Project Management Simulation SCOPE, RESOURCES, SCHEDULE By Robert D. Austin, University of New Brunswick FOR COURSES IN: Operations Project Management Management Project Management Simulation: Scope, Resources, Schedule In this single-player simulation, students must successfully develop and deliver a new product for a small electronics and computer peripherals manufacturer. Management requests a project scope for new features and a delivery schedule to confront a competitive threat. Attempting to meet management’s objectives, students act as lead project managers responsible for staffing the project team, managing the team process, and executing a successful project plan. Unanticipated events and challenges threaten success and students must consider the possible tradeoffs among project resources to bring the new product to market on time, on budget, and ahead of the competition. Project Management Simulation: Scope, Resources, Schedule prepare dashboard overview project overview analyze project resources decide team process management targets Analyze Dashboard Overview - Week 13 Results Tasks Completed Team Size Cost Tasks Completed: 147/185 Target Scope: High-Speed Mgmt. Target Scope: High-Speed Team Size: 4 225 185 50K$ 40K$ 147 Tasks 30K$ 20K$ 10K$ 0$ wk 1 0 Team Productivity Schedule New Tasks Completed: 22 Problems Discovered: 4 4 wk 12 wk 11 Completion Week 10 wk 10 wk 15 The team is in in good spirits. 20 0 wk 12 wk 13 Students analyze team progress in each simulated week and make decisions to keep the project on target. hbsp.harvard.edu wk 5 Team Morale Expected Completion: Week 19 Target Completion: Week 19 Mgmt. Target Completion: Week 17 22 Cumulative Cost: $49,150 Mgmt. Target Cost: $29,992 dashboard overview project resources project overview team process management targets Analyze Project Overview - Week 9 Results MANAGING SCOPE AND SCHEDULE Your Target Project Scope Wireless Unfinished Tasks At the start the Required simulation, management Totalof Tasks to Complete Project sets an 170 Tasks expectation for the project scope along with the expected Completed Tasks 88 tasks delivery schedule in weeks and a budget for the project. Yourscope Target can Date range for Completion Week 17 The project from producing a printer with Your Team’s Estimate of Completion Week 17 minimal noncompetitive features to producing a high-end Management Targetthe competition’s. The Week 18 printer with featuresSchedule that exceed Management Project Scope project scope and schedule are Target closely linked since the Wireless Your team’s project is ahead of schedule greater the scope, the more tasks are required to complete the project. During each simulated week, students must If you stop your project today, you will n/a analyze the progress and decide whether to increase, haveteam’s completed decrease, or maintain the scope and schedule for the project. New Tasks Completed 38 22 Completed Tasks New Problems Discovered 147 4 Students analyze the team’s progress and decide whether to increase, decrease, or maintain the scope and schedule for the project. New Tasks Completed and Problems Discovered New Tasks Completed Problems Discovered 30 20 MANAGING10RESOURCES Week 1 20 0 Week 2 24 9 10 Students are 0responsible for hiring the necessary resources The morale, stress level, and workload wk 1 wk 2 wk 10 wk 15 5 4 10 for the project. They can hire up to 12 team members with directlyWeek affect their efficiency at completing project tasks. Tasks Completed Problems Discovered a specific skill level and also choose a level of outsourcing. To help manage the team process, students can set up Management Scope, Resources, Schedule TooProject many resources consume Simulation: the budget while too few can one-on-one coaching sessions and meetings for the team extend the schedule. members to review project status. Students can also allow prepare analyze decide or encourage overtime to help the team meet the schedule. dashboard project team management project Week 3 15 team members’ overview overview resources process Analyze targets Team Process - Week 13 Results Comments From Your Team “Just tell us what your target is and we’ll make it happen.” Hours Hours Worked per Person 40 32 24 16 8 0 wk 1 wk 5 wk 10 wk 15 Hours Worked per Person Team Morale 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% wk 1 Team Stress Hours Spent in Meetings High One-on-One Coaching Daily Standup Med 1 Status Review Tasks Low wk 5 Team Morale wk 10 Team Stress wk 15 wk 1 Hours Spent in Meetings wk 5 wk 10 wk 15 Hours Spent on Tasks Week 1 39 77% .90 7.5 31 Week 2 39 86% .90 7.5 31 Week 3 37 92% .59 7.5 30 Week 4 37 86% .56 7.5 29 Week 5 36 69% .53 7.5 28 Week 6 35 68% .50 7.5 27 Week 7 36 67% .55 7.5 28 Week 8 36 78% .55 2.0 34 Week 9 35 84% .50 2.0 33 The team is in in good spirits. Students monitor the number of hours that team members work, their morale, and their level of stress. UNANTICIPATED EVENTS AND CHALLENGES SCORING Faculty have the option to introduce unexpected challenges for students to face at any point during the project. A staffing crisis takes away team members and requires students to figure out how to keep the project on schedule with fewer resources. Another possible challenge requires students to accelerate the project schedule following a competitive announcement. Students continue to make decisions until the project is completed. They receive scores based on how well their projects meet the expected scope, schedule, and budget and how well they manage the project team. Faculty can adjust the weighting of scoring attributes to meet different learning objectives for project management. ADMINISTRATION TOOLS ON NEXT PAGE ➜ Administration Tools for Faculty Compares results fom best scoring run for each user. Shows completed runs only. 5 nderstanding how team skill level, U team morale, deadlines, and work quality are interrelated and affected by a project manager’s decisions 4 3 ■■ ■■ eacting to unanticipated events R and managing uncertainty etting realistic project objectives S and minimizing scope changes 4 700 to 799 800 to 899 2 2 0 4 3 1 1 nalyzing the effect of poor-quality A work on project outcomes nderstanding the importance U of appropriately timed changes in allocating resources Analyze Distribution of Results 400 to 499 500 to 599 600 to 699 Score (Best Completed Run for Each User) Compare Total Score ■■ correlation graphs from All Scenarios Copy to Clipboard Scenario Score 1 Curtis Hopson Scenario C 837 / 1,050 summary 2 Chadwick Omalley Scenario C 836 / 1,050 summary 3 Christine Pipkin Scenario C 817 / 1,050 summary 4 Daron Dimond Scenario C 807 / 1,050 summary 5 Beatrice German Scenario A 795 / 1,050 summary 6 Brendan Ackley Scenario C 793 / 1,050 summary Detailed class summary results allow faculty to discuss different project management strategies and outcomes. CONFIGURING SCENARIOS Students benefit from playing the simulation multiple times. Faculty can choose among five pre-built product development scenarios or create a custom scenario. Scenario setup options include: ■■ Setting management targets ■■ Setting budget constraints ■■ Introducing unexpected events Faculty can determine how students’ scores are calculated by setting the number of points for achieving or exceeding the scope, schedule, and budget set by management and for managing the team process. Web-based results and supplemental slides are available for immediate debrief. Faculty can review summary results for the entire class as well as detailed results for each student. 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Customer service is available 8 am to 6 pm ET, Monday through Friday Phone: 1-800-545-7685 (1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada) Fax: 617-783-7666 Email: [email protected] Web: hbsp.harvard.edu ALSO AVAILABLE IN OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT ■■ Global Supply Chain Management: #6107 Operations Management Simulation V2: Benihana #7003 ■■ Supply Chain Management Simulation: Root Beer Game #3101 ■■ MC169030811 ■■ scenario setup results distribution Product #M10922 ■■ xploring trade-offs among the three E major project management levers: scope, resources, and schedule class summary class results Users ■■ Project Management Simulation: Scope, Resources, Schedule Printed on recycled paper. A comprehensive Teaching Note covers key learning objectives, including: