Trialling Copyright Virtual Management Simulations ENGINUITY

Trialling, The Key To Success As well as becoming familiar with the tutorial and other help tools, the best way to learn about Enginuity is to have a go, and there is the opportunity to practice making decisions and analysing the results, known as trialling, prior to the start of a competition. Past experience has shown that trialling is the real key to success, and can make all the difference between starting a competition well, or not so well. Trialling is very flexible, and trials can be submitted either :-  As a group/team effort  Individually

Trial Data The data used for trialling will depend upon the type of competition. ANNUAL COMPETITION For the Annual competition for industry, the trial data used is the trial company database that is installed with the software, beginning with “trial” e.g., “trial2015_t1p5.dat”. HIGHER EDUCATION or COMPANY SPECIFIC COMPETITION For Higher Education or Company Specific competitions, the trial data used is the company database sent out to a team when they are registered for the competition e.g., “cccccc_t?p5.dat” where :-  “cccccc” is the competition identifier  “?” is your unique team number

Submitting Trial Decisions Submitting trial decisions for processing Suppose that decisions have been made using the trial company database contained in the “trial1” folder i.e., ”c:\enginuity2015\data\trial1\trial2015_t1p5.dat”. To submit the trial decisions for processing and feedback :- 1.Close the Participants Module 2.Attach the trial database to an appropriately worded , and send it to the Competition Controller Trial results The Competition Controller processes the trial decisions for period 5, and s back the database for the next period, trial2015_t1p6.dat, which contains the results for period 5.

Trial Results The period 6 results database should be saved to the “enginuity2015\data\trial1” folder. The returned from the Competition Controller contains important feedback about the trial processed. Trial assessment Key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to measure the progress of the company, and initially total 1,000 points at the start of period 5. The total KPI score at the end of period 5 is shown, and is a measure of the quality of the decisions submitted, and is based upon reviewing all the decisions. In addition, the results are graded somewhere between the worse possible, “Room for improvement", through to the best possible, "Excellent“. Even with a grading of "excellent" it may be possible to improve the overall numerical score with some subtle tweaks to the decisions. Areas for improvement Detailed feedback is also provided on the for each of the four decision screens, and concentrates on areas that could be improved. The feedback is accompanied by supporting help, and references to the tutorial for further information. Key Points(s) The feedback is only provided during trialling, and not during the live competition.

Assessing Trial Performance The feedback will provide a initial assessment of the quality of the trial decisions. However, for a more detailed analysis the period 6 database should be opened in the Participants Module. After opening the period 6 database, the Main Menu provides a number of tools for assessing performance. Measuring performance  The Overall performance (KPIS) are used to determine how well a company is performing overall.  The Performance summary provide detailed information that can be used to assess how well particular areas of the business are performing, and can help to explain the success or failure of particular performance indicators. Analysing performance  The Management consultants report is a detailed review carried out each period by an external management consultant, and can be a valuable aid in managing the company successfully, especially in addressing areas of concern.  The Financial analysis displays detailed financial information for previous periods.  The Overhead analysis displays detailed overhead information for previous periods, relating to the overhead departments.  The Procurement analysis displays detailed bidding analysis for previous periods.  The Job analysis displays detailed job information.  The Client, project manager and consultant history display detailed past performance for each category We will take a closer look at some of the most important tools, the top three in the Assessing performance menu.

Trialling – Key Performance Indicators Key performance indicators 10 key performance indicators are used to measure the overall success of the company. The indicators are weighted according to their variability, totalling a 1,000 at the end of the History. As time progresses the weighting of each indicator will change, highlighting improvements or deteriorations in that area, but the overall total will be the measure by which the ultimate progress of the company is determined.

Trialling – Performance Summary The Company Performance Summary provide a detailed set of performance statistics relating to all aspects of the company’s activities, and can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses, and explain the rise and fall of particular key performance indicators. The left-hand section of the summary relates to information from the History. The right-hand section of the summary relates to the performance of the company since the History.

Trialling – Management Consultant Report Management Consultants Report The Management Consultants Report (MCR)is a detailed review carried out each period by an external management consultant, and can be a valuable aid in managing the company successfully, especially in addressing areas of concern. For the trial results the MCR can be filtered for :-  Period 5 only  Where the nature is “N”, representing the negative comments, and areas that may need addressing

Trialling – Multiple Attempts Using the feedback and the period 6 database a thorough review can be carried out of the performance during period 5. From the assessment of the results changes can then be made to the period 5 decisions, and another trial submitted. After a few trials performance should improve considerably, and it should not be long before the team, and its members, will be well prepared for the competition ahead.

Trialling – FAQs How long does trialling last ? The length of time allocated for trialling varies between competitions, and will be displayed on the competition web page, normally under the 'schedule' link. Who can submit trials ? Teams can either trial individually or as a group. Individual trialling is encouraged so that each team member can gain a good understanding of how the software works. Eventually the individual ideas need to be amalgamated into a group trial, since only one set of decisions can be submitted when the competition starts. How many trials are allowed ? There is no limit on the number of trials allowed during the trialling phase. However, there is a restriction on the number of trials that can be submitted at any one time. Only one trial should be submitted at any one time, and the submitter should wait for the results before submitting again. How quickly are trial results returned ? Every attempt will be made to return trial results as quickly as possible, including during weekends. Can you trial beyond period 5 Trials can only be submitted for period 5, and not subsequent periods.