Project Management Simulation Research Articles

Methodology for aviation MRO system management decision-making

The article considers the main methods for increasing the efficiency of aviation maintenance and repair (MRO) processes organization. A brief overview of these methodologies is presented and their key principles are highlighted. Based on the analysis of existing methodologies, a management decision-making technique based on the Stage-Gate project management technology and simulation modeling methods was proposed. This technique makes it possible to ensure the information availability for the after-sales services organization from other processes in a single information environment and make decisions on the transition to the next gate based on simulation models of aircraft maintenance at various gates.

The Project Win Game™: A Serious Game for Project Management Simulation

Agile project management methodology usage have grown widely in the last decade. Not all types of projects should apply agile methodologies, and the tasks that would typically be executed by a project manager are not (explicitly) addressed in agile methodologies. This paper describes The Project Win Game: a serious game for people to experience the differences in decision-making between traditional/waterfall and agile projects. The game engages an audience in complex decision-making and allows them to experience the effects of their decisions; this allows non-managers to learn project management responsibilities and translate that experience into knowledge. This paper describes the gamification of project management, the development of the game, and the lessons learned through single-player and competitive play. This paper would interest people that need to engage non-managers in management tasks and understand how a board game builds knowledge based on the experience of playing the game.

Simulation in Project and Program Management: Utilization, Challenges and Opportunities

Nowadays the program complexity increases and program manager needs to have specialized skills and knowledge as he faces the most challenging tasks in his job for making sure that all projects and program component are moving as per the plan. Thus, program management education plays a critical role in supporting and enhancing the skill and competencies needed for program manager so the training has to follow innovative way to overcome the limitation the traditional courses deliver. Introduction of simulations in project management has since helped in the exploration of opportunities, expect scenarios and identify limitations of several factors within the project at hand however the initial search shows the lack of dedicated and well-known simulation software for program management compared to many simulation tools for project management training. This research paper seeks to explore and study the usage of simulation tools in program management and study if Program Management can benefit from available Project Management simulation as well as how current can be enhanced for that and do we need separated software or better to enhance current software. For that, observation has to be done to explore that and come up with appropriate recommendations and suggestions. This will include defining the simulation tools in general, its objectives, pros & cons, challenges & opportunities, sample of project management simulation then followed by research methods including survey, questionnaires for interviewees and output from what we studied so method depends on qualitative data due to lack of secondary data. This will be built up to get understanding on program manager requirement for simulation as possible.

An Effective Project Management Simulation for Distance Education

The challenge in distance education for project management courses is how to maintain quality when team projects, traditional lectures and in-class exercises normally conducted in face-to-face courses are not practical. This research explores the desirability and effectiveness of computer-based project management simulation as a teaching tool for industrial technology students in a distance education (DE) degree program. The purpose of using the simulation was to enhance learning outcomes related to project management processes and techniques taught in the course. A survey of approximately 100 students over four semesters was used to determine how online students responded to the use of simulation to teach specific project management concepts. Additionally, the research sought to determine which project management concepts were most enhanced through this active learning activity. The results established that the SimProject® computer-based simulation improved project management education for distance students and added value to the course by reinforcing text-based content. The data established a positive relationship between the simulation and specific project management knowledge areas for scope, time, cost, risk, human resource, communication, stakeholder, and quality management. The simulation provided students with the challenge to execute a virtual project, allowing up to three separate attempts, each with the same defined goals for time, cost, and quality. Dynamic, simulation- induced, life-like obstacles based on student choices presented unique management decisions for each trial. A successful outcome required students to meet time, cost, and quality goals within 10 percent of target. Student motivation for this pedagogy was apparent as most used all three attempts and provided positive survey feedback.

Enabling construction project managers through a management game

PurposeThis paper aims to design and develop a management game in the field of construction project management so that by playing the game, the required level of knowledge, skills, capabilities and overall project management competencies in individuals will be promoted. Also, player’s competencies can be measured.Design/methodology/approachThis study, in terms of application, is applied research. The construction project management simulation game (CPMSG) was played by 18 university students. To evaluate the level of the players’ project management knowledge and quality of the game, questionnaires were used.FindingsThe game improves the players’ project management knowledge by 158%, and the educational program that was formulated in the game has also achieved the first three levels of bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. In the field of game quality, analysis of players’ results of responses and scores show that the game has a good quality level.Originality/valueThe CPMS game provides a useful tool for project management training, especially in the field of construction projects. It helps in addition to improving the quality of teaching theoretical topics, making students acquainted with the risks and uncertainties of such projects, and provides a simulated experience. In the field of common behavior analysis and player’s selection, the results indicated that the majority of groups used high-quality materials during the games to perform activities related to the appearance of the building (such as finishing and building facade activities) and used medium quality materials in implementing infrastructural activities such as brickwork and floor construction that are not visible in the appearance of work.

