Simulation Workflow
The simulation is like a real-world business - there are a lot of moving parts and you can’t expect to be an expert your first day on the job. As you work through the rounds of your
simulation experience, you’ll develop processes and practices that help you get the most out of your experience. We encourage you to explore, play around and find what works for
you. As you start, here are some guidelines for a workflow that may help you hit the ground running.
1 Review Report
The best way to kick off a round is to figure out what happened last year. The report will give you the results of decisions that were made in the previous round, a
breakdown of your competitors’ actions, and an update on the customers’ activity and expectations. For help on how to use the report effectively, reference the
Advanced Training tasks “Analyze the Market” and “Competitor Analysis”. You can access the report from the left navigation bar on the dashboard, or in the top
bar of the simulation interface. Keep the report close as you make decisions (it may be helpful to print it out); the information inside is your key to success.
2 Make Decisions
It’s time to think about what you will do this year to grow your business. Each department should communicate and act cross-functionally with a shared goal. It
may be best to start in Research and Development, then proceed through Marketing, Production and Finance. When complete, review each department and
make changes where needed.
3 Review Projections
After you have made it through each department, review the proforma projections accessible in the top bar of the simulation interface. Proformas are projections
based on internal analysis - the numbers rely on the accuracy of the forecasts set in Marketing. This is a good opportunity to go back and review or alter your
decisions and reference the impact that changes have on the projections. Remember, these numbers should serve as tools to guide your decisions and not as
expectations. Results will vary based on the performance of your competitors and accuracy of your forecasts.
4 Upload Decisions
Once you feel confident in the decisions you’ve made, save and upload your official decisions. There is a more detailed walkthrough of the save process in
Simulation Guidelines. If you have any questions throughout the round, the user guide provides useful information on all department decisions.