Securing project success

"Preparing people for the challenges of project work."

A company has just completed a large project and, in hindsight, it did not deliver as much business value as was originally expected. There were budget and time overruns, and neither the project sponsors nor end users seem too satisfied with the result. Participants are asked to go back in time to see if they can identify the hot buttons and deliver a better result.

“They say that you learn from your mistakes. That is true only if you understand what happened.”

Participants diagnose signs and symptoms of potential problems, and mitigate them using limited resources. The storyline loosely follows a typical IT implementation of a new business system. However, the challenges are universal and easily recognized, such as:

  • Key stakeholders are not engaged… get their attention or trust your own judgement?
  • New insights arise… revise the scope or stick to the plan?
  • Project team is overloaded… take quick action or make systematic changes?
  • Actuals are not in line with budget and timeline… adjust figures or adjust ambitions?

Participants quickly recognize that you cannot please everybody all of the time. The art to project work is to balance the needs of key stakeholders – sponsors and steering committee, the project delivery team, and the end users of the organization – in order to create maximum business value.

Who benefits?

Celemi CayenneTM is suitable for all types of companies and projects. The storyline is built on an IT system implementation, but is suitable for all projects of similar magnitude. Cayenne targets everybody involved in, or concerned by a project – not just the project manager.

Typical uses

  • Kick-off a new project – to create a common understanding and preparedness among everybody involved and secure a successful outcome.
  • Get an existing project back on track by reallocating resources or re-establishing communication.
  • Create good conditions for successful joint projects between system suppliers and their clients.
  • Build a common vocabulary and understanding between specialists and generalists.
  • Complement general project management training courses focused on administrative or operational aspects.

Key results

Celemi CayenneTM is a valuable preparation for the challenges of project work. Participants emerge from the experience with:

  • Better ability to balance the needs of different stakeholder groups.
  • Identification and utilization of key performance measures.
  • Heightened ability to read signs and symptoms of potential pitfalls in projects.
  • Better awareness and preparedness of the conditions for ongoing projects back on the job.

What clients say

“Very good way of looking at project management capability. Much more useful than just listening and watching slides! Recommended for real project teams.”
– Project manager, Global pharmaceutical company, Sweden
“Very good! I particularly liked the discussions after completing each phase, since it allowed us to connect the game’s problems with the reality of our particular company.”
– Regional manager, Car Manufacturing Firm, USA
“Never having completed anything quite like this, I found it stimulating and thought-provoking, especially the “knock-on” effect of our choices, and the importance of group-work and communication.”
– Team leader, Local County Council, United Kingdom

Quickfacts for Celemi Cayenne™

Material
Board-based business simulation.
Participants
Teams of 3-4 participants. Multiple teams can run the simulation simultaneously.
Participants
All project members; project managers, business executives, content provider consultants, experts and end users as well as support personnel.
Time required
6-8 hours.
Facilitator
Facilitators certified by Celemi
Languages
This business simulation is available in Czech, English, French, German, Lithuanian, Russian, Romanian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.