'Project Management Live' - our matrix-oriented project management simulated game

The benefits of "Project Management Live"

• Several projects are managed in a matrix structure alongside ordinary day-to-day business. A competition for the available (personnel) resources develops. This makes the simulated game very realistic and provides an ideal opportunity to compare different approaches by different project teams and the resulting effects.

• The project dynamics of real project management processes are also inevitably revealed with "Project Management Live". The consequences of a poor kick-off or an absence of planning tools appear just as in real life; after the game, video documentation can then be used to show these effects and help understand them.

• "Project Management Live" has a high "lock-in effect": The desire to complete the tasks set successfully means the participants become engrossed in the underlying seminar topic, which can be conveyed extremely intensively but almost incidentally.

What happens with "Project Management Live"?

With "Project Management Live" a matrix structure is specified in which all game participants receive their own role description. Within this matrix structure, several projects are then started alongside existing day-to-day business. As well as the need to provide performance, all projects must also ensure specified deadlines and costs are adhered to.

As the projects are competing with each other and with ordinary day-to-day business for scarce resources, the success of a project very much depends on the extent to which an individual project manager is able to build an effective project team and maintain an intensive, binding exchange with all persons involved in the project, especially during critical stages. The success of a project also depends on how well the project manager is able to balance specified requirements and flexibility.

During the analysis stage, it is particularly helpful to compare the various project processes. It can be clearly shown how different approaches by the project managers affect a project's development and how the corporate structure itself responds to the type of project management (systemic effects).

Analysis level

"Project Management Live" permits transparent examination of project management approaches during the analysis stage. Based on the impression gained of the success of each respective project, projects can be examined from the following viewpoints during the analysis phase:

• How clearly was the project's goal worked out and how clearly was it communicated to the project participants?

• To what extent were the project participants brought together to from a dedicated project team?

• How was the "time" factor dealt with ?

• How was the "costs" factor dealt with?

• Was the overall project management well structured?

• What was the response to a shortage of (employee) resources?

• How intensively was contact with individual project participants nurtured?

• How were sudden, unexpected situations dealt with?

The analysis reveals the interrelations between communicative skills, teamwork and method skills. If one of the stones in the mosaic reveals a shortcoming this can jeopardize the entire project management process.

"Project Management Live" also reveals "negative spirals". The video feedback shows how project participants respond (often unconsciously) to poor project leadership and how this can trigger "negative spirals" which often go unnoticed by the project manager.

Please contact us if you are interested in organizing our project management simulated game "Project Management Live" at your company.