I mischievously titled this post "A game to play with your friends" but I very much doubt anyone will actually do this outside of a classroom setting. I hope to run a version of this game next time I teach a class. If any instructors out there run this simulation, I'd love to hear how it goes!
Prompt
Help me come up with a game to play with a group of law students, that will teach them the basics of Operations Management. The aim is to use a simulated process, to illustrate the concepts of time and motion studies, optimisation and bottlenecks
ChatGPT response
Certainly! Here's a simple game that can help law students understand the basics of Operations Management while simulating a process:
Title: Law Firm Case Management
Objective: The goal of the game is to process as many legal cases as possible in a set amount of time while minimizing bottlenecks and optimizing the process.
Materials Needed:
- A stopwatch or timer
- A set of legal case cards (each card represents a case and has basic details like the type of case, client name, and required actions)
- A game board or flowchart to represent the process (e.g., a linear flowchart with different steps like "Client Intake," "Research," "Drafting," "Review," "Client Feedback," "Finalization," etc.)
- Tokens or markers to represent work-in-progress (WIP) cases
Gameplay:
- Divide the law students into teams, with each team representing a different department in a law firm (e.g., Client Intake, Research, Drafting, Review, etc.).
- Explain the basic rules of the game and the objectives. Emphasize the importance of teamwork, communication, and efficiency.
- Place the legal case cards in a central location (the "inbox").
- Start the timer. Each team takes turns drawing a case card from the inbox and moving it to their department on the game board/flowchart. They then perform the actions required for that case (e.g., researching, drafting, reviewing, etc.).
- After completing their tasks, the team moves the case card to the next department on the flowchart. The goal is to move the cases through the process as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.
- If a team encounters a bottleneck (e.g., too many cases in one department, a delay in receiving client feedback, etc.), they must work together to resolve it. For example, they might reallocate resources, prioritize tasks, or collaborate with other departments.
- The game continues until the timer runs out. At the end of the game, count the number of cases successfully processed by each team. The team with the highest number of completed cases wins.
Discussion Points:
Time and Motion Studies: Discuss how the game simulates the movement of cases through a law firm, and how teams can optimize their processes to reduce cycle times and increase throughput.
Bottlenecks: Analyze the bottlenecks that occurred during the game and brainstorm potential solutions. Discuss the importance of identifying and addressing bottlenecks in real-world operations.
Optimization: Encourage students to reflect on the strategies used by successful teams and discuss how these strategies can be applied to real-world law firms to improve efficiency and client satisfaction.
Communication and Collaboration: Highlight the importance of communication and collaboration between different departments in a law firm. Discuss how effective teamwork can lead to better outcomes for clients and the firm.
By playing this game, law students can gain a better understanding of Operations Management concepts and how they apply to the legal industry.