Modelling An Introductory Project Management Simulation In Undergraduate Courses

Abstract

This paper presents a model of a simulation to teach introductory project management in undergraduate courses. This is an early stage of an ongoing project. The intention in this paper is to present the model to be criticized. The participants will work in teams; initially taking over a company with financial difficulty. The simulation will be split into three phases: a) in the first phase, participants should write a bid, take part in the bidding procedures and plan the project execution; b) in the second phase, participants will execute the project, planning and re-planning the project, as necessary; and c) in the last phase, participants will compare results with assessment criteria. The assessment criteria will be: a) the project should be concluded in time; b) the project should generate net profit; and c) the teams should revert the financial situation of the company. They will be expected to achieve this result regardless some ethical and time pressure. Furthermore, the teams will have to deal with complicate and unpredictable situations that will be presented to them through cases.