Simulation Process

Typically, our business simulations follow this process:

1. Analysis

Participants analyse the current position of the business they inherit. Often they will use to tools to help them such as SWOT / PESTLE analysis, Value Chain analysis etc.

2. Objectives & strategies

They put together their plan. This would typically follow a pre-defined structure that could represent your own planning process. It could include Values, Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategy, Scorecard etc.

3. First round decisions

The team will then make their first round decisions. Typically these are limited to a supply decision, a demand decision and a cost decision.

4. Review

The first round's decisions and results are usually reviewed to ensure all teams have an understanding of what happened and why. In addition, teams can also review their behaviours and processes. Appropriate tools and theory can be used here.

5. Running the business

Teams will then continue to run their business for a number of rounds and are free to make decisions on all areas of their business. After each round they receive: financial statements, key ratios, qualitative data such as staff morale and customer satisfaction, a market summary, news and messages. Reviews of the task, the process and other supporting inputs can be built in as needed.

6. Evaluation

Having run their business for a number of rounds, the simulation is usually finished with an evaluation session. This can take many different forms, but would typically include team lead presentations on the performance of the simulated businesses, questions and open discussions on how the businesses and the teams performed.

7. Learning & implementation

Finally, participants would review their learning (on longer programmes, they may have used learning logs) and where appropriate develop a personal or business unit action plan to help them apply their new knowledge and skills. We can also work with participants to refresh their learning and implement their plans. Where this is being done, we can work with you to measure both changes in behaviour and business performance.