The Sigma igma game for management

Project management within a complex organization resembles a game, which the authors call Sigma igma game, as it results from the summation of many interactions of people trying to reassure resources availability. This work focuses on capturing the dynamics of the game and on the measurement of the player's performance, with the aim of increasing productivity and providing meaningful comparison of different projects. A term names the PERT surprise is defined and measured which expresses the discrepancy between actual behavior and previous planning along the project history. A group surprise term is added to the individual one to ensure fairness. The winner is the player who is least surprised. The dynamics is caught by a computer tool present in every meeting and useful during conversation. The tool should allow multiple views to be held and opinions tested on the spot against facts. An example and implementation issues are discussed. >