Andres
Manager, Boston
- Why did you choose Analysis Group?
- The interview process itself, and the quality and enthusiasm of the people I met, was what sold me on Analysis Group. I was deeply impressed by how different the process was compared to other firms I was also interviewing with. The interviews were focused on assessing my growth and learning potential, and whether I would be a good colleague. Analysis Group has a genuine mission of cultivating a constructive work environment.
- What do you enjoy most about your work? What do you find most challenging?
- I enjoy the variety of projects, from academic (seeking new scientific understandings about a disease) to practical (designing clinical trials) to policy-oriented (conducting cost-effectiveness analyses) to very methodological (developing measures of disease progression). The challenge is balancing this variety.
- What got you interested in health care consulting?
- When I was in academia, my economic development research included work in mathematical epidemiology, investigating disease transmission in urban environments. Becoming a consultant in HEOR, Epidemiology & Market Access at AG was a way of having a tangible impact on the world.
- How does life at Analysis Group compare to graduate school?
- I have a master’s degree in industrial engineering and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics. The master’s is similar to what I do now in terms of the scope of the research – what we do at Analysis Group is generally meant to have practical consequences beyond academia. However, most of the skills I use at AG I learned during my Ph.D., such as how to collaborate, how to listen and stay humble, how to read scientific papers, and how to ask good questions. The one big difference from both experiences, though, is that at Analysis Group, there is a clear and constant reliance on teamwork to make progress.
- What new experiences have you had since joining Analysis Group?
- I have learned to create clear plans for how a project will develop. I have also learned to be as specific as possible about the tasks that need to be done, and as mindful as possible about how long they will take.
- What do you think of the case team dynamic?
- The case team dynamic has been an eye-opener in terms of how work can be organized effectively within a firm. On the one hand, one can choose which cases to join and which people to work with, allowing us to explore different types of projects and people with different workstyles. On the other hand, although each team member develops a specialty within the project and a division of tasks emerges, everyone can count on each other to step in if help is needed. This creates strong bonds within the team, which develop into camaraderie and friendship.
- Have you had any surprises or breakthroughs since joining Analysis Group?
- I used to consider “work meetings” a bit of a waste of time. Conclusions were seldom reached, and concrete next steps were seldom established. It has been quite a discovery for me that, at Analysis Group, meetings are very useful and effective.
- What is it like to work in your office? What is the culture there?
- I love going to the office. I ride my bike there, and I have a beautiful view of Boston from the window in my personal office. There’s great coffee, delicious snacks, leisure spaces to take a break from work, and even showers. There are a lot of people around, so I’ve made good friends with my office neighbors.
- How do you find a suitable work/life balance?
- Balance comes from being productive during working hours, so that my mind can be free afterwards and I can spend quality time with myself and my family. To be productive, my best friend is my calendar, where I put all my tasks, to-dos, and commitments.
