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PLAYER USE

SIM4PROJECTSTM

A Project Management Simulation for Classroom Instruction

PLAYER QUICKSTART MANUAL Version 3.0

Players’ Manual for use with Sim4Projects™ V 3.0 Jeffrey K. Pinto, Ph.D. and Diane H. Parente, Ph.D. ISBN: 978-1-4507-6673-9

Published by SimProfessionals LLC. Copyright © 2013 Copyright McGraw Hill Irwin ∧ 2000-2009. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of SimProfessionals, LLC, including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.

www.sim4projects.com

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Players Preface Sim4ProjectsTM is a web-based computer simulation that is intended to teach the principles of project management. It allows an instructor to set up a simulation, form teams of students (or allow them to play individually), and to illustrate and practice “project management.”

This manual is a primer for players to supplement the instructor’s lectures.

The authors especially recommend that Players include reading the Appendix in your review of the Player Quickstart.

Too many current project managers continue to learn their craft through baptisms by fire, with minimal advance preparation. This approach is expensive to their companies and discouraging to these individuals. In the past, this approach was necessary because formal project management training was often lacking and options such as project simulations nonexistent. Fortunately, this is no longer the reality. Sim4ProjectsTM is a valuable tool for training successful generations of future project managers.

We genuinely hope that you find Sim4ProjectsTM a valuable, thought-provoking, and useful component for learning project management. We wish you the best of luck and success with all your projects!

Table of Contents Preface …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2

Table of Figures ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4

1. Quick Reference Guide ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

1. Overview of Sim4Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………………

1. What are the technical requirements of the simulation? ………………………………………….. 6

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2. How is the simulation structured? ………………………………………………………………………….. 7

2. Players ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

1. Registering as a Player ………………………………………………………………………………………. 8

2. Making Decisions ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 10

3. Interpreting the Results ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 25

3. Analytical Capabilities ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

1. Exporting ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33

2. Sorting …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 34

3. Selection ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35

4. Grouping ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 37

4. Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8

2. Appendix to Player Quickstart …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9

2. Appendix 1: Auto Assignment …………………………………………………………………………………… … 39

3. Appendix 2: No Auto Assignment …………………………………………………………………………………… … 46

Table of Figures

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Figure 2 New Player Registration

…………………………………………………………………………… 8

Figure 3 Registration Code Screen

…………………………………………………………………………… 9

Figure 4 Security/Profile Information

…………………………………………………………………………… 10

Figure 5 Player Decision Screen

…………………………………………………………………………… 11

Figure 6 Period Decision- Making Screen

…………………………………………………………………………… 11

Figure 7 Resource Pool

…………………………………………………………………………… 12

Figure 8 Resource Pool of Quality Engineers

…………………………………………………………………………… 12

Figure 9 Making an Offer

…………………………………………………………………………… 13

Figure 10 Resource Bidding

…………………………………………………………………………… 13

Figure 11 Offer …………………………………………………………………………… 14

Figure 12

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Resource Offer Made

…………………………………………………………………………… 14

Figure 13 Available Resource Pool

…………………………………………………………………………… 15

Figure 14 My Resource Pool

…………………………………………………………………………… 15

Figure 15 Resource Results

…………………………………………………………………………… 16

Figure 16 Removing Resources

…………………………………………………………………………… 16

Figure 17 Choosing a Resource for Removal

…………………………………………………………………………… 16

Figure 18 Specific Resource Removal

…………………………………………………………………………… 17

Figure 19 Verify Resource Removal

…………………………………………………………………………… 17

Figure 20 Send Resources to Training

…………………………………………………………………………… 18

Figure 21 Training …………………………………………………………………………… 18

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Catalog

Figure 22 Training Assignment Screen

…………………………………………………………………………… 19

Figure 23 Managerial Actions

…………………………………………………………………………… 19

Figure 24 Managerial Actions Catalog

…………………………………………………………………………… 20

Figure 25 Managerial Action Assignment

…………………………………………………………………………… 20

Figure 26 Assigning Resources to Tasks

…………………………………………………………………………… 21

Figure 27 Period Tasks

…………………………………………………………………………… 21

Figure 28 Resource Assignment to Task

…………………………………………………………………………… 22

Figure 29 Resource Assignment Percentage

…………………………………………………………………………… 22

Figure 30 Resource

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Assignment …………………………………………………………………………… 23

Figure 31 Task Assignment Results

…………………………………………………………………………… 23

Figure 32 Period Task Assignment

…………………………………………………………………………… 24

Figure 33 Task Assignment Completion

…………………………………………………………………………… 24

Figure 34 Submit Period Decisions

…………………………………………………………………………… 24

Figure 35 Dependencies

…………………………………………………………………………… 25

Figure 36 Team Standings

…………………………………………………………………………… 26

Figure 37 Cost Detail

…………………………………………………………………………… 26

Figure 38 Prior Period Results

…………………………………………………………………………… 27

Figure 39 Milestone Information

…………………………………………………………………………… 27

Figure 40 Financials & Statistics

…………………………………………………………………………… 29

Figure 41

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Period Highlights

…………………………………………………………………………… 30

Figure 42 Period Results Interpretation

…………………………………………………………………………… 31

Figure 43 Exporting Features

…………………………………………………………………………… 33

Figure 44 Export to Excel

…………………………………………………………………………… 34

Figure 45 Sorting – Step 1

…………………………………………………………………………… 34

Figure 46 Sorting – Step 2

…………………………………………………………………………… 35

Figure 47 Selection – Step 1

…………………………………………………………………………… 35

Figure 48 Selection – Step 2

…………………………………………………………………………… 36

Figure 49 Selection – Step 3

…………………………………………………………………………… 36

Figure 50 Selection – Step 4

…………………………………………………………………………… 36

Figure 51

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Grouping – Step 1

…………………………………………………………………………… 37

Figure 52 Grouping – Step 2

…………………………………………………………………………… 37

Figure 53 Grouping – Step 3

…………………………………………………………………………… 38

1 Quick Reference Guide 1.1 Overview of Sim4Projects Conceptually, players manage a project. The project Gantt chart is the foundation for a simulation. You may think of the project Gantt chart as residing within Sim4Projects. Players make decisions as to which resource to hire or fire, whether to train a resource to improve their individual attributes, when to invoke a variety of managerial actions for motivation (e.g. hold a pizza party), and which resource to assign to each of the tasks.

