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Applying Project Management Skillsin a Simulation

Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D., PMP

PDS 2006

Cincinnati, OH

schwalbe@augsburg.edu www.kathyschwalbe.com

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Overview Fissure project management simulation Benefits and drawbacks of using simulations Student reactions to simulation Suggestions for using simulations to teach

project management Note: I did not have all of the data when I

created these slides (end of March 2006), so there will be more info in my final presentation. I’ll put final slides on my Web site (www.kathyschwalbe.com) under My Bio

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Fissure – PMI REP Specializing in PM Simulation

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Fissure SimulationDemo version (CD) bundled with my

textbooks (IT PM, 4th edition and Introduction to PM) Project involves developing a prototype

Web site Demo version only includes 7 tasks and 10

potential team membersFull version available from Fissure in

their courses

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Simulation Project Information The Alliance Prototype project is a strategic

effort to augment the sales and marketing of Uniworld with an e-commerce equipped Web site

The budget for this 11-week project is $40,000, and there cannot be more than 7 known defects

After installing the application, users get a guided tour by Peedy the parrot

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Sample Screen – Reference Information

Peedy

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Running the Simulation Read reference information Plan each week – resources, budget, schedule,

risks/opportunities, training, and stakeholder relations Make staffing decisions each week, such as deciding

who to hire, who to assign to what tasks and when, when to send people to training, when to recognize/reward people

Determine the best way to have team and stakeholder interactions (group meetings, individual conferences, individual or team recognition, etc.)

Run the simulation for the week, then review the results in various report and chart formats

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Task Assignment Screen

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WBS and Budget Information

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Gantt Chart

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Network Diagram

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Risk Management

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Training

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Recognition and Rewards

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Team and Stakeholder Interactions

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Summary After Running the Simulation for a Week

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Communications After Running the Simulation for that Week

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Earned Value Chart

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Quality Report

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Benefits of Simulation* Learn from mistakes with no risk Quick connection between cause and

effect Build and test project mental models Build and test leadership mental models Try new techniques/approaches Push your performance boundaries Learn by doing Learn from others in a team setting

*From Fissure documentation of simulation available on textbook Web site

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More Effective Than Just Lecture* The experience is real, invoking real emotions and real

learning Challenges are presented to the student as they manage

a project to get the work done on time and under budget The decisions the student makes while running the

simulation have consequences and an impact on the bottom line results of the project (time, cost, and quality)

The simulation teaches technical and soft skills in an integrated way

There is no “right” answer, there are many paths to success and just like on real projects, there is lots of uncertainty (random events)

*From Fissure documentation of simulation available on textbook Web site

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Students’ Reactions to Fissure Simulation I assigned the simulation as an individual HW

assignment in fall 2005 Mixed results

Some students, mostly male gamers, liked the simulation and spent a lot of time on it

Some students, mostly female, hated the simulation, couldn’t get it to work right, and thought it was a waste of time

Changes for spring 2006 semester – I made the simulation a team assignment for my adult class and paired assignment for two traditional classes

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Student Reactions Adult Weekend College students at

Augsburg had to run the simulation twice as part of a team project

The four teams liked using the simulation; it took a while to figure it out, and most did not finish the simulated project on time or budget, even on the second try

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U. Of Minnesota Student ReactionsPM class there is mostly senior

engineering students, some graduate IT students

Suggested students do in pairs; made a homework assignment

Most students thought it was a good learning tool and didn’t have much trouble loading or running it

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Rating as a Learning Tool – U of M

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1

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3

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5

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7

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Respondent

Ra

tin

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1=low, 10 = high

Average = 7.0

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Teaching Assistant’s Summary of HWs

Bar charts (in the report section), Gantt charts, and earned value charts are useful tools to see the overall progress of the project

"The PM is tasked with realistic responsibilities in the management of the schedule, budget, training, stakeholders, communications, etc.“

The fact that the user knows the individual characteristics of each employee helps the user to play the game.

The program has a steep learning curve

The documentation is not clear, and learning and running the simulation is time-consuming

The feelings towards Peedy the parrot are mixed; robot voice was annoying

"It's like a video game and you can't use all of your senses to get a feel of what is truly going on, like meeting people to see what their like or if they get along with someone else on the team.“

The program does not have some essential functions, such as the ability to save or go-back easily.

Pros Cons

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Student Quotes “One of the most challenging tasks is hiring

and assigning the staff. Hiring an employee has a two-week lead time (three-week lead time for Lisa Derring).”

"Meetings that are to the point and follow an agenda can be extremely productive."

“You need to be cost-conscious as well as keep in mind the morale of the workers and manage time on top of it all. This simulation also makes you realize the constant nagging of upper management.”

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Sample Great ResponseThe following file is from one of my

adult, virtual studentsScott’s response

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Augsburg Day Students’ Reactions When I assigned the simulation in the fall

semester, several of the students had problems loading the software; most were management majors

One student never figured out to assign people to tasks and never finished the project

A few didn’t get it and gave up One said it was too phony and much

preferred doing a real project Women seemed to dislike the simulation

more than the guys

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Spring Semester Augsburg Day Students’ Response Better this time, but women still seemed to

have more problems getting the software loaded and understanding how the simulation worked

Guys treated it as a new game to figure out Several said it took too long to figure out and

run twice Most who did complete it thought it was a

good learning experience but wanted more thorough instructions and a demo in class first

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My Personal Thoughts on Fissure Simulation

Overall, it’s a good learning tool It would be better if it were Web-based; some

students had trouble loading SW on their own PCs and schools won’t allow it

Should be able to assign all workers to tasks on week 1 and just make changes as needed instead of doing all assignments each week

Interface could be clearer; students and I thought Peedy was more annoying than helpful; change the voice for sure!

Add an animation of running one week so it’s easier to figure out

Explain final results of each decision at the end

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Suggestions for Using Simulations to Teach PMMake sure users understand basic PM

concepts first (WBS, Gantt chart, critical path, earned value, communications, etc.)

Have them run it at least in pairs If possible, do a demo firstHave students write a paper

summarizing their decisions and analyzing their results from one run to the next