Reflective Analysis of Professional Work Placement Experience in the Field of Information Technology - Assignment Example

Reflections during the Placement al Affiliation Reflections during the Placement The projected was scheduled to run for ten weeks. Each week had specific tasks that followed the induction exercise. In each of the tasks, there were lessons to be learnt and reflections to be made. Week 1 and 2. The tasks for first two weeks involved the studying of the stakeholders needs. This was necessary in order to plan and develop a website that the stakeholders would regard as effective in meeting their needs. We had an extensive period in which we made consultations in various places where stakeholders of the project are. The task force was divided into several groups, and each allocated a specific stakeholders domain. Personally, I was required in my group to collect information regarding the needs of a local university. I had the pleasure of meeting with people I have always admired in life, the website developers and maintainers in universities and to share ideas with them. In this task, I realized that the general perception of a website is different from an experts view. To them, the complexity of the website is not as important as its usability and security. From one of the technician, I learnt that in reality, it is better to have a website that simple to use, which also means that it is simple to develop, and yet secure; than to have one which looks complex but the structure is vulnerable to unwanted traffic or even hacking. Week 3 and 4 In the next two weeks, we were to create a website plan by implementing as much as possible of the stakeholders felt needs. The team leaders first guided us in the process of identifying from the listed needs, those that can be achieved through a specific design or inclusion in the plan. Those that could not be implemented were replaced with viable and more compatible alternatives that served similar or related stakeholders needs. In addition to this scrutiny of the stakeholders’ needs and their compatibility, I learnt how the basic mapping of the website is done in real situations. Most of the concepts that were only available to me in theory, and which seemed a difficult thing to conceptualize became clear. Although at first I found it difficult to align the pages of the website, with guidance from my supervisor, I was able to develop my first model website which the supervisor encouraged me to keep as a motivational tool. I also learnt that for most of the experts in the organization had stored their first ever website developed. It was an important tool not only for motivation but also in job recruitments where they serve to convince employers and make the applicant stand a better chance for hiring. Week 5 and 6 While I thought that developing a website is the final thing in the process, the two weeks that followed the development of websites saw me back to the field. This time, I was not to collect the stakeholders’ needs but to present a product for evaluation and coding. The team leaders, who were the student mentors and supervisors identified the various external experts who were to be consulted. From this activity, I identified the perceived importance of competitors in business. A copy of an already complete website was presented to experts even in competing organizations for evaluation and coding. I even asked one of the supervisors why this was being done. From his answer, competition in business is aimed at improving and growing one another. However, the recommendations from the competitors on the draft were not prioritized in making the final website although they were considered. The final websites were developed from the recommendations from all stakeholders and aligned to the objectives of the organization. From the activities of these two weeks, I learnt a lot concerning adapting to external changes in the organization. Some of the clients’ recommendations on seeing the draft could be confused to indicate that a review of their needs was not originally done. It was, therefore, hard to understand that within a few weeks, the market environment had undergone changes. The organization had to use these changes and plan something that would benefit even in the future by predicting the expected needs changes. Week 7 and 8 The next two weeks were spent on the main development of the websites and ensuring that all the recommendations and needs identified are addressed. This is the stage that required total attention from the students. With time allocated to the project running short, there was limited time for questionings and teaching. However, with each expert allocated some students, it was the initiative of the students to observe and consult as work was going on. I can liken the development of the websites at this stage to a competitive response. First, the experts were rushing to beat time allocated. Secondly, each of the experts receives additional commission on extra websites developed. However, I identified senior technicians who did not participate in the rush, and I learned from them few more concepts of website development which I tried to put in practice with my saved website. Week 9 and 10 These were the final weeks of the placement. The tasks associated with these weeks did not involve the students directly, but I learnt so much from them. The already developed websites had to be tested by the experts and senior web developers. What constituted the testing was an evaluation of the storage capacity, the networks specifications and the security aspects of the website. In the same period, I was required to compile the final report for the organization and also attend a students’ seminar organized by the organization to help the students develop a deeper insight into the organization and to assess their achievement of personal objectives of the placement. In this seminar, I was able to interact with other students from different institutions. It is here that we exchanged views and shared ideas on website development and also on other fields in information technology. We also participated in the errors fixing process for an already developed website. It was encouraging to learn that the organization encourages taking criticism positively. Those parts of the website that were faulty were fixed by all the experts together regardless of whose work it originally was. Conclusion Developing a website is an extensive exercise which involves more than just the organization. The needs of the stakeholders and their expectations have to be taken into serious consideration. The ten weeks placement provided an insightful and deep experience in web development. First, the initiation of the exercise through planning of the exercise and the resources required brought into my notice the need for planning by any organization. In addition, the planning of the tasks, specifying the players and the objectives was an important guide. Besides guiding, the planning also specified the time that each of the tasks was supposed to take. In this way, tracking of the project and its management was made easy. Another important lesson learnt from this project is that there is a need for teamwork in any organization. Without teamwork, the tasks planned in this project would have been a difficult task. The team leadership was selected by the senior management and comprised of people who had the capacity to deliver as planned. The leaders were also supposed to be able to develop a shared vision with the team and be in a position to motivate the members and achieve their specific objectives. The success of the project can be attributed to the serious planning and organization which motivated the teams and created a culture of teamwork in the organization. In addition, the ability of the website developers to identify and incorporate stakeholders’ needs in the development is a strategy for success. Read More