Best Project Management Simulations

The critical thinking assignment Module 6 was about Project Management Simulation. The scenario involved being the senior project manager at Delphi Printers & Peripherals which is a small electronic and computer firm. The aim of the project was that the project manager assembles a team that should develop a new and high-tech printer for its customers. It is expected that there may be another competitor company that could launch a similar product and Delphi Printers & Peripherals should produce its computers in record time. For the given scenario it is expected that project should be completed in about 18 weeks with a budget of $42,500 and an employee morale of about 85% to 95%. This paper provides an overview of the simulation by providing details regarding the results and how it can be application to the study of project management and future applications. 

Overview of Scenario 

The simulation was conducted and the results were tabulated as shown in the appendix. Scenario A was conducted and the project was expected to be completed in 18 weeks. A shorter target time of 14 weeks was selected and the project was completed by week 15. The total budget required for the project had been $42,500 and the project was completed with a total cost of $41,288. The team process rating amounted to 89/100 indicating that the team had a good moral and a typical level of stress as shown in figure 1 in the Appendix. The decision history for the scenario A was as shown in table 1 in the Appendix. 

Intent of Simulation 

The purpose of the simulation was to provide a scenario for the project manager similar to a real world scenario. The simulation thus sought to have the project manager apply the lessons learned such as scheduling, budgeting, management of the team, and a timely delivery of the product. The project manager was thus tasked with leading a team towards success as they meet the project deadline, work with the provided budget, and maintain a good spirit and morale throughout the course of the project. The simulation thus provided a project application that was similar to the real-world scenario. In such a scenario, one must put several different factors into consideration before taking any action. Any small decisions such as changing the size of the team and the introduction of multiple meetings were found to impact the completion of the project. There were also complications in the project that could be observed from time to time as the project advanced. 

Application of Three PMBOK® Guide Standards 

The three PMBOK Guide standards and practices that applied in the simulation scenario were project scheduling management, project cost management, and project resource management. Project scheduling management involves setting out the clear deadlines for the deliverables of the project in order to manage the project effectively (“Project Management Institute (PMI)”, 2017). For the given scenario, scheduling was carried out by having the project to be completed on week 15 which was two weeks in advance. The tasks to be completed were thus noted throughout the project and it was observed throughout the project whether the project was ahead or behind the schedule. 

Project cost management is another practice which is used to establish and observe the costs of the project. It was observed that one of the parameters that would be required for the successful completion of the project is the budget (Archibald et al. 2015). The total estimate for the given project was $42,500 and the project was completed within the budget with a total cost of $41,288. In order to meet the required costs, an estimation was done regarding the total expenditure that would be required for each week. The costs were controlled by considering other initiatives such as outsourcing the services. 

Project resource management involves the management of the team that would be required to complete the project. The management of the project team is critical as it is the team that steers the project to completion. A small team that was mostly about 3 members was used to complete the project. The team was identified that it could require training so as to develop certain competencies to complete the project (Rodriguez & Walters, 2017). This was possible through ensuring that the team went through coaching at the early stages of the project. 

Lessons from What-If Assessments 

There were several lessons that were learnt through the use of trial and errors and what-if assessments from the project. One trial of the project was used to assist in the improvement of the next project. Flexibility was identified as a critical component of the project as the number of team members and thus weekly project costs had to be adjusted throughout the project. One had to be flexible with regard to the schedule as it could vary. It was thus required to observe the time and cost of the project and adjust it appropriately. 

The next lesson learned from the project was having an approach to manage the team members correctly. The employees had several one-on-one meetings and coaching in order to train them regarding the process of production. In case the meetings and additional deliverables such as the project prototype were required, it could result in a huge amount of stress for the workers. The working hours of the employees was averaged at 40 hours a week. Different factors were put into consideration in order to ensure that the team morale was maintained at the highest level. 

An effective use of resources was also an important lesson for the project. At the start of the project, the project manager begun with three employees that had extensive outsourcing. The basic employees were required to be trained and adjust to the needs of the project before the mainstream production begun. An extensive amount of time was carried out for one-on-one coaching in order to train the employees. Further into the project, the project manager had to add the number of employees to 4 and reduce the time that would be required for training through one-on-one coaching. The outsourcing of the project was still kept extensive. 

There were several budgeting considerations that were applied in the project. It was identified that for the project to remain within the required budget, one had to put a triple-constraint that include scope, cost, and schedule and ensure that the quality of the project was maintained (Barbalho et al., 2017). The reduction of team members would result in the project being maintained within the required budget boundaries. However, this could mean that the project would take longer than expected. The use of such a triple-constraint was critical in ensuring that the project functioned within all the specific boundaries. 

Importance of the Simulation Experience to Advance Career 

The simulation experience was thus critical to assisting one to enter and advance one’s career in project management. The project was critical as it assisted one to gain hands-on experience that would be applied in the real-world scenario. Instead of only dealing with paper work, the project scenario provided different scenarios and challenging experiences that would applied in one’s field of work. One of the experiences that was gained was that project management is not a direct process but would require one to adjust different factors in consideration such as costs, schedule, and resource. One had to balance all these factors in order to ensure that the project succeeded. 

Proficiency in Use of Project Management Systems 

The simulation thus served as a good experience to applying one’s career in the real-world scenario and thus advance one’s career as a project career. Succeeding in the project was thus an indication that one could apply different aspects of project management such as hard work, flexibility, and patience to succeed in the project management. The project was also used to advance one’s experience through the application of PMBOK Guide standards such as project scheduling, costs, and resource management. Knowing, understanding, and applying these standards was critical tool to advance one’s career in project management. 

Conclusion 

The project management simulation provided experience when dealing with a situation similar to a real-world scenario as a project manager. The intent of the of the simulation was to apply the lessons in class in the real-world scenario. As the senior project manager, one gained experience regarding how to lead a team that meets the target objectives of the project such as meeting the budget costs and completing the project based on the given deadline. There were several PMBOK Guide standard practices that were applied in the project which included project costs, scheduling, and resource management. The simulation experience was identified that it could be applied to enter and advance one’s career in project management. This is because it provided an actual experience regarding the various decisions that should be made in any project scenario. 

References 

Archibald, R., Filippo, I. & Filippo, D. (2015). The six-phase comprehensive project life cycle model including the project incubation/feasibility phase and the post-project evaluation phase. Istituto Italiano di Project Management . https://www.iil.com/downloads/Archibald_Di_Filippo_ComprehensivePLCModel_FINAL.pdf 

Barbalho, S. C. M., da Silva, G. L., & de Toledo, J. C. (2017). The impact analysis of functions of Project Management Office on performance of triple constraint of new-product development projects.  Dirección y Organización , (61), 19-31. 

Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017).  A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)  (6th Edition). Newtown Square, PA: PMI PublicationsScope, Resources, and Schedule. Retrieved from https://forio.com/simulate/harvard/projectmanagement/simulation/prepare 

Rodriguez, J., & Walters, K. (2017). The importance of training and development in employee performance and evaluation.  World Wide Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development ,  3 (10), 206-212. 

Appendices 

Figure 1. Project Results for Scenario A. 

Figure 3. Dashboard Results showing Tasks completed, cumulative costs, and schedule. 

Figure 4. Team Process by Week 15