The Challenge of Egypt

DO YOU NEED TO: Complete projects on time, within budget and quality standards? Understand how effective control mechanisms lead to project success? Ensure all staff appreciate the strategic value of projects? DO YOU WANT TO: Learn why projects can fail? See how to get the most from your Project Team? Understand how best to apply best practice?

The Pharoah wants a pyramid

The simulation is set during the fourth dynasty in ancient Egypt, about four thousand years ago. Zoser’s pyramid has just been completed; work on Cheops’ pyramid has yet to be started. Egypt was one of the most important civilisations of that time; structures that were built alongside the Nile would continue to astonish people for millennia to come. How could the Egyptians do this?? We are going to find out in this interactive simulation, The Challenge of Egypt, in which we are going to build a pyramid ourselves.  To do that, we are going back in time and will meet the pharaoh. His vizier Hainunu, has found a suitable location, a quarry for the stone and a village for the workers.  It's your responsibility to, set up a project organisation, analyse risks, create a plan and get the job done!

What has Project Management got to do with Egypt?

You can draw a lot of parallels between the ancient Egyptians and projects in today's modern world.  What the Egyptians achieved could not be done without proper project management, they did not have the aid of state of the art technology that we do today but they;

• built enormous structures in a fairly short time
• coordinated millions of stones to the right place and at the right time
• ensured tens of thousands of people worked as efficiently and effectively as possible
• had to deal with constant unforeseen challenges throughout the project, the changing
• demands of the pharaoh, disasters and prosperity, unpredictable weather, strokes of luck and setbacks etc.

This didn't just happen all by itself!

During the simulation, the most important aspects of best practice project management will appear and be experienced, actively and interactively.  All participants have a role within the project management environment, with the project team given the task of building the pyramid; within a fixed time; with a fixed budget; and limited resources; all the time being affected by real-life events.  You will experience the control elements of good project management and there are also several reflection moments throughout the project to learn from the Egyptians and from your teams own experiences. At the end of the project, when the pyramid has been built (hopefully), there will be a project evaluation and discussion. 

During the simulation you will

Who is the Challenge of Egypt aimed at?

The simulation has been designed with four target audiences in mind:

Management Teams
Would you like to know what the capabilities and benefits of structured project management (e.g. PRINCE2®) approach are?  What are the consequences for your organisation and what it can mean for you?
After this workshop, you can decide whether using a structured project management approach might help you and your organisation to make projects more successful and increase ROI.

Project Managers
In your role as project manager, you either want to work using a structured project management approach or you already do so.  During The Challenge of Egypt you will find the answers to questions such as: 

• What is my role as a project manager? 
• How can I setup my projects? 
• How do I control successful projects? 
• How do I create an effective project organisation? 
• How do I use a project board?
• How can I use PRINCE2 most effectively?

Team Leaders
Team leaders play a very important part in projects and during this workshop, you will learn what your tasks and responsibilities are within a large and complex project.  You will discover how you can manage your tasks within the project, using the instruments which are part of the project management method you are using.

Developing Team-Working
The simulation can be used to develop team working within project teams, it is essential that everybody knows what they are responsible for & what impact their actions can have on others.

Others involved in projects
Team members within a project have to deal with all kind off standards, procedures, rules and workflows.  This workshop is your essential insigh into these also. 

How does this simulation fit within your organisation?

The way in which The Challenge of Egypt fits within your organisation depends on how project management is applied.  You can use it to:

• setup a project management approach within your organisation
• test the quality and effectiveness of your current implementation
• put everything that has been learned in project management training into practice
• develop desired project management soft skills in addition to the current knowledge of your project management method (PRINCE2)
• explore the usefulness of a project management method or approach and to determine
• what the benefits of this method or approach may be for your organisation

The uniqueness of this simulation

• Learning by doing
• Experience and feel the benefits of Project Management best practice and methodology
• Learn how Project Management best practice can help you improve project success
• Test and apply best practice in a safe environment 
• Feel the effect business culture has on project teams first hand
• Compatible with any best practice framework; PRINCE2, APMP etc

Nothing will teach you more about Project Management in one day!