Project management simulation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Project Management Simulation)

Project management simulation is simulation used for project management training and
analysis. Project management simulation is often used as training simulation for project
managers. In other cases it is used for what-if analysis and for supporting decision-making
in real projects. Frequently the simulation is conducted using software tools.

Contents
1 Training
2 Analysis
3 See also
4 References

Training
Project management simulation for training is an interactive learning activity, frequently
practiced as a group exercise. The purpose of the simulation is to impart to students the
competencies (i.e. knowledge, skills, and attitudes) that will ultimately improve their
performance.[1] It confronts trainees with the situations and problems that arise in real world
projects. Trainees see the consequences of the decisions they make. They can track the
evolution of the project parameters: scope, costs, schedule, and quality, as well as human
factors. The simulation provides an opportunity for learners to solve typical project
problems, to make mistakes and analyze them. Pedagogic goals of project management
simulation can be to teach how to:

determine goal and objectives of a project;

estimate cost;
plan tasks of the project;
plan resources in a project;
use project management tools;
control the progress of a project;
make team decisions under stress;
react appropriately in typical project management situations

Different studies[1][2] suggest that using simulation-based training for training project
managers is superior to other methods.

Analysis
Project management simulation is used to analyze real projects. The goal of the simulation
is to show the user the different possible outcomes of his decisions, along with the
probability that each outcome will occur. The simulation helps in reducing the project risk
and in choosing the best project plan. In a typical simulation the project is first modeled
into a software tool along with uncertain variables. A simulation is then run to check the
different possible outcomes and their probability as a result of different inputs for the
uncertain variables.

See also
Case study
Project management
Project manager
Serious game
Simulation game
Simulation
Training simulation
Project team builder
SimulTrain
Sensitivity analysis

References
1.

Salas, E., Wildman, J. L., Piccolo, R. F. (2009). "Using simulation-based training to

enhance management Education", Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8,
559573.
Nembhard, D., K. Yip and A. Shtub, "Comparing Competitive and Cooperative
Strategies for Learning Project Management" April, 2009, International Journal of
Engineering Education, 181192