Project Management Simulation: The Kobayashi Maru

What a morning! Some days, you’d rather just stay in bed. For those Trekkies out there, you are familiar with the Kobayashi Maru or the infamous “no win scenario” that was part of the curriculum for command-track cadets at Starfleet Academy featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was primarily used to assess a cadet’s discipline, character and command capabilities when facing an impossible situation, as there were no “legitimate” strategies that would result in a successful outcome.

We all have some mornings where the Klingon War Birds are closing in, the shields are about to fail, and the destruction of your ship is imminent. There is no way out. You are done! Well, I sat in the captain’s chair this morning, and my little starship was in a world of hurt. The project was falling way behind, the budget was blown to bits, the staff was putting in a lot of overtime and they were not particularly thrilled about it. And worst of all, the boss was not happy at all. The situation was looking pretty grim as we battled to regain control of the project and get things back on schedule. Our stress level was boiling over. Could we pull the project together, would my starship be doomed and its crew turned to space dust.

Then, a friendly voice carved through the tension, saying, “You have completed Phase I.” What?!?  Was this just a bad dream? Well, not really. It was the simulation that comes with Bama At Work’s Advanced Project Management course. This course features a unique real-world simulation that will test your skills as a project manager. The simulation covers just about all of the nightmares that could possibly happen to you when piloting your way through a major project. Like the Kobayashi Maru, the simulation puts you and your team in some tough situations that will call on all of your planning and decision making abilities. And, unlike James T. Kirk, you can’t reprogram and beat the simulation. But, you can win fair and square, if you make the right moves.

Think you have the moxie to sit in the captain’s chair in the heat of battle? Do you want to learn how to command your starship when the odds are against you? Take project management courses and earn your Starfleet stripes.  Visit our website to learn more and enroll in the University of Alabama’s Project Management Academy. On-site custom training is available upon request. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + ,and LinkedIn  for more information and news about project management certificate programs, professional development and how to improve the efficiency of your organization.

Article by Antoine Bell, Marketing and Strategic Communications Manager, Professional Development & Conference Services, The University of Alabama.

Don’t Let Your Project Become Your Death Star.

So Star Wars can be downloaded starting  today April 10. The first six movies are coming to Digital HD so you can watch them on any of your devices. I can’t think of a better way to avoid conversation with people than to binge watch Darth Vader and Jar Jar Binks. Then again, there are some lessons project managers can take away from how Darth Vader project managed the Death Star. Wait, I didn’t mean that, Lord Vader…Urgh-grgh-gak.

A blog article listed reasons why projects fail, reasons that may explain why the Death Star wasn’t a great tribute to sound project management:

1. Lack of a Project Charter: “Because the Emperor said so. Why do you need anything else?”
2. Lack of User Involvement: “Meh. Just because the Storm Troopers fight the rebels every day and know how they think doesn’t mean they know anything about building a Death Star.”
3. Poorly Defined Requirements: “Requirements? It’s big and has a big death ray. No worries!”
4. Scope Creep: “While we’re at it, let’s throw in some big huge expensive way-cool turbo lasers since we don’t need to worry about small, tiny fighters.”
5. Poorly Defined or Unrealistic Time Scales: “The Darth Vader music just started. Here come the ruthless expectations.”
6. Inadequate (or non-existent) Testing: “The thermal exhaust port is really small. What could go wrong?”
7. Lack of Resources: “We don’t have enough money in the budget for a fancy safe, so let’s just hide the Death Star blueprints in the dresser drawer.”
8. Use of New or Unfamiliar Tools: “Who needs the Force when we have…Urgh-grgh-gak.”
9. Political Infighting: “The Emperor dissolved the Imperial Senate and plans to control the regions with these Death Stars. It’s in the bag.”
10. Poor Project Management: “Time, cost, and scope? I’d rather fight Obi-Wan Kenobi with light sabers.”

Want to do better? Take project management courses so you don’t build a Death Star. On the other hand, it could help you hold the world ransom for…ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Oh, sorry. Wrong movie. Visit our website to learn more and enroll in the University of Alabama’s Project Management Certificate Program. On-site custom training is available upon request. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn  for more information and news about project management certificate programs, professional development and how to improve the efficiency of your organization.

Article by Leroy Hurt, Associate Dean, Professional Development and Community Engagement, The University of Alabama.

