The research behind Project-simulator

43 articles on the science our training and feedback are built on.

Every exercise and every assessment in Project-simulator rests on published research — on learning, conversations, teams and projects. Here we explain the sources, one at a time, in plain language.

• Benefits realization: from delivery to real valueWard and Daniel's research shows why benefits don't appear by themselves at delivery. How to make sure your project creates real value afterwards.
• Brooks's law: why adding people delays late projectsBrooks's law says adding people to a late project can make it later. Why onboarding and communication eat the gains – and what to do instead.
• Cognitive load: how it shapes your learningYour working memory is limited. John Sweller's research on cognitive load shows why simplicity in the environment determines how much you actually learn.
• Crucial conversations: how to save the dialogue when things heat upCrucial Conversations shows that dialogue only survives high pressure when everyone feels safe. Learn to restore safety before pushing your point.
• Debriefs Boost Performance by 20–25% – the Meta-AnalysisA meta-analysis by Tannenbaum and Cerasoli shows structured debriefs improve performance by around 20–25 percent. Here's how to use that in your projects.
• Deliberate practice: how focused training makes you an expertExperience alone does not make you an expert. Research on deliberate practice shows what actually builds skill – and how to train the right way.
• Does Agile Work? The Study of Over a Thousand ProjectsSerrador and Pinto analysed data from over a thousand projects: agile ways of working correlated with higher success. But context matters. Here's what it means.
• Double-loop learning: when skilled professionals stop learningChris Argyris showed why skilled professionals struggle most to learn from mistakes. How to break the defensive pattern and truly learn as a project manager.
• Emotional Intelligence in Projects – Goleman's IdeaDaniel Goleman made emotional intelligence world-famous in 1995. What the concept really means – and how to use it in difficult project conversations.
• Every difficult conversation is really three conversations – here's how to lead themStone, Patton and Heen show every difficult conversation is really three: facts, feelings and identity. How to use that insight in your project conversations.
• Feedback that works: specific, descriptive, timelyVague feedback changes no behavior. Research on actionable feedback shows what it takes: specific, descriptive, and tied to what actually happened.
• FIRO theory: inclusion, control and openness in teamsWill Schutz's FIRO theory explains why teams struggle with belonging and roles before they perform. How to use the theory as a project manager.
• Getting to Yes: negotiate over interests, not positionsFisher and Ury taught the world to negotiate interests, not positions. How to use the method when your project's time, money and scope come under pressure.
• Growth mindset: your ability can be trainedCarol Dweck's mindset research shows that how you view ability shapes how you handle setbacks and criticism. How to build a growth mindset as a project manager.
• Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions and Swedish LeadershipGeert Hofstede measured how national cultures differ in power distance and individualism. It explains why Swedish project leadership looks the way it does.
• Humble inquiry: asking instead of telling (Schein)Edgar Schein calls it humble inquiry: asking genuine questions instead of telling people what to do. It builds trust – and better decisions in your projects.
• Kahneman: fast and slow thinking in projectsDaniel Kahneman's research shows how intuition misleads us under pressure. Learn to spot your autopilot – and when a project manager should slow down.
• Kirkpatrick's four levels: is your training measuring the right thing?Happy course participants don't mean anyone learned anything. Kirkpatrick's four levels show project managers how to evaluate training – for real.
• Kolb's learning cycle: how project managers learn from experienceWhy isn't experience enough to make you a better project manager? Kolb's learning cycle shows how reflection turns experience into knowledge. Read more.
• Lencioni's five dysfunctions – trust makes or breaks the teamPatrick Lencioni's model shows how a lack of trust turns into poor results in five steps. How to spot the pattern in your project team – and break it.
• Mendelow's matrix: prioritise your stakeholders the right wayPower and interest determine how to handle each stakeholder. Here's how Mendelow's matrix works — and how to use it in your project communication.
• Nonviolent Communication: four steps for difficult conversationsObservation, feeling, need, request – Marshall Rosenberg's four steps help you raise difficult topics without the conversation derailing. Here's how it works.
• Positive reinforcement: how to bring out the best in your teamPositive reinforcement beats nagging and control. Aubrey Daniels' research shows how to pinpoint the right behaviors and reinforce them sustainably.
• Project Governance According to Müller: Sponsor and Steering GroupWho really decides in a project? Müller's research on project governance clarifies the roles: active sponsor, deciding steering group, presenting PM.
• Psychological Safety: Edmondson's Research ExplainedTeams where no one dares to speak up learn nothing. Amy Edmondson's research on psychological safety explains why – and what you as a leader can do.
• Purposeful practice: Ericsson's recipe for expertiseExperience alone doesn't make you better. Anders Ericsson's research on purposeful practice shows what actually builds skill in projects.
• Receiving Feedback Is a Skill – Stone & HeenStone and Heen show why feedback triggers us – truth, relationship or identity – and how to learn to take criticism and grow as a project manager.
• Risk Management in Projects – Hillson's Active Risk CycleRisk is uncertainty that matters, says David Hillson. Learn the risk cycle — identify, assess, respond and follow up — and avoid the dead risk register.
• Simulation Training That Works – the Research Behind ItSimulation alone doesn't make you better – it's the structured debrief afterwards that creates the learning. Here's what the research says.
• Simulation-Based Project Manager Training According to ShtubCan project management be trained the way pilots train in flight simulators? Avner Shtub's research shows how simulation-based training builds real competence.
• SMART goals: how Doran wrote the original in 1981SMART goals come from a short 1981 article by George Doran. Learn what the letters actually stood for – and how to write project goals that hold up.
• The 90 % syndrome: why projects stall just short of the finish lineAbdel-Hamid and Madnick showed why projects stall at 90 percent: hidden rework surfaces late and schedule pressure breeds new errors. Spot the pattern early.
• The Beer Game: When Delayed Feedback Derails Your DecisionsSterman's Beer Game shows how delayed feedback makes smart people overreact and create oscillations. Here's how to train yourself to see consequences in time.
• The Culture Map: why your feedback lands differentlyErin Meyer's The Culture Map shows how cultures differ in feedback, decisions and leadership. How to avoid culture clashes in international projects.
• The flipped classroom – why theory should come before practiceBergmann and Sams flipped the classroom: theory first, practice in class. See what the research says and how project managers can train the same way.
• The GROW model: coach your team like WhitmoreThe GROW model gives coaching conversations structure: goal, reality, options and will. Learn the method John Whitmore made famous – step by step.
• The Iron Triangle Isn't Enough – Atkinson's ResearchTime, cost and quality aren't enough to measure project success. See what Atkinson's classic study means for how you report and prioritize.
• The power of feedback: three questions that drive learningHattie and Timperley showed that feedback drives learning when it answers three questions: where am I going, how am I doing, and what comes next. Read more.
• The Science of Meetings – Leading Better with RogelbergResearcher Steven Rogelberg shows what separates meetings that create value from those that steal time. Research-backed advice for your project meetings.
• The Stakeholder Model – Freeman's Theory for ProjectsFreeman's 1984 stakeholder model is the foundation of all stakeholder analysis. Learn the theory and how to map who can decide your project's fate.
• Tuckman's stages: forming, storming, norming, performingWhy do new teams feel awkward? Tuckman's research shows groups mature in stages – and the right leadership depends on where your team is right now.
• Wheelan's model: how teams develop in four stagesSusan Wheelan's research shows teams mature in stages — and leadership must adapt to each one. Here's how to use the model in your project teams.
• When Feedback Does More Harm Than Good – Kluger & DeNisiKluger and DeNisi found that feedback worsens performance in over a third of cases. What matters is whether it points at the task or at the person.