Análise da Implementação de um Programa Vivencial em Gestão de Projetos em Cursos Universitários

The objective of this research was to analyze the implementation of an Experiential Program in Project Management (EPPM) for practical training in Business Administration graduation and specialization. The research is based on experiential learning, project management and business games theories that subsidized the structure of analysis from the indication of essential analytical factors. It was used a case study as a research strategy and it was implemented the participant observation in order to understand the opinions about the experience. The study was carried out in three Project Management subjects of the 6th semester Business Administration graduation, covering 71 students, and in a specialization course in Business Logistics with 25 participants. In its phases, it is described the elaboration of the educational program with the adjustments of the simulator Project Management Simulation (PMS-SIM), the teaching materials and the application of the program in short and long duration formats. The analyses of the participants' opinions indicated the contribution of the program to the practice of management, bringing benefits to the area of managerial education, such as the proposal of a technological resource, PMS-SIM organizational simulator and EPPM as an alternative to conventional models of education, which allow the practice of concepts and the development of skills.

The relevance of being “on the same page” to succeed as a project team: A moderated mediation model

Taking a motivational approach, this study deepens the role of team members’ shared understanding of the work to be done in a project team setting. More specifically, the goal of this study is to test a second stage moderated mediation model in which the mediating role of team members’ proactive behavior in the relationship between perceived shared understanding and team performance is moderated by team adaptability. Based on a multisource and multimethod approach, data were collected from 111 teams of undergraduate and graduate students (521 participants) participating in a project management simulation. Results support the hypothesized moderated mediation model. Indeed, the results indicate that the relationship between perceived shared understanding and team performance is mediated by proactive behavior. The results also show that the relationship between proactive behavior and team performance is moderated by team adaptability. Overall, results reveal that the indirect effect of perceived shared understanding on team performance is moderated by team adaptability, such that this indirect effect is stronger when the level of team adaptability is high. In terms of practical implications, the study highlights the importance of fostering the perception of being “on the same page” in order to motivate members to be proactive and to enhance project team performance.

Flow experience in teams: The role of shared leadership.

The present study tests a multilevel mediation model concerning the effect of shared leadership on team members' flow experience. Specifically, we investigate the mediating role of teamwork behaviors in the relationships between 2 complementary indicators of shared leadership (i.e., density and centralization) and flow. Based on a multisource approach, we collected data through observation and survey of 111 project teams (521 individuals) made up of university students participating in a project management simulation. The results show that density and centralization have both an additive effect and an interaction effect on teamwork behaviors, such that the relationship between density and teamwork behaviors is stronger when centralization is low. In addition, teamwork behaviors play a mediating role in the relationship between shared leadership and flow. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of promoting team-based shared leadership in organizations to favor the flow experience. (PsycINFO Database Record

Project risk planning in high-tech new product development

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the implementation and testing of a modified project risk management framework that integrates PMI’s framework with Monte Carlo simulation to improve the effectiveness in high-tech new product development (NPD) projects.Design/methodology/approachThe modified framework considers three bodies of knowledge: project management, risk management, and Monte Carlo simulation to produce an enhance project risk management framework. Its application is shown through a case study.FindingsUsing the integrated framework in a recent case study project and prior NPD projects measures (as benchmarks), it was shown that it could help to enhance risk responses caused by task durations and costs’ uncertainties. The framework proved to be better than segregated generic best practices and was key in providing insight to the issue of early project risk assessment.Research limitations/implicationsMore experimental replications are required for enhancement effectiveness assertions of the framework, through the application of the framework to similar case studies. Furthermore, this could improve its reliability and soundness.Practical implicationsFuture directions for research could include case and empirical studies that include hypothesis’s testing, and the integration of optimization procedure for improved NPD project’s planning and execution.Originality/valueThis paper outlines a way to close the gap of project risks management planning in NPD’s initiatives. It was motivated by a relatively new tendency in exploring integrated frameworks to deal with complex project risks issues.

