1. Paper Tower Competition
Dr. rer. nat. Christiane Gresse von Wangenheim, PMP

2. Exercise: Paper Tower Competition
Group exercise in groups with 6 participantes.
Instructions:
Objective is to build a paper tower of at least 60 cm height using only the materials provided. Your tower must be free of any outside support (e.g. cannot be fixed on the floor, wall, or a team member). The tower must be able to withstand a moderate breeze (as blown by the teacher).
Only projects completed on time with the tower fully built according to the requirements will be considered in determining the winner. Projects also need to have properly completed the performance report.
The criteria (with equal weights) to determine the winning team are:
Largest number of SPIs and CPIs ≥ 1 in all stages
Lowest total cost
Beauty (to be evaluated subjectively by a vote of all students)

3. Phases of the exercise
Phase
Expected result
Duration
0. Project planning
Project plan
15 min
1. Design
Documentação do projeto da torre
3 min
Monitoring & control
Register of used resources
Performance report
2. Construction
Tower with 20 cm of height
3. Construction
Tower with 40 cm of height
4. Construction and test
Tower with 60 cm of height
Monitoramento & controle
Registro de despesas
Relatório de desempenho
Important: No technical activity may me executed during monitoring & control.

4. Phase 0. Project planning
Select a group member as project manager, with the following responsibilities:
Coordinate the revision and completion of the project plan.
Register used resources
Coordinate monitoring & control
Plan the human resources, assigning group member to roles:
Principal Engineer and engineers: design, construct and test the tower.
Auditor : controls the correct execution of the exercise by supervising another group.
Plan the required resources and complete the cost baseline.
Analyze risks and, if necessary, acquire protections.
Duration: 15 minutes

5. Material (and costs) Material Only these materials can be used.
Paper sheet: $ 2
Paper clip: $ 1
Piece (approx. 5 cm) of tape: $ 5 (pieces can only be used as one piece)
Scissor: $ 20
Tape measure: $ 20
Only these materials can be used.
Human resources
Cost of 1 min. of a human resource is $ 10.

6. Risk analysis
Identify potential risks and decide for which one preventive actions should be taken.
Acquire risk preventions for those identified.
In case, the risk actually happens, the prevention will protect your project against the impact.
Risk
Prevention cost
Lack of human resources
$ 25
Lack of material
Requirement changes
Changes of deadline
Unexpected need of conformity to standards

7. Phase 1. Design Discuss how you will construct the tower.
Document the result in form of a schematic drawing.
Important: During this phase, no construction activity may take place.

8. Monitoring & control
Register any usage of resources used in this phase.
Monitor the performance calculating SPI and CPI.
Earned Value Management
PV – Planned Value: Cost planned for the scheduled activities to be completed until the current date.
AC – Actual Cost: Cost spent on the performed activities until the current date.
EV – Earned Value: Planned cost of performed work.
SPI – Schedule Performance Index: SPI = EV/PV
CPI – Cost Performance Index: CPI = EV/AC

9. Monitoring & control 80% $ 180 $ 180
$ 144
0.8
0.8
EA= Progress * PV = 80% * $ 180 = $ 144
SPI= EA/PV= $ 144/$ 180 = 0.8
CPI= EA/AC = $ 144/$ 180 = 0.8

10. PHASE 2. Construction Construct a tower with 20 cm height.
Register any material and human resources used.

11. Monitoring & control
Register any usage of resources used in this phase.
Monitor the performance calculating SPI and CPI.

12. PHASE 3 ...
.. Continue to construct the tower until at least 40 cm of height.

13. PHASE 4 ...
.. Complete the construction of the tower and test the tower.

14. Everything OK? Any question?
Everybody ready?

15. Phase 0. Project planning
Select the project manager.
Plan the human resources, assigning group member to roles:
Principal Engineer and engineers: design, construct and test the tower.
Auditor : controls the correct execution of the exercise by supervising another group.
Plan the required resources and complete the cost baseline.
Analyze risks and, if necessary, acquire protections.
Duration: 15 minutes

16. Phase 1. Design Discuss how you will construct the tower.
Document the result in form of a schematic drawing.
Duration: 3 minutes
Important: During this phase, no construction activity may take place.

17. Monitoring & control
Register any usage of resources used in this phase.
Monitor the performance calculating SPI and CPI.
Duration: 3 min.
Important: During this phase, no construction activity may take place.

18. Phase 2. Construction Construct a tower with 20 cm height.
Register any material and human resources used.
EVENT: Your principal engineer suffered an accident and cannot participate in this phase.
Groups, who acquired the prevention for the risk of lack of human resources, nothing changes.
For all others, the team member assigned as principal engineer does not participate (comes to the front of the room). Yet, the cost of these members is still registered as a used resource.
Duration: 3 min.

19. Monitoring & control
Register any usage of resources used in this phase.
Monitor the performance calculating SPI and CPI.
Duration: 3 min.
Important: During this phase, no construction activity may take place.

20. Phase 3. Construction Construct a tower with 40 cm height.
Register any material and human resources used.
EVENT: Your client just called you to inform you that the rules of the competition have been changed, now requiring the construction of a tower of at least 70 cm of height.
Groups, who acquired the prevention for the risk of requirement changes, nothing changes continuing with the requirement to construct a tower of 60 cm of height.
All other groups now have to construct a tower of at least 70 cm of height.
Tempo: 3 min.

21. Monitoring & control
Register any usage of resources used in this phase.
Monitor the performance calculating SPI and CPI.
Duration: 3 min.
Important: During this phase, no construction activity may take place.

22. Phase 4. Construction Construct a tower with 40 cm height.
Register any material and human resources used.
Duration: 3 min.

23. Monitoring & control
Register any usage of resources used in this phase.
Monitor the performance calculating SPI and CPI.
Duration: 3 min.
Important: During this phase, no construction activity may take place.

24. Finished! Acceptance criteria: The winner is:
Free standing paper tower of at least 70 (60) cm of height which withstands a light breeze.
Correct and complete performance reporting.
The winner is:
Largest number of SPIs and CPIs ≥ 1 in all stages
Lowest total cost
Beauty (to be evaluated subjectively by a vote of all students)

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