project

Introduction:

Simulations help turn knowledge into performance. In a simulation, students can interact in a

real world environment with low risk. Simulations allow students to apply class concepts to an

actual project. The simulation emphasizes both technical and soft skills needed for project

management.

SimProject, the Fissure simulation used in the Project Management course was awarded the

Project Management Institute’s Continuing Education Product of the Year Award in 2012. In

the simulation, students act as the project manager for Uniworld. Their goal is to develop a

prototype. As it would be in the real world, the project is constrained by time and money.

The simulation will be broken into sections to be performed in weeks 5-8 of the 8 week course.

A final paper will be due at the end of week 8 based on the simulation. There is a $44.95 charge

to each student to participate in the simulation.

To purchase the simulation:

 students should go to www.fissure.com

 from the home page, click on Simulation Powered Learning (top left of page)

 Click Try/buy Simproject

 Scroll to bottom of page to “If you want to buy and play with one of our simulations, purchase our online SimProject here”

 Purchase the simulation. It’s $44.95

 Students will receive an Email with Log In instructions and a code.

 When students log on, they will be able to choose their “classroom” from a drop down box. Students should log in and get into their classroom following instructions provided

by Fissure.

Part 1 – due in week #5

This is the first assignment relating to the SimProject simulation and final project. In week 5,

students will begin the simulation and complete the “research” phase of the project consisting of

the following steps:

1. Purchase the software through Fissure 2. Login and enter the appropriate classroom 3. Download and read the help manual 4. View the project reference documents including policies and resources, the project

charter and resources

5. Understand how to use the Uphone 6. Understand the importance of your “inbox” 7. Follow any and all instructions and read the materials in the “research” section of the

simulation.

Write a 1 page summary describing the project. Give a brief overview of the tasks and available

resources. What do you think the greatest challenges will be in completing the simulation

successfully?

Part 2 – due in week #6

This is the second assignment in the project simulation. This week students are planning their

project. Planning activities consist of the following:

1. Develop the resource plan (this will be the most time consuming) 2. Develop the risk/reserve plan 3. Complete the stakeholder plan 4. Develop a recognition plan 5. Submit plans for approval

Once the plan has been approved, write a 1 page summary of your planning process. Who was

selected for the team why? What was the most challenging part of developing the plan?

Part 3 – due in week #7

At the end of week 6 the project plan should have been approved. Now it’s time to execute.

Complete the following steps (in addition to additional steps as directed by the simulation):

1. Read the orientation windows describing what you need to do to execute the project 2. Make staffing decisions before running each week 3. Make calendar decisions before running each week 4. Update your plans as you manage the project 5. After running each week, use reports and graphs to help manage your project

After running the project one time, write a 1 page summary of your experience.

Part 4 – Final Paper due in week #8

In a 5-7 page paper, examine and analyze the project simulation experience in this course. The

focus should be not just on a description of the experience. Focus instead on an analysis of what

worked and what didn't. Apply the project management concepts learned in this class. The paper

should cover the following (at a minimum):

 Project overview and objectives

 Research process - what did you do? What worked, and what didn't?

 Planning process -

o Who did you select for the resource plan? How did these choices work out in the

end? Would you have chosen differently after completing the project?

o How did the other plans work out? What were your risk/reserve, stakeholder,

recognition, and training strategies? Did they work? What would you do

differently?

o Did your budget get approved the first time around? What did you learn about the

budgeting process?

 Executing Process -

o What kind of staffing and calendar decisions did you make during the executing

process? How did these decisions play out?

o Did you keep your plans updated and you changed your decisions?

o What happened when you "ran your week?" Did you have encounter any

unforeseen risks? What did you do about them? What does this teach us about

the nature of planning?

o Did you read all the communications that were sent to you? What impact did

these communications have? What does this teach us about communications

during projects?

o Did you use the reports and graphs to manage your project? Which reports and

graphs did you find most helpful? Why?

 Closing/Ending -

o In the end, how many days did it take to complete your project? How did this

compare to plan?

o How much did you spend to complete your project? How does this compare to

plan?

o If you took the time to run the simulation a second (or third) time, did you do

better? What does that tell you about the nature of learning?

o If you were going to prepare a "lessons learned" document for this project, what

would you include?

Use APA format to generally set up your paper and to cite any references if any are used beyond

the simulation material itself.

See the grading rubric provided in the course resources section of this course for information on

how the project will be graded.