teams that is one-of-a-kind,” says Scott Uelner, an Accenture managing director and Purdue business school alumnus. “While it shares some similarities with traditional internships or co-op programs, this initiative stands out due to its unique structure, allowing students to work 10-12 hours per week as part of a team supporting an Accenture project. This setup not only provides the students with invaluable real-world experience while they continue their studies in West Lafayette, but it also offers our clients a distinctive value proposition.”

In the program, the Krenicki Center onboards a team of Purdue students directly onto a project based on their experience in the classroom or their professional experience prior to joining Purdue. Their experience must align with the scope of work provided by each client. Typically, these teams consist of 4-6 students supported by a Purdue professor who acts as their coach and mentor throughout the project. This particular project was helmed by 16 students — the largest one-project student team formation to date by the Krenicki Center.

At the onset of a project, each student team is presented with a business problem, the impacted business processes and a substantial data set. “We view these projects as a golden opportunity to challenge our current ways of working and to gain fresh perspectives on how we deliver work for our clients,” says Uelner. “Although we strive to keep them focused on the desired outcomes, we intentionally remain vague regarding the approach to solving the problem. This is to avoid injecting any preconceived solutions into the students and their professors, allowing the teams to be completely unconstrained in developing their solutions.”

While Accenture does provide the teams with some broad ideas on how to tackle challenges, including leveraging AI and advanced analytics, they are given the freedom to direct their own work and drive towards specific outcomes. With the guidance of their professors, the students define individual roles and responsibilities, develop a project plan, and then execute the work. Each week, the teams present and share their progress with their Accenture counterparts.

“This program has exceeded Accenture's expectations. We are delighted with the skills, talent and motivation of the students and also the innovation leadership from the faculty.” John Matchette, Senior Managing Director, Accenture

“This allows us to see the students in action and assess how well they fit into the culture and ways of working at Accenture,” says Uelner. “Time and time again, we are impressed with the outcomes from the students. They consistently challenge themselves to frame the business challenges in the context of value and outcomes. Furthermore, we see a consistent influx of fresh thinking from the students, which is fantastic, especially in this era of rapidly advancing technology.”

“This program has exceeded Accenture's expectations,” adds Senior Managing Director John Matchette, an alumnus and member of the Krenicki Center board. “We are delighted with the skills, talent and motivation of the students and also the innovation leadership from the faculty.  Put together, what is most exciting is that this program is unlocking trapped value for Accenture’s clients by unleashing the power of data and AI as a new basis of competition. Accenture looks forward to scaling this program and continuing to demonstrate the forward leaning mission of the Krenicki Center.”

Purdue University Krenicki Center for Business Analytics and Machine Learning

Alumnus Brad Reynold, health senior manager for Accenture AI, says the program has brought sought-after skills to both the firm and its clients. “We continue to scale the program to include more clients for new data and AI value and more students creating experiences to better position them for their next steps,” he says. “While we work with Purdue and the Krenicki Center in many ways, this program has been a unique new venture not seen with other schools due to the strength of our partnership.”

This was the Krenicki Center’s fifth project with Accenture since forming the partnership. “I have seen a huge growth in our students’ analytical skills at the completion of each project,” says Kami Copas, Krenicki Center coordinator. “Not only have they improved their analytical skills, they have also improved their time management skills, and most importantly, their presentation skills. These are all key elements that our students need to succeed in moving forward with their careers.”

Among those students is Akanksha Singh (MSBAIM ’24), who contributed to projects with Accenture as well as Eli Lilly and is now a senior consultant and data scientist at EY. “Working at Krenicki helped me gain practical exposure with my master’s degree,” she says. “I was able to talk about these projects during my interviews and that helped me secure an offer of employment.”

Companies interested in partnering with the Daniels School of Business on consulting-focused business analytics projects can contact the Krenicki Center for more information.