Learning Activity 11-19: Project Execution Simulation

GOALS

The goal of this activity is to simulate a project once it is under way.

MATERIALS

For both the one-day and two-day workshops:

• Handout 11-7: Cryptogram Cards

• Handout 11-8: Cryptogram Solutions

• flipchart and marker for instructor

• notepaper or Post-It notes for participants .

In addition, for two-day workshop:

• 100-piece jigsaw puzzles for each team.

TIME

• 30 minutes for one-day workshop; 45 minutes for two-day workshop

INSTRUCTIONS

Each team will attempt to decode six encrypted messages. These are standard ‚“daily newspaper ‚½ coding schemes, and most participants will be familiar with the concept. If not, take time to give a brief example. The goal of the project is to solve all six of the cryptograms.

For the two-day workshop, each team also will be expected to solve a relatively simple jigsaw puzzle.

Each team should elect a project manager in any way they choose (often by whoever is slowest at pointing across the table!). The project manager and team will have three minutes to discuss among themselves their strategies for completing the project and will provide the facilitator with a ‚“sealed bid ‚½ indicating how long it will take their team to complete.

If you did not conduct Learning Activity 11-1, explain on the flipchart, draw a copy of the Training Instrument 11-1, and explain the scoring model:

Their final score will be their actual completion times plus half the difference of their estimated and actual times. For example, if they estimate 10 minutes to complete the project and finish two minutes late (i.e., at 12 minutes), their score will be:

If they estimate 10 minutes to complete and actually take only eight minutes, their score will be:

After presenting the scoring model, give them their three minutes of strategy time and collect the ‚“sealed bids ‚½ for the estimate.

Tell them ‚“Go! ‚½ and note the lapsed time using Post-It notes on the top of the flipchart.

When a team completes, verify that they have all of the crytograms solved .

Debrief the project as follows :

1. How was it like a real project?

2. What worked especially well?

3. How would they do it differently if they were to conduct a similar project in the future?

4. What do they think of the scoring model? (Why, for instance, is it fair to incur a slight penalty for completing early?)

Additional questions for the two-day workshop participants:

5. What was the effect of the multitasking of the cryptogram and puzzle?

6. How did you go about dividing up the work for the two parallel projects?

7. Do you generally think that multitasking is a good practice, based on your experiences in other projects and in this one?

Handout 11.7: Cryptogram Solutions

EKSSWEE LE H SBXEWDKWXSW HXY AKER XBR IW H CBHV. (CKERHQW OVHKIWGR)	BVGGIBB CB GLVYXIW BDIIXIBX UM XRLBI DRL YI ‚ IP BVGGIIW. (IOCHM WCGJCYBLY)
1	2
NZLBVIT EZWTR VR THFLXVR. RVAATRR EZWTR VR KITTQM. (EZRXH AXXBTM)	RHUUZRR CR WNPBZSJHR. JPZ OZBCPR EJ UJTQ JPZRZVD, NPW EJ UJTQ JPZRZVD CR IJSZ WNPBZSJHR EYNP EJ UJTQ JEYZSR. (TNOVJ TCUNRRJ)
3	4
LTD LZSHTDFL LTQEH YRZSL FSJJDFF QF LTYL NZS ‚ PD HZL LZ VDDB ZE RDQEH Y FSJJDFF. (QOPQEH RDOMQE)	AWPI B VLETPF UXL OMZZPOO, B UXLRXS SX EOC UXL OXMIF OYPPV EIF RXXF FBRPOSBXI. (HEOXI ZXXYPT)
5	6

 

Handout 11.8: Cryptogram Solutions

Cryptogram 1 EKSSWEE LE H SBXEWDKWXSW HXY AKER XBR IW H CBHV. (CKERHQW OVHKIWGR) Solution Success is a consequence and must not be a goal. (Gustave Flaubert)	Cryptogram 2 BVGGIBB CB GLVYXIW BDIIXIBX UM XRLBI DRL YI ‚ IP BVGGIIW. (IOCHM WCGJCYBLY) Solution Success is counted sweetest By those who ne ‚ er succeed. (Emily Dickinson)
Cryptogram 3 NZLBVIT EZWTR VR THFLXVR. RVAATRR EZWTR VR KITTQM. (EZRXH AXXBTM) Solution Failure makes us envious. Success makes us greedy. (Mason Cooley)	Cryptogram 4 RHUUZRR CR WNPBZSJHR. JPZ OZBCPR EJ UJTQ JPZRZVD, NPW EJ UJTQ JPZRZVD CR IJSZ WNPBZSJHR EYNP EJ UJTQ JEYZSR. (TNOVJ TCUNRRJ) Solution Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. (Pablo Picasso)
Cryptogram 5 LTD LZSHTDFL LTQEH YRZSL FSJJDFF QF LTYL NZS ‚ PD HZL LZ VDDB ZE RDQEH Y FSJJDFF. (QOPQEH RDOMQE) Solution The toughest thing about success is that you ‚ ve got to keep on being a success. (Irving Berlin)	Cryptogram 6 AWPI B VLETPF UXL OMZZPOO, B UXLRXS SX EOC UXL OXMIF OYPPV EIF RXXF FBRPOSBXI. (HEOXI ZXXYPT) Solution When I prayed for success, I forgot to ask for sound sleep and good digestion . (Mason Cooley)