Overview
The Schola simulation is a highly innovative software tool that is used as part of an organised workshop, either in a classroom or in remote format, to deliver an intense experience that helps participants with a wide variety of experience levels to develop skills for dealing with challenges such as planning & controlling projects, and leading responsibly & sustainably.
Schola addresses the following 'specific' leadership challenges
Schola addresses the following 'generic' leadership challenges
Learning outcomes
Participants develop skills in a number of tools and techniques, including:
- scheduling: critical path analysis, gantt charts
- project planning & control techniques
- budgeting & cashflow management
- earned value management
- risk management
- judging time-cost-quality trade-offs
- decision-making & teamwork in a project scenario
Who is this for?
Schola is regularly used by:
- project & program managers
- project controls specialists
- project team members
as well as Masters/MBAs/EMBAs, and Executives on business school programs
Screenshots
Demo video
Clients who use Schola include:
“Prendo’s Schola and Pactio simulations are excellent tools for students to experience the challenges of dynamically managing a project; I consistently get very positive feedback about the value these simulations add to my courses.”
Sergio Chayet, Professor, Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis
“We have run the Schola simulation course with hundreds of people from all levels of the Project Management/Project Control organisation, and I am regularly told that this is the best course that any of them have been on.”
Gary Singleton, PM Function, BAE Systems Air
“Our delegates have the opportunity to practice using a range of project management tools and techniques, all in the safety of a simulated environment. They plan and control a whole project in one day which is an efficient and valuable way for them to improve their skills.”
Pamela Swaby, MoJ Project Delivery Academy
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to run a Schola simulation workshop?
A Schola simulation workshop is typically run over a full day, but can also be run for example three consecutive half-days as part of a longer program that mixes theory explanations and practical sessions with the simulation.
What is the role, mission and success measures in the Schola simulation?
You play the role of a project manager, who, in the context of a project to deliver the design of a new school, has been asked to run the project. Success is measured with both the traditional time, cost and quality outcomes, but also by the level of support obtained from the two key stakeholders.
What are the limits on numbers of participants in a Schola simulation workshop?
We recommend that participants be organised in teams of 3 to 5 people, with a minimum of 3 teams and a maximum of 40 teams.
Schola simulation: case studies
A few examples of how Schola is used, all over the world (both in classroom and in remote workshop formats), by a variety of clients, in number of different contexts and for a wide range of participant experience levels and backgrounds.
Operating and de-commissioning one of Europe’s largest nuclear sites involves the management of hundreds of projects of varying sizes and scales. Prendo’s Schola simulation gives a broad community of managers working on these projects a chance to develop their skills in the key tools and techniques of project planning and controls. The simulation workshops are run in both classroom and online formats.
For one of the world’s ‘supermajor’ oil & gas multinationals, with sites and staff in all continents across the world, Prendo is delivering remote project management simulation workshops, with online participants. Run over 2 consecutive mornings, the intense workshops give participants a chance to practise a range of project management skills, including virtual teamwork.
A large training company is a regular user of Schola (in its French version) in a program in which hundreds of managers at one of France’s largest banks participate in a modular program designed to develop their project management skills, through a mix of theory and practice. Schola is run over one full or two half-days, allowing small cohorts of 10 to 12 participants to apply their newly acquired insights and tools in a realistic but safe environment. The browser format of the simulation software was a key requirement for an organisation with strict technology security protocols.
At one of Qatar’s leading universities, Schola is used with students studying for an Executive Masters in Project Management. The simulation gives students, working in classroom-based teams, a rapid experience of planning and delivering a project. Prendo provides the local faculty with remote facilitation support, especially for the debrief and explanation of the simulation results.
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