Question

1. Comparison of Tetris to what you already know about Project Management (be sure to compare each item to your experience with playing Tetris)

   1. What is your initial strategy in terms of balancing the triple constraint, i.e. scope (goals and what is to be accomplished), time (or schedule to get things done), and resources (money, people, and being provided the resources WHEN you need them)?

   2. We have all worked with folks who are afraid of making the wrong decision, so they either drag out their decision or make NO decision. How does that compare here?

   3. As time goes by (and you get closer to your ‘deadline’) and parts of your ‘project’ are not getting completed as you would have liked, what do you now see happening?

   4. What may affect your decision-making (generally) in project management?

   5. How might you adjust the project if you don’t have resources when you need them?

   6. Tetris does have one major difference from project management: by definition, a project is unique; it has an achievable goal, and it has an end. How might we ‘redefine’ the game Tetris (or more specifically, the ‘game over’) so that it IS more inline with the attributes of a project? m. How might you incorporate lessons-learned from project management into future projects?

Answer 1

1. What is your initial strategy in terms of balancing the triple constraint, i.e. scope (goals and what is to be accomplished), time (or schedule to get things done), and resources (money, people, and being provided the resources WHEN you need them)?

The initial step in any project management is making sure that the information provided is as accurate as possible. It is also crucial to know which constraints are valued higher and which lower, and also which are most flexible during the project duration to allow for changes when others are fixed. In the case of Tetris, the scope is clear - ensure each row has each cell filled so it can disappear from the game and make more space to place the descending blocks. The time for placement however changes with each level and so the pace of the blocks descending will increase allowing for less time to make decisions on where to move them. Resources, blocks in Tetris, are visible only a few steps in advance allowing strategy to be defined only up to 2/3 rows ahead. As the scope is fixed, it is up to the player to determine how to use the resource constraint the best within the time constraint. At the start of the game, the player should plan a few moves ahead and ensure that scope completion is planned (rows are cleared as soon as possible) with proper resource planning (decide where the blocks should go to clear rows) so that as the levels get tougher, the time constraint (faster descending of blocks) has greater flexibility of a clearer board which can positively affect the chances of success.   

2. We have all worked with folks who are afraid of making the wrong decision, so they either drag out their decision or make NO decision. How does that compare here?

Decision making is particularly difficult if a tight time frame is attached to it. In this case, if no decisions are made and blocks are allowed to drop in the centre of the board as they descend, then the game will be over very quickly. In Tetris it is important to make a decision a block or two in advance if possible so that placement can be effected to ensure they serve the purpose of meeting the scope/clearing the board. Similar to project management where scope should always be kept in the forefront of all planning to utilise resources in the best possible way. Delays in decision-making or indecisiveness on the part of managers/players can cost projects and the game valuable time and resources and result in failures.  

3. As time goes by (and you get closer to your ‘deadline’) and parts of your ‘project’ are not getting completed as you would have liked, what do you now see happening?

The time constraint can lead to more indecisiveness among managers and players, or the making of bad decisions as there is not enough time to consider all the options and arrive at the right decision. As the blocks build to cover most of the board, there is less and less space in which to maneuver leading to panic and hasty decisions, which can cost the player the game. When one or more constraints are severely impacted, the remaining constraint will need to stretch (figuratively) to accommodate the gap. It is imperative to match decision-making to the pace of the project/game to ensure success.

4. What may affect your decision-making (generally) in project management?

Project managers need access to all pertinent information to facilitate their decision-making. Absence of data, ambiguity in planning/availability of resources, lack of clear understanding of what the ultimate goal is can all affect decision-making in a project. Also, there can be internal and external stressors that affect decision-making - Clients or managers who put increased pressure on the project manager, unexpected product/software/manufacturing issues that can throw off a good plan, people/team related issues such as conflict or lack of skills etc. The best planning should include mitigation plans for known and unknown risks to ensure that project managers can make the best decisions with the information they have available. Having buffers in time constraints (an extra week of testing) or contingencies for resource constraints (backup for people going on sick leave, extra funds in case infrastructure needs to be fixed or additional developers need to be hired) or agreements around scope constraints (agreement with client over partial release if necessary) can allow project managers to effectively and confidently balance all key factors to arrive at the best decision.

5. How might you adjust the project if you don’t have resources when you need them?

If the required resources are not available, the other two constraints can be flexed (if possible) to ensure project completion. Project end date can be postponed (internal releases can accommodate this more easily) or scope can be reduced to accommodate for fewer developers (more people on sick leave in flu season) and these can ensure the same project is successfully delivered with the requisite quality. In Tetris, if blocks arriving are not the ones that are required for the current gaps in the rows, then the available time can be used to make new rows that can meet the scope.

6. Tetris does have one major difference from project management: by definition, a project is unique; it has an achievable goal, and it has an end. How might we ‘redefine’ the game Tetris (or more specifically, the ‘game over’) so that it IS more inline with the attributes of a project? m. How might you incorporate lessons-learned from project management into future projects?

To make Tetris more like a project, it might help to set a quantifiable goal that is achievable and it should have defined constraints - e.g. the game can be considered successfully won if 50 rows are cleared (scope), or if a set time limit is met (10 mins). Having a clear and achievable goal is necessary to define successful completion. Anyone unable to meet the goals will have to replay or lose a life to add a further resource constraint.

Lessons learnt from project management should be reviewed and evaluated at the end of each project's completion. Post project reviews are now the norm in most industries as they seek to understand what went well and what didn't. These lessons are documented and usually published (or at least made available for reading for others), and can serve as a guide to that or other project managers to ensure they account for those known risks and advantages during a project. These lessons could also be made mandatory to be used/referenced to drive the contingency planning and disaster recovery planning for all future projects, perhaps designed as a checklist that must be completed at different stages of the project e.g. at planning - create risk management and mitigation plans that include reduced staff at flu season, additional buffer time for second round of testing etc.