Students on the final year of the Construction Management course at the University of Westminster have always considered the financial implications of decisions taken in the management of construction projects. In addition, consideration has been given to the implications of decisions on pricing and programming made at tender stage by examining the impact of those decisions on the subsequent management of a project. Clearly such concepts cannot be effectively covered by straightforward delivery of information on the subject. Consequently a case study approach has been the traditional way of tackling these fairly complex areas. However, several years ago it was recognised that even case studies have their limitations. Although they may illustrate the principal issues involved in decision making they do not allow students to participate fully in the process. It was recognised that a computer-based exercise could potentially overcome these shortcomings but commercially available software packages were considered unsuitable. The University of Westminster therefore developed its own computer-based project simulation exercise geared specifically to the needs of the curriculum. |