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Countdown®: A Strategy Game for Project Teams

Unrealistic deadlines, scope creep, competition for scarce resources, poor communication — these are just some of the challenges projects face. Successful project teams need both skilled project managers and knowledgeable and committed team members to meet these challenges.

Developed in collaboration with project management experts, Countdown is a fast-paced, interactive project management training and management development business simulation that enhances the knowledge and skills of both project managers and project team members.  

Overview of Our Project Management Training Game

The Business Simulation

Countdown begins with a high-energy project management simulation that quickly immerses participants in an intense seven-month project. Acting as the project manager, the facilitator guides teams as they use a game board to move through project milestones, deal with incoming e-mails and voice mails from project sponsors, make critical decisions, communicate with stakeholders and manage trade-offs – all under tight deadlines. In less than an hour, teams are working with a Gantt chart, evaluating the critical path, assessing project risks, and learning the decision-making and communication processes that lead to project success. 

Connections — Bridging to Your Organization

The second half of the session bridges from the simulation to the learners’ own work environments and project management issues. Called “Connections,” exercises provided in the program deal with a number of questions:

• How are new projects initiated at our company?
• What is expected of project teams?
• How does my company evaluate project success?

You can also consider working with Paradigm Learning to fully customize the Connections exercises to ensure that the concepts and tools are the right fit for your learners and your company.

Uses

For Managers:

• To orient new leaders to project management concepts, tools and behaviors
• To complement or reinforce project management curriculum offerings

For Project Teams:

• To kick off new projects with enthusiasm
• To reenergize and refocus current project teams

For Employees:

• To prepare them for project team member responsibilities
• To orient them to project management terms, tools and techniques

Target Audience

• Project managers who are new to their project management responsibilities or who could benefit from a refresher
• Project team members who need to understand the terminology, tools and techniques of successful projects

Time Frame

• One day: four-hour business simulation followed by two- to three-hour Connections exercises

Training Delivery

Paradigm Learning can train your own in-house facilitators or provide experienced discovery learning facilitators to conduct your sessions. It’s your choice!

Paradigm Learning is a Charter Member of the PMI (Project Management Institute) Education Provider Program. This PMI program enhances the ongoing professional development of PMI Members, Project Management Professionals (PMPs), and other project management stakeholders by identifying providers of appropriate project management learning activities and products. For more information on how playing Countdown can award you with eight Professional Development Units (PDU) contact us at info@ParadigmLearning.com.

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