Managing Soft Skills Development in Technological Innovation Project Teams: An Experience Report in the Automotive Industry

This Research Full Paper reports an experience related to the Training Program 4.0 to encourage technological innovation focused on developing professional skills, especially soft skills, in undergraduate and graduate students. As the primary motivation for this program, the constant technological evolution and consequent demand for continuing education of information technology professionals stand out. Also, considering the complexity of problems solved with technology and an increasingly demanding market, computing education has been transforming, focusing on technical skills, such as cloud technologies and AI, and non-technical skills, such as self-initiative, communication, and collaboration. In this context, continuing education initiatives through teaching and learning approaches centered on practice are beneficial for forming professional skills. This study describes an experience of one of the units of the Training Program 4.0 focused on innovation for the automotive sector, based on the report and discussion of three projects. As a main contribution, the report proposes a PBL process for innovation projects, transforming it into a PBL training that can be planned, executed, monitored, and continuously improved. Using an appropriate assessment model makes it possible to manage soft skills throughout the projects, carrying out necessary interventions. To present evidence of the use of the proposed PBL Process, the results of the projects are discussed, showing how Soft skills can be managed in the context of innovation projects or other educational contexts, such as courses or disciplines.