DEVELOPING COMPETENCIES IN IT PROJECT ESTIMATION: A SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING USING LEGO®
Keywords:
IT project management, estimation, experience-based learning, simulation, LEGO®Abstract
Accurate estimates of the scheduling and functionalities of information technology (IT) projects are essential. However, making accurate estimates is challenging, as estimators may lack the necessary historical data, experience, methodologies, knowledge or skills. Students enrolled in IT and project management courses need to be made aware of the challenges, obstacles and key elements of estimating, namely the need for rich, high-quality information and appropriate expertise and experience. To support the acquisition of estimation competencies, we combined the affordances of simulation-based training (SBT) with those of the LEGO® bricks to develop and test a project estimation SBT. We explain why LEGO® bricks were used and present a general description of the simulation’s modalities. In addition, observations and data collected from 123 undergraduate students enrolled in the “IT Project Management” course at a North American university over four semesters are presented. The results show that students had a positive and enriching learning experience. In terms of educational validity, the simulation provides a realistic representation of the real-world business environment where students can develop their estimation competencies and know-how through learning by doing.
References
Allal-Cherif, O., Makhlouf, M., & Bajard, A. (2014). Les serious games au service de la gestion des ressources humaines: une cartographie dans les entreprises du CAC40. Systèmes d’Information et Management, 19(3), 97–126.
Allen, J. A., Reiter-Palmon, R., Crowe, J., & Scott, C. (2018). Debriefs: Teams learning from doing in context. American Psychologist, 73(4), 504–516.
Argyris, C. (2002). Double-loop learning, teaching, and research. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 1(2), 206–218.
Armour, P. (2002). Ten unmyths of project estimation. Communications of the ACM, 45(11), 15–18.
Azzeh, M., & Nassif, A. B. (2018). Project productivity evaluation in early software effort estimation. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 30(12), e2110.
Barki, H., & Hartwick, J. (2001). Interpersonal conflict and its management in information system development. MIS Quarterly, 25(2), 195–228.
Basten, D., & Sunyaev, A. (2014). A systematic mapping of factors affecting accuracy of software development effort estimation. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 34(4), 51–86.
Bateson, P. (2015). Playfulness and creativity. Current Biology, 25(1), R12–R16. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.09.009
Bell, B. S., Kanar, A. M., & Kozlowski, S. W. (2008). Current issues and future directions in simulation-based training in North America. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(8), 1416–1434.
Boughzala, I. (2014). Characterizing the serious game and assessing learning goals. Systèmes d’Information et Management, 19(3), 9–37.
Chua, C. E. H., Lim, W.-K., Soh, C., & Kien Sia, S. (2012). Enacting clan control in complex IT projects: A social capital perspective. MIS Quarterly, 36(2), 577–600.
Clem, J. M., Mennicke, A. M., & Beasley, C. (2014). Development and validation of the experiential learning survey. Journal of Social Work Education, 50(3), 490–506.
Cohard, P., & Marciniak, R. (2015). Nursing homes as a case for assessing serious games. Systèmes d’Information et Management, 19(3), 4.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
Dybå, T., & Dingsøyr, T. (2008). Empirical studies of agile software development: A systematic review. Information and Software Technology, 50(9), 833–859.
Gauntlett, D. (2007). Creative exploration – New approaches to identities and audiences. New York: Routledge.
Gómez, M., Aranda, E., & Santos, J. (2017). A competency model for higher education: An assessment based on placements. Studies in Higher Education, 42(12), 2195–2215.
Hubbard, D. W. (2014). How to measure anything: Finding the value of intangibles in business. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
James, A., & Nerantzi, C. (2019). The power of play in higher education. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jorgensen, M. (2004). A review of studies on expert estimation of software development effort. Journal of Systems and Software, 70(1), 37–60.
Jorgensen, M., Boehm, B., & Rifkin, S. (2009). Software development effort estimation: Formal models or expert judgment? IEEE Software, 26(2), 14–19.
Kao, A. B., Berdahl, A. M., Hartnett, A. T., Lutz, M. J., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Ioannou, C. C., . . . Couzin, I. D. (2018). Counteracting estimation bias and social influence to improve the wisdom of crowds. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 15(141), 20180130.
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 4(2), 193–212.
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2010). Learning to play, playing to learn: A case study of a ludic learning space. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 23(1), 26–50.
Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson FT Press.
Kolbe, M., Grande, B., & Spahn, D. R. (2015). Briefing and debriefing during simulation-based training and beyond: Content, structure, attitude and setting. Best Practice and Research: Clinical Anaesthesiology, 29(1), 87–96.
Kristiansen, P., & Rasmussen, R. (2014). Building a better business using the Lego Serious Play method. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors we live by. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago press.
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. (2011). Project management: The managerial process (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lépinard, P. (2014). Du serious gaming au full flight simulator: proposition d’un cadre conceptuel commun pour la formation des formateurs en simulation. Systèmes d’Information et Management, 19(3), 39–68.
McCreery, J. K. (2003). Assessing the value of a project management simulation training exercise. International Journal of Project Management, 21(4), 233–242.
Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Morgenshtern, O., Raz, T., & Dvir, D. (2007). Factors affecting duration and effort estimation errors in software development projects. Information and Software Technology, 49(8), 827–837.
Nederhof, A. J. (1985). Methods of coping with social desirability bias: A review. European Journal of Social Psychology, 15(3), 263–280.
Nelson, R. R., & Morris, M. G. (2014). IT project estimation: Contemporary practices and management guidelines. MIS Quarterly Executive, 13(1), 15–30.
Papert, S. A. (1993). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. New York: Basic Books.
Petelczyc, C. A., Capezio, A., Wang, L., Restubog, S. L. D., & Aquino, K. (2018). Play at work: An integrative review and agenda for future research. Journal of Management, 44(1), 161–190.
Reeves, M., Fuller, J., & Gutiérrez-López, G. (2018). The playful corporation. Retrieved from https://www.bcg.com/publications/2018/playfulcorporation.aspx?linkId=55073287&redir=true
Resnick, M., & Silverman, B. (2005). Some reflections on designing construction kits for kids. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2005 Interaction Design and Children conference.
Roos, J., Victor, B., & Statler, M. (2004). Playing seriously with strategy. Long Range Planning, 37, 549–568.
Salas, E., Rosen, M. A., Held, J. D., & Weissmuller, J. J. (2009). Performance measurement in simulation-based training: A review and best practices. Simulation and Gaming, 40(3), 328–376.
Salas, E., Wildman, J. L., & Piccolo, R. F. (2009). Using simulation-based training to enhance management education. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 8(4), 559–573.
Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2017). The Scrum guide: The definitive guide to Scrum: The rules of the game. Retrieved from https://www.scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/v2017/2017-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf
Shmueli, O., Pliskin, N., & Fink, L. (2016). Can the outside‐view approach improve planning decisions in software development projects? Information Systems Journal, 26, 395–418.
Sørensen, B. M., & Spoelstra, S. (2011). Play at work: Continuation, intervention and usurpation. Organization, 19, 81–97.
Stainton, A. J., Johnson, J. E., & Borodzicz, E. P. (2010). Educational validity of business gaming simulation: A research methodology framework. Simulation and Gaming, 41(5), 705–723.
Standish Group. (2016). CHAOS report 2016: The winning hand. West Yarmouth, MA: Standish Group.
Statler, M., Heracleous, L., & Jacobs, C. D. (2011). Serious play as a practice of paradox. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(2), 236–256.
Steghöfer, J.-P., Burden, H., Alahyari, H., & Haneberg, D. (2017). No silver brick: Opportunities and limitations of teaching Scrum with Lego workshops. Journal of Systems and Software, 131, 230–247.
Tanveer, B., Guzmán, L., & Engel, U. M. (2017). Effort estimation in agile software development: Case study and improvement framework. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 29(11), e1862.
Taylor, S. S., & Statler, M. (2014). Material matters: Increasing emotional engagement in learning. Journal of Management Education, 38(4), 586–607. doi:10.1177/1052562913489976
Tiwari, S. R., Nafees, L., & Krishnan, O. (2014). Simulation as a pedagogical tool: Measurement of impact on perceived effective learning. International Journal of Management Education, 12, 260–270.
Trendowicz, A., & Jeffery, R. (2014). Software project effort estimation: Foundations and best practice guidelines for success. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Van Vleet, M., & Feeney, B. C. (2015). Play behavior and playfulness in adulthood. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 9(11), 630–643.
Webster, J., & Martocchio, J. J. (1993). Turning work into play: Implications for microcomputer software training. Journal of Management, 19(1), 127–146.
Weekley, J. A., Hawkes, B., Guenole, N., & Ployhart, R. E. (2015). Low-fidelity simulations. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2(1), 295–322.
Whetten, D. A. (2007). Principles of effective course design: What I wish I had known about learning-centered teaching 30 years ago. Journal of Management Education, 31(3), 339–357.
Whigham, P. A., Owen, C. A., & Macdonell, S. G. (2015). A baseline model for software effort estimation. ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), 24(3), 20.
Woo, A. (2018). How not to lie about estimates. Retrieved from https://hackernoon.com/how-not-to-lie-about-estimates-a5b4a03fd8e0
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The author bears the responsibility for checking whether material submitted is subject to copyright or ownership rights (e.g. figures, tables, photographs, illustrations, trade literature and data). The author will need to obtain permission to reproduce any such items, and include these permissions with their final submission.
It is our policy to ask all contributors to transfer for free the copyright in their contribution to the journal owner. There are two broad reasons for this:
- ownership of copyright by the journal owner facilitates international protection against infringement of copyright, libel or plagiarism;
- it also ensures that requests by third parties to reprint or reproduce a contribution, or part of it, in either print or electronic form, are handled efficiently in accordance with our general policy which encourages dissemination of knowledge within the framework of copyright.
In conformity with the French law, the author keeps the 'moral rights' related to the article:
- The 'authorship right': It is the author's right to have his name associated with each publication and exploitation of the article.
- The 'integrity right': It can be claimed by the author if he finds that during an exploitation, his work has been distorted (cutting, reassembly...).
