IPM: A computer Interactive Project Management teaching tool

Abstract

Project management deals with all phases of a project, from the initiation of the planning procedure to the physical completion of the entire effort. The process of teaching the quantitative approaches to project management (i.e. Critical-Path Method and Program Evaluation and Review Technique) is a fairly straightforward task that has been performed for many years. However, teaching the principles of project management is a different task altogether. The project management process involves a sequence of planning, decision making, follow-up activities and reevaluation followed by a repeat of the sequence. That is, in order to truly examine and teach the process of project management (i.e. not just the tools), it is necessary to view the activities in a dynamic projectlike environment. With this idea in mind, the Interactive Project Management game (IPM) was developed. IPM was created with the intent of teaching project management principles in a simulated project environment using the computer. This paper describes IPM, its characteristics and its capabilities, and includes an IPM gaming session.