 

Project Management: Why Organizations Sink or Swim

Project Management is a driving factor in the success of any organization. Its premise is to execute objectives necessary for achieving goals by relying heavily on planning, processes, strategy and teamwork. An effective Project Manager should have the ability to manage these elements while simultaneously adapting to unexpected changes and troubleshooting any obstacles that may arise. So what could potentially go wrong when a project is great in theory?

Here is a list of 12 Common Project Management Mistakes as reported by actual Project Managers and IT Executives. (Source: CIO.com)

1. Not assigning the right person to manage the project
2. Failing to get everyone on the team behind the project
3. Not getting executive buy-in
4. Putting too many projects into production at once
5. Lack of regular communication/meetings
6. Not being specific enough with the scope/allowing the scope to frequently change
7. Providing aggressive/overly optimistic timelines
8. Not being flexible
9. Not having a system in place for approving and tracking changes
10. Micromanaging projects
11. Expecting software to solve all your project management issues
12. Not having a metric for defining success

Perhaps one of history’s greatest project management mishaps is that of the sinking of the Titanic, a tragic event that may have been fully preventable. On April 15, 1912, the infamous British liner struck an iceberg, filled with water, and sunk to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean claiming the lives of 1,514 passengers. You may be surprised to see how specific operational errors that resulted in this great catastrophe correlate with issues still reported by project management professionals today.

First, the Titanic could have been constructed with a double hull, a risk management failure on the part of the ship’s manufacturers and builders. Because this invention was already in place, a metric for defining success may have included specific safety requirements to eliminate negligent structural decisions.  Second, the ship’s walls were not fully sealed and were capable of containing only a limited amount of flooding. Had the bulkheads been sealed throughout, the flooding may have been reduced or prevented. Flexibility in the design to anticipate the greatest possible complication rather than the least would have effectuated proper planning.

Next, Captain Edward John Smith’s substandard response to warnings issued by other ships that dangerous ice was approaching was to take a slightly alternate route and continue to move forward at full speed. Perhaps the right person was not assigned to manage this project, as a wiser Captain may have opted to slow down or stop the ship until morning.

Finally, the Titanic was furnished with only enough lifeboats to rescue about one-third of its passengers, and even those were not filled to capacity. By attempting to transport more passengers than it was prepared to accommodate in the face of disaster, the voyage essentially had too many projects in production at once.  Not having properly trained staff in place to fill the lifeboats to capacity demonstrates the deficiency of not having everyone on the team behind the project.

So, how can you prevent your business from hitting the metaphorical iceberg and sinking? The University of Alabama’s Advanced Project Management certificate program offers three essential courses with a UA Practitioner certification awarded upon completion.  The Advanced Project Management with Simulation course on April 1 – 3 and October 19 – 21 provides an opportunity for professional students to engage in an interactive activity in which they assume a project manager’s role. The simulation exercise presents students with situations during the planning and execution phases of projects, and challenges them to make timely decisions that will affect the outcome of the project. Students are afforded the opportunity to practice project management in a real-world environment designed to help them utilize their new and sharpened skills upon returning to work.

The benefits of having a well-trained project management team and the dangers of neglecting to do so are equally evident. Employers may want to consider making simulation training a requirement for their programs as a means of rapidly increasing the expertise of their project management staff. Project Managers seeking career growth may take advantage of simulation training to improve and accelerate their development of project management skills. Visit our website to learn more and enroll in the University of Alabama’s Project Management Certificate Program. On-site custom training is available upon request.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn  for more information and news about project management certificate programs, professional development and how to improve the efficiency of your organization.

Article by Kara Creel,  Marketing Coordinator for Bama At Work, The University of Alabama.

The Advantages of Blended Learning for Six Sigma Courses.

Blended Learning is defined as a Lean Six Sigma training model that integrates multiple delivery modes and learning activities.  Generally, it consists of a mix of e-learning, classroom exercises, coaching and job application.  It is designed to reach a globally and educationally diverse audience in any industry.  It is designed to be highly interactive and flexible with “High Touch” access to mentors who will aid in the application to real business problems.

There are two levels of Lean Six Sigma offered through this program:  Green Belt and Black Belt.  The duration for the Green Belt is approximately 4-6 months.  The duration for the Black Belt would be approximately 6-8 months.  During the journey, an individual will work online to review the course material, work individual exercises that are geared toward working on a process improvement project tied to the business, and complete short quizzes at the end of each lesson.  A mentor/coach oversees the work and provides individual and group workshops, study halls and in-class simulations that reinforce the learnings.