During processing, Sim4Projects takes the decisions made and calculates the “actual” time and cost for each task based on the decisions. Sim4Projects then interacts with Microsoft ProjectTM to create the project file (.mpp file) including the actual results from each round as it is played.

One common problem with computer simulations is that students may obtain information from prior students that will allow current students to have a competitive edge. We call this “simulation carryover.” In order to minimize this phenomenon, Sim4Projects sets up simulations that are as different from each other as in standard practice. A new and different simulation is generated by Sim4Projects each time an instructor creates a simulation for a class. There are almost an infinite number of variations on the simulation’s basic templates.

1. 1.1 What are the technical requirements of the simulation?

Sim4Projects is a web-based computer simulation used to enhance instruction of project management. Sim4Projects works with MS Project in a Windows environment. Please note that MS Project must be installed on the computer accessing Sim4Projects or be available on computer lab machines if students are using a lab environment. MS Project need not be open as

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Sim4Projects will call and open MS Project as it is needed. However, new security measures on Internet Explorer make it necessary to download the mpp file to a local drive and open using MS Project from the local drive. Using IE, you will be able to open the mpp file but you will not be able to use the total functionality of MS Project. If you use another browser, you will be able to interact with Sim4Projects and download the MS Project file in exactly the same way. A Windows platform is needed to use MS Project.

However, you may also use a MAC platform. The browser will work in exactly the same way and you may save the mpp file to a local drive. Since MS Project is not available for a non-Windows platform, you should be prepared to use different project management software capable of reading the mpp file. OpenProj is open source project management software that is capable of reading an mpp file.

1. 1.2 How is the simulation structured?

Sim4ProjectsTM is organized in two parts. The first part is called Pre-Play in which resource bidding takes place. The second is Period Play or Round Play. This is the formal part of the project from the Start node to the Finish node. Pre-Play is the portion of the simulation prior to the beginning of play that allows players to staff their virtual project team. If the instructor chooses this mode of no auto-assignment, players will have one or more rounds in which they bid on resources to staff their projects. On the other hand, auto-assignment is the mode in which players are given a set of resources. They start period 1 of the project immediately with a fully staffed, randomly appointed set of virtual team members.

The portion of the simulation that occurs before the “Start node on the Gantt chart” is called Pre- Play. The only decisions that can be made in Pre Play are the selection of resources. Players may bid for virtual resources during the pre-play periods. Your instructor

may run as many pre-play rounds as he/she chooses prior to beginning play. (Note that instructors may also choose to begin the simulation with Play and not

participate in resource bidding and selection rounds. The simulation will automatically populate each team with resources if that option is chosen.)

The virtual project begins during “Play” or at the Start node on the Gantt chart.

The underlying Gantt chart of the project is divided into 12 periods. Once the simulation play begins, the teams compete against each other, period by period.

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The length of a period in the simulation is not measured in traditional units such as weeks or months. All teams must complete all of the tasks for each period. They must reach the next milestone. In the simulation, the amount of time it takes for each team to accomplish this is a period. The length of time for a period is the amount of time between milestones on the Gantt chart. All teams start each period at the same point on the Gantt chart. It will simply take the teams differing amounts of time to complete the period tasks and that is the length of a period for that team.

1.2 Players An overview for players is presented in the pages that follow.

1. 2.1 Registering as a Player

On the website at www.sim4projects.com in the area for New User, players click on “register as a player” as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 New Player Registration 1. A registration (or access) code is a unique 9-digit code that each player is

required to have to participate in the sim. Generally, schools will arrange for their bookstores to carry the codes. The codes may also be available from various online sites. However, be sure that the code acquired (from whatever source) is ISBN 978-1-4507-6673-9 and that the item is “new”.

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Only codes with this ISBN will be supported. (Note that codes are one-time use only!) The 9-digit code should be entered into the boxes marked by the red arrow in Figure 3.

2. The instructor will provide the entire class with the Simulation Code that was generated for your specific class. Players enter the 7-digit Simulation Code into the boxes marked by the green arrow in Figure 3.

3. Players then click on New User as indicated by the blue dashed arrow in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Registration Code Screen 4. You will then be presented with the Security/Profile Information in Figure 4.

You will be prompted to create a user ID and password that will be used to enter Sim4Projects. You will not need the Registration Code or the Simulation Code again. Just in case you cannot remember your information, the instructor can access it for you. However, you should write it down so that you have immediate access to your simulation.

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Figure 4 Security/Profile Information Once players register, your instructor will assign you to teams. You must be assigned to a team before you are able to see the simulation. Once you are assigned to a team, and your instructor has initiated Play or Pre-Play, you can use your User Name and password to enter the class simulation and make decisions.

1. 2.2 Making Decisions

Players may make four types of decisions:

Resource decisions – add or remove resources from the project Training decisions – send resources to training classes

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