Community In Action: Can You Make it Run?
CAN YOU MAKE IT RUN?
Participants will work in teams to plan, procure, build, and deliver a functioning RC vehicle while navigating project constraints, stakeholder expectations, resource limitations, and changing conditions.
Rather than learning project management through presentation alone, participants will experience firsthand how planning decisions influence execution, how risks emerge throughout a project lifecycle, and how teams must adapt when assumptions change. Through collaboration, competition, and structured problem-solving, participants will apply project management principles in a dynamic, real-time environment.
The experience concludes with a facilitated debrief exploring project outcomes, team decision-making, risk responses, procurement choices, and lessons learned. Participants will examine why certain teams succeeded, how challenges impacted delivery, and what insights can be applied to projects in their own organizations.
Attendees will gain practical experience applying project management concepts while strengthening decision-making, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills in a fun and engaging environment.
Learning Objectives
• Apply project management concepts within a simulated project environment.
• Examine how planning decisions influence project execution and outcomes.
• Practice budgeting, procurement, resource allocation, and stakeholder management techniques.
• Identify and respond to project risks, constraints, and changing conditions.
• Evaluate project performance through facilitated reflection and lessons learned.
• Strengthen communication, collaboration, and decision-making skills while working under
time constraints.
Featured Debrief Questions
1. Why did one team succeed while another struggled?
2. What risks emerged during the simulation, and how did they affect project outcomes?
3. What happened when assumptions changed, and how did teams adapt?
4. How did procurement decisions influence project performance and delivery?
5. What would you do differently if you were starting the project again?