At the end of the course, a completed improvement project is reviewed by the mentor/coach for completeness, content, and tool application.  Individuals will also be asked to take a final comprehensive exam.  A passing grade of 70% or better qualifies the individual for certification.  The University of Alabama will provide the certification credentials upon approval of the mentor/coach. With our new blended format, you get the best of combined learning environments to enable you to master the material with a minimum amount of travel and in-person class time, but with a high degree of personal interaction with our faculty and other students in your class!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn or visit our website for more info and news about Six Sigma courses, professional development for the workplace and how to improve the efficiency of your organization.

Article by Dianna Rockett, MBA, SIX SIGMA MASTER BLACK BELT, and President and CEO of Donald E. Smith Associates, Inc . a business management consulting firm specializing in process improvement initiatives using Six Sigma Methodology. She is also a our instructor for the new blended Six Sigma program.

The True Value of Project Management for your Business

‘Tis the season for football, and the pundits have started talking about teams’ prospects for the championship games at the start of 2015. For companies, it’s also the season for planning their activities for 2015. Most strategic plans will call for projects to improve organizations’ capabilities. Alignment of the projects and strategy will be key to successful strategy implementation. One way firms can ensure that alignment is by equipping leaders and project managers with project management skills and knowledge. Firms need to build a foundation for project management. Employees need to understand quality-driven philosophies and tools that contribute to enhancing a project team’s participation and productivity. Such a foundation provides employees the strategic, organizational, and tactical viewpoint that leads to tight alignment of business objectives and project plans. Project management is a team effort, so a project management foundation also includes understanding the various roles and responsibilities of the project teams and understanding the characteristics of an effective project manager. The project management process as well as techniques and tools for project planning and execution also form one of the elements of a sound project management foundation.

Firms also need to develop deeper project management skills to advance project teams’ effectiveness in key areas like initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure. One way to give teams advanced skills is through training in scenarios provided in challenging simulations. Such simulations put employees in situations during the planning and execution phases of projects and challenge them to make timely decisions that can affect the outcome of the project. Simulations are safe environments where employees can practice their skills before using them in real situations. Firms can master the project management discipline by institutionalizing it. Sound and repeatable practices to make project management an efficient discipline need to be part of an organization’s DNA. That DNA shows up as the habit of identifying, documenting, and applying best practices to improve current and future project performance. Developing that habit can institutionalize project management best practices throughout an organization as employees develop a best practice methodology tailored to their organization. Institutionalizing best practices also requires insight into organizational culture in order to champion project management best practices in the organization.

Using project management software can be a way to harness those deeper project management skills and make the practice of project management a systematic discipline. Project managers, project team members, and other employees need to plan and track projects and most likely will use the well-known Microsoft Project in the overall project management process. Microsoft Project is a powerful, flexible tool designed to help teams manage a full range of projects and is widely available in the Microsoft Office suite. Project management software gives project teams the power and flexibility to plan and track projects and meet business needs. The software is a tool that helps teams build a project plan and get started by creating a work schedule. Teams can manage a project and easily review and analyze its progress as well as communicate project information to members of the team. Firms also have people who are not project managers but still need some level of skill to ensure project success. That’s because not all employees are project managers, but all employees eventually take part in projects. They don’t have prior knowledge of project management, but they need to get up to speed quickly. Getting up to speed includes the essential vocabulary and concepts of project management as well as the basic tools and techniques employees can start using immediately. Such a focus enables organizations to quickly develop a pool of employees with foundational knowledge of project management.

Firms may want some employees to be professionally certified. For example, government contracts may call for evidence a contractor has mastered all of the critical project management skills and has command of the project management processes. The distinctive certification of Project Management Professional (PMP®) from The Project Management Institute (PMI) is that kind of evidence.  In order to achieve certification, individuals must demonstrate they have mastered all of the skills and techniques and have gained the knowledge to set them and their organizations apart from the pack. The PMP credential tends to be a top credential in demand by employers, and can provide organizations with a cadre of experts. Be sure to include the building of project management capability in your organizational plan for next year. People are key to turning strategy into action and action into results; a sequenced program that enables them to master the project management discipline will translate into employees who can save money and increase revenues.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + , LinkedIn or visit our website for more info and news about project management certificate programs, professional development and how to improve the efficiency of your organization.

Article by Leroy Hurt, Associate Dean, Professional Development and Community Engagement, The University of Alabama,

Leroy Hurt, Associate Dean, Bama At Work