With SimProject students learn what managing a project is like as they make real decisions and get real feedback as they manage a simulated real-life project using real-life people within a real-life company. The simulation powered learning is practical, engaging, intense and challenging. This simulated project consists of 7 tasks spread over 11 weeks iterations with 10 potential team members to staff the project.
SimProject is used by many academic and training organizations around the world as part of their project management curriculum. SimProject can be used as standalone home work for students individual or teams , or utilized as a classroom activity with teams of three or four students sharing the role of project manager. Further, more than one option can be connected in series as a way to understand a phased approach for achieving the desired final state.
This leads to the second advantage of simulation which is the dynamic capability of running the model by simulating time itself. The ability to study the impact of the independent variables on the process over a period of time can provide very useful insights with regards to potential bottlenecks in the future or other unforeseen events our outcomes. Models can be developed to examine the potentially complex interactions of different variables and the impact of different risks on the overall system.
Mitigation strategies can be developed that will lessen the impact of unanticipated and disruptive events. It also helps the management to focus on the most critical risk areas rather than all the identified potential risks. The first step is to Identify the key business conditions and the organizational breakdown for the assignment of goals. Also identify the product breakdown and determine the proper level of work breakdown that will achieve the desired forecast accuracy for the project.
Typical data and information that is required to achieve rapid progress in this phase are: Available resources numbers, talents, etc and their possible locations, hourly rates, work schedules, reporting relationships, the basic work process and the vision for product and work deliverables. This is the phase of the process where the background of the initiative is defined - participants discuss the organizational makeup, vision of the project and high level objectives.
Key financial accounts are also identified and an activity-based costing model can be developed if required. Next, a Model that provides a hypothesis based solution is formulated. This is the phase of the process where the specific initiative roadmap is built with particular emphasis on the Products or Deliverables, the Goals or Tasks as they relate to the Products, the basic dependencies between Goals, the first definition of project phases, any high level dependencies that may exist between them, and an understanding of the work effort that is required to achieve the goals.
It starts with construction of a program roadmap at the top level and then develops detail in the area being studied. The key is to collect data on the system of interest, though only enough to capture the essence of the targeted system, and use it to estimate input parameters and to obtain probability distribution for the random variables used in the model. After Identification and Modeling, the next step in the process is to visualize multiple project scenarios simultaneously through Simulation.
This is the part of the process where the project team examines the initial results, outline areas for improvement, decide on changes and perform multiple simulations that result in an acceptable and likely outcome for the project or program. Information required for this phase includes more definitive understanding of the inter-Goal or inter-Phase dependencies, an understanding of the possible organizational revisions or flexibility that is possible, awareness of the capabilities and talents of the teams that are involved, knowledge of changes or requirements in Goal priorities that are possible and a clear understanding of the work process and the ability to modify it.
The final step is Documenting the assumptions that went into the simulation and Implementing the results of the study in the actual business situation. This is the final phase of the process where the results of the multiple scenarios are analyzed and where one or more that meets the needs of the organization is selected. The key to this selection is the clear understanding of the actions that are necessary by all to achieve the end objectives and the recognition of the impacts on the project results by unforeseen events or inadequate progress on specific Goals.
Simulation can be used to tackle many problems, from initial design and proof-of-concept studies through operation and validation. Selecting the appropriate tool depends on the level of detail required for the model and the questions being answered.
Some leading edge techniques include continuous simulation, program design, discrete-event simulation, combined discreet-continuous simulation and the Monte Carlo simulation technique. Less than a decade ago, simulation was developed using textual coding of the model.
Today, graphical simulation tools are available. They are robust, reasonably inexpensive and allow for rapid model development with a reduced margin for error. They are also easier for non-technical staff to understand and require less training to learn to use than more complex tools.
Simulation refers to the broad collection of methods and applications to mimic the behavior of real systems. Today we have the ability to use the simulation techniques for creating a project roadmap and evaluating different options to achieve our end objectives.
This activity done in the early stages of the project can help us create more realistic project plans and control processes. Exhibit -2 shows the process for creating models and using simulations for better forecasting. In conclusion, all simulation analysis, for any situation shares the common elements of scenario comparison, risk identification and tradeoff evaluation. Some of the benefits of using simulation include: Comparison of Operating Alternatives by evaluating two or more alternatives, Time Compression by evaluate several different operating scenarios over a simulated period of time, Simulation and Optimization by imitating several situations with multiple levers and then optimize only a few that yield the best results, and Risk Management by developing mitigation strategies that will lessen the impact of unanticipated and disruptive events.
The use of simulation techniques in projects increases the overall yields and quality of the Project to which they are applied. It also lowers the total program costs. Though it is a simplification of the real world, it is not a panacea as the predictive power of simulation is strongly dependent on how well the models are validated.
Every Project has risk and uncertainty associated with it. MIT Sloan has long been a pioneer among business schools when it comes to action learning —creating real-world applications of classroom knowledge. Management flight simulations are one such application. These innovative and interactive games create a virtual world in which students explore and participate in the critical management issues facing a range of industries and organizations. Management simulation games bring an experiential aspect to learning about complex systems.
This type of action learning has more impact on students than simply listening to a lecture or engaging in a case study discussion. Role-play a Scrum Master Experience an agile team in action.
Turning Knowledge into Skills. Ecolab I think everyone who works on projects should have this experience. Mayo Clinic The Simulation was great! I learned a lot…most fun class I have ever taken!
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