Effectiveness of Learning Through Experience and Reflection in a Project Management Simulation

Aim. In close cooperation with an international automotive supplier we developed the “C2” business simulation game in order to meet real work practice needs. Based on the example of a site-location decision and the setup of a new factory in China, the participants of the game experienced the challenges of an interdisciplinary project team as well as project management in complex and rapidly changing situations. During the game we used the creative learning method LEGO® Serious Play®,1 which helps to express different understandings through hands-on modelling. The aim of the game is to acquire and improve both technical project management knowledge and soft skills of the participants. Method. In total, 47 students participated in one of six two-day game sessions. They reported self-perceptions about their skill level through pre- and post-game questionnaires. Further data were collected during the simulation game based on observations, lessons learned reflections of the participants and evaluation questionnaires. Results. Results from our pre- and post-game self-assessment questionnaires show that the “C2” business simulation game improves not only conceptual knowledge about project management but also team working and the participants’ other soft skills. Results indicate that the students’ reactions to the simulation game were positive, and students felt that the LEGO Serious Play method helped them to better cope with challenges of teamwork, influences of stakeholders, risk factors and unpredictable project situations. Conclusion. These results suggest that our business simulation game has the potential to be an effective learning and training tool to provide students with relevant skills necessary for project managers. By giving students the opportunity to act in an authentic scenario based on a real project case, we can support their action-oriented as well as their trial-and-error learning, or in short their learning through experience.

Empirical Perspective on Activity Durations for Project-Management Simulation Studies

AbstractSimulation has played an important role in project-management studies of the last decades, but in order for them to produce practical results, a realistic distribution model for activity durations is indispensable. The construction industry often has needed historical records of project executions, to serve as inputs to the distribution models, but a clearly outlined calibration procedure is not always readily available, nor are their results readily interpretable. This study seeks to illustrate how data from the construction industry can be used to derive realistic input distributions. Therefore, the Parkinson simulation model with a lognormal core is applied to a large empirical dataset from the literature and the results are described. From a discussion of these results, an empirical classification of project executions is presented. Three possible uses are presented for the calibration procedure and the classification in project management simulation studies. These were validated using a case ...

Design and Evaluation of PMS: A Computerized Simulation Game for Software Project Management

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the use of computerized simulation games to support the teaching and learning of software/IT project management. However, it appears that some of the existing simulation games mainly focus on software engineering concepts, and have less emphasis on project management issues such as scope, stakeholder and communication management. On the other hand, some project management simulation games focus on general project management concepts (e.g. the constraints among time, cost and scope), but fail to demonstrate the unique aspects and complexity of software/IT projects. This article presents the design and implementation of project management simulation (PMS), a computerized simulation game for the learning of software/IT project management. PMS addresses issues relevant to project management and software engineering literature. In the game, the player acts as a project manager and plans a video contest software development project. The player must analyze each project stakeholder’s requirements, properly define the project scope, and assign project activities to team members. The player communicates with the stakeholders proactively, develops software prototypes, and conducts quality review to increase stakeholders’ satisfaction and improve software quality. PMS aims to place a more balanced emphasis on the concepts of both software engineering and project management. This article includes an evaluation study to demonstrate the effectiveness of a learning exercise with PMS for supporting the teaching of the undergraduate course, ‘Software Project Methodology and Implementation’, at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The effectiveness of students’ learning with respect to the different project management knowledge areas was measured by comparing the students’ perceived levels of understanding of project management knowledge before and after playing the game. The pre and post learning exercise data show that the exercise with PMS significantly reinforced players’ knowledge in most project management knowledge areas, namely in human resource management.

Study on Tender Offers Decision-Making Based on the Sand Table Experiment

This article discusses about the decision-making method of tender offer based on the engineering project management simulation experiment. The research first simulates the project construction process to explore possible ways to reduce cost. Then, combining with the lowest biding price standards in China, it analyzes the internal relationship between biding price and the lowest cost and finds the determining factors of calculating biding quotation. Next, the research determines the final biding price based on the biding price concepts and several other factors, for instance, competitors’ technical skills, management skills and biding strategies. Finally, this article applies the method in the decision-making process of Triumphal Arch tender offer project and proves the feasibility of the method.

Evaluating a Project Management Simulation Training Exercise

This research is an evaluation of a single-player, project management simulation training exercise. Our objective is to gain understanding about the extent to which it contributes to participants’ project management knowledge and skills. Results from pre- and post-simulation exercise questionnaires indicate that overall the simulation exercise significantly improves a participant’s conceptual knowledge about project management. It also indicates that participants with less experience achieve more knowledge improvement than those with more experience. Results further indicate that the actual performance of the exercise, which represents the educational value of the exercise, is primarily dependent on the post-project management knowledge of the participant established throughout the exercise, prior knowledge brought to the exercise, and the experience of the participant. We believe that these results indicate that the simulation training exercise is a valuable training tool, which both engineering and project managers can use.

