Network analysis of a simulated project office

This paper examines the relationships and interactions amongst students in a university class while they simulate a project management office environment. The project duration was thirteen weeks and the project was an actual construction project. The expected task outcome was exactly what one would expect from a professional project management firm. The tasks performed during this period were the tasks encountered during the construction contract procurement stage. The work distribution and structure were those of a network organization. The simulated office consisted of three senior associates responsible for leadership and management of the office team and approximately 25 team members with different interests and expertise relevant to the project. During the course of the project, each member of the team completed an online survey questionnaire. The data collected provides measures of variables that include information exchange, knowledge exchange, trust and the frequency of interactions amongst the members of the project network. The data was subsequently analyzed and studied using a Social Network Analysis (SNA) software.