The Project Week (PMI)

Just one week... its the start of term 2 and then there is so much action, all thanks to PMI.  We had a lot of action in a project where we are supposed to build a warehouse within a given budget.  This is the sixth simulation (counting 4 during pre-MBA- The MiniMax, The Euronet, The Legobridge and The Planks) , 1 during Operations course and this project simulation, this is the most important one because its marked, and its shorter in terms of time in which we perform it, and this is more of a people and planning challenge than a complex project.

There are rules / constraints and probabilities for events, which makes it interesting, the learning should have been (I did not do this) to do this project completely without computers, even though there was some advice from the faculty not to use the computers, I started making something for the cash flow and then started thinking that sheet itself could be used for everything (The trap), which made it a shocker when half way through I find my 28-sheet, all-complex-formulae controlled-by-one-figure-change excel workbook, to be very weak when it came to the real complexities that were thrown in, in the form of change of scope mid-way.  Its not about excel, its just that the time available to you is so short that you cannot build something that can do the job for you.

A little bit on the project itself.  There is a building to be constructed, for which you plan using the tools that are taught in the course, I learnt about earned value management, which is intuitive but needs detailed calculations.  Basically randomness (delays, unexpected breaks, new activities etc) is thrown in to make the project subject to schedule and cost variances.  Its a game and everyone competes.  We ended up making a 4.5% return which was an above average performance.

Interesting to say the least, it occupied more time than any other activity did (in terms of % of daytime spent) on it.  Now its over and we have another exam, the operations exam which was moved from term 1.  Next week the real term 2 would start off.

I met and got to know a bit about my team mates, which was great.  I think as a team we would perform well given the overall composition, I am also happy that this time around I belong to a team representing a wider geography (Korea, India, Nigeria, UK and Russia).  I am now in the Blue stream, and yes it does seem different to be with different sets of people, each interesting in their own ways.

On the personal side, the freelancing journey is continuing at its own pace, I am spending a lot lesser time on it now than during the breaks, but there are a couple of interesting things going on, this is a nice way to develop an UK based network as well.

Shopping from tesco.com has also become an interesting activity once in a while.  Most of my purchases are from the tesco value range, or things that are even cheaper, finding some deals and updating them and optimizing the delivery cost, well... not worth in terms of money but its an interesting activity.

I am slowly but steadily progressing towards going back to India after the MBA for a business, convincing people around and also making solid plans which can be implemented.