Flow Experience and Team Performance: The Role of Team Goal Commitment and Information Exchange

While a number of studies show that the flow experience is related to different outcomes at the individual level, the role of flow in work teams remains unclear. This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on flow by testing the relationships between this psychological state, team goal commitment and team performance. Data were gathered from 85 teams comprised of graduate and undergraduate students who participated in a project management simulation. The results show that the flow experience is positively related to team performance. This relationship is mediated by team goal commitment and moderated by the level of information exchange between team members. In practical terms, the results of this study show that managers should implement interventions fostering the flow experience in their teams, while at the same time encouraging information exchange between members.

Performers, trackers, lemmings and the lost: sustained false optimism in forecasting project outcomes—evidence from a quasi-experiment

The consistently successful delivery of projects remains an ambition that many organisations do not achieve. Whilst the reasons behind project failure are many, one recognised factor is the ‘planning fallacy’ – over-optimism in the planning phase of a project. Whilst the planning phase of a project may be a battle for acceptance and resource allocation, the execution phase is a battle for delivery. Based on both qualitative and quantitative data gathered from a project management simulation, this study set out to establish whether optimism bias persists beyond the planning phase and into the execution phase, and, if so, to explore the reasons why. The results confirm the extent and impact of optimism bias in initial project planning. More importantly, the contribution of this study is to demonstrate on-going or sustained false optimism.

Appreciating the Complexity of Project Management Execution: Using Simulation in the Classroom

ABSTRACTAs the popularity and importance of project management increase, so does the need for well‐prepared project managers. This article discusses our experiences using a project management simulation in undergraduate and MBA classes to help students better grasp the complexity of project management. This approach gives students hands‐on experience with many facets in the project management life cycle and provides them with feedback on their performance as project managers. This article provides an overview of the simulation exercises, guidance for classroom integration, and evidence of effectiveness.

Flow experience and team performance: The role of team goal commitment and information exchange

While a number of studies show that the flow experience is related to different outcomes at the individual level, the role of flow in work teams remains unclear. This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on flow by testing the relationships between this psychological state, team goal commitment and team performance. Data were gathered from 85 teams comprised of graduate and undergraduate students who participated in a project management simulation. The results show that the flow experience is positively related to team performance. This relationship is mediated by team goal commitment and moderated by the level of information exchange between team members. In practical terms, the results of this study show that managers should implement interventions fostering the flow experience in their teams, while at the same time encouraging information exchange between members.

Practical Development Project Design, Planning and Execution

This is A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Train Development Project Practitioners.The book is designed to introduce development practitioners to the rudiments of project management, in order to improve the project delivery process and efficiency during the implementation process. Discussions within the text will be quite helpful to development practitioners through a better understanding of how to evaluate the cost and benefit of embarking on a project, and ways of enhancing the quality of the end-product, reduction in the time it takes to conclude a project, and the different stages involved in the process. Conceptualization of specific development projects would introduce the student to project management concepts and the rationale behind the subject. Here, discussions about specific projects, their planning methods, and the appropriate feasibility studies for the projects.Methods needed to draw up a budgetary plan and the budgetary control methods for specific projects. The different methods of project implementation, and the monitoring methods used for evaluating these projects. The discussions within the text would also range from how to apply project life cycle models in specific development projects, the costing methods involved in managing fixed and variable assets, and project management simulation exercises.Section 1 focuses on simulating the theoretical concepts, and how a full body of a project can be conceptualized from the initiation stages to finishing. Section 11 applies the feasibility evaluation to practical usage for the daily activities of the development worker. The book serves as an introduction to project management for the student, rural worker, and middle class workers that work in large institutions within Less Developed Countries (LDCs).

Performers, trackers, lemmings and the lost: Sustained false optimism in forecasting project outcomes — Evidence from a quasi-experiment

The consistently successful delivery of projects remains an ambition that many organisations do not achieve. Whilst the reasons behind project failure are many, one recognised factor is the ‘planning fallacy’ – over-optimism in the planning phase of a project. Whilst the planning phase of a project may be a battle for acceptance and resource allocation, the execution phase is a battle for delivery. Based on both qualitative and quantitative data gathered from a project management simulation, this study set out to establish whether optimism bias persists beyond the planning phase and into the execution phase, and, if so, to explore the reasons why. The results confirm the extent and impact of optimism bias in initial project planning. More importantly, the contribution of this study is to demonstrate on-going or sustained false optimism.