Assignment Problem:
Description:
The basic goal is to synthesize learning from the individual sessions. Students will evaluate correlation graphs based on the date from all scenarios. In addition, they will revisit advice in each of the topic areas mentioned in the analysis section of the guide (i.e. Project Planning, Basic project Management Advice, managing people factors, Managing Risk and Uncertainty, and making Tough Tradeoffs). The correlation graphs may be used earlier, but they are perhaps best used after a significant amount of data (a large number of students runs) has been accumulated. It's a good idea for the instructor to carefully identify the correlation graphs that have something to offer (not all will). Note that graphs don't capture all the subtleties of the simulation - for example, graphing the number of hours in meetings against a project outcome measure does not take into account when during the project (early or late) most meeting hours occurred (and that does matter in the simulation).
Submission Instructions
After playing the simulation, students will generate a short debrief summary that responds to the following assignment questions:
1. Let's revisit your ideas about how decision parameters (target scope, team size, team skill level, amount of outsourcing, target completion data, overtime allowed, time in meetings, number of prototypes) affect project outcomes (task completed, cost incurred, productivity, new problems discovered, project completion date) and team attributes (morale, stress level, rates of mistakes). How have your ideas about these causal relationships changed? How confident are you now in your hypotheses about them?
2. What strategies work for managing projects? What strategies work when uncertainty is low or high? What strategies work when objectives are realistic or not?