DTU ProjectLab - User contributions [en-gb]

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:29:20Z

S184404: /* Application */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Application & Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:29:09Z

S184404: /* Learnings from a Project in Construction */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Application & Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:28:38Z

S184404: /* Learnings from a Project in Construction */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Application & Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:28:29Z

S184404: /* Application */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Application & Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:26:51Z

S184404: /* Conclusion */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Application & Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:26:39Z

S184404: /* Conclusion */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Application & Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:23:14Z

S184404: /* Applications of Virtual War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Application & Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:23:01Z

S184404: /* Application of a War Room */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:22:25Z

S184404: /* Applications of Virtual War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, Tracey (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:18:20Z

S184404:

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Layout </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:16:37Z

S184404: /* Learnings from a Project in Construction */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> Luke, Ellen (2023), War Room Diagram </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:16:02Z

S184404: /* Virtual War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco (n.d.), Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. (2023), 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018), Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:14:59Z

S184404: /* Physical Project War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business (n.d.), War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik (2016), "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:14:18Z

S184404: /* Big Idea */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command (n.d.), War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy (2019), What Is An “IT War Room”?, Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven (2002), Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:11:34Z

S184404: /* Abstract */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian (2023), DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert (2022). Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:10:37Z

S184404: /* Abstract */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian, DTU ProjectLab, (2023) People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian, DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:09:56Z

S184404: /* Abstract */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian, DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian, DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Motivation (127-128). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:09:28Z

S184404: /* Abstract */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, Christian, DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, Christian, DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T13:08:14Z

S184404: /* Annotated Bibliography */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is often used by a cross-functional IT teams, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T12:16:47Z

S184404: /* Examples */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Applications of Virtual War Rooms ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T12:16:28Z

S184404: /* Physical Project War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Application of a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:44:46Z

S184404: /* Annotated bibliography */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated Bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:44:29Z

S184404: /* Advantages and Disadvantages */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:44:06Z

S184404: /* Big Idea */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & History of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:43:43Z

S184404: /* Introduction */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ==

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:42:50Z

S184404: /* References */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

= References =

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:42:32Z

S184404: /* Further Reading */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

=Further Reading=
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:42:09Z

S184404: /* Conclusion */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

= Conclusion =

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:33:52Z

S184404: /* Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's tasks and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:33:00Z

S184404: /* Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management </ref> .
The status quo around the standard use of war rooms in a project management setting, is that they should be collaborative, functional, and adaptable spaces that support effective project management and facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. However, the specific features and standards of war rooms may vary depending on the needs and preferences of the project team.

The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:29:01Z

S184404: /* Creating a War Room */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:Theory_warroom.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

File:Theory warroom.jpg

2023-05-09T11:27:58Z

S184404:

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:19:59Z

S184404: /* Examples */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized. Lastly, there are other virtual tools such as Switchboard, Spot and Teamflow that are used to have productive meetings and comprehensive virtual events. These solutions allow for a shared work space, document organisation and clean overviews, such that everyone can collaborate and feel engaged <ref name="switchboard"> Patch, T. 5 Virtual meeting tools to connect your remote teams. Available at:https://www.switchboard.app/learn/virtual-meeting-tools</ref>.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:00:48Z

S184404: /* Learnings from a Project in Construction */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

= Learnings from a Project in Construction =
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:00:37Z

S184404: /* Virtual War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

= Virtual War Rooms =

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

== Examples ==
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

== Advantages and Disadvantages ==

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T11:00:18Z

S184404: /* Physical Project War Rooms */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

= Physical Project War Rooms =

== Creating a War Room ==

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

== Advantages & Limitations ==

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T10:56:16Z

S184404: /* Abstract */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Using visual tools in project management helps motivate the involved stakeholders, showing the connection between their efforts and the project's progress. This leans upon the expectancy theory of motivation, where efforts lead to a performance, resulting in an outcome. War rooms create an overview for teams, assisting in visualizing how to achieve goals that can otherwise seem unmanagable<ref name="people_slides_2"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (127-127). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T10:20:20Z

S184404: /* Creating a War Room */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T08:45:45Z

S184404: /* Abstract */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-09T08:45:28Z

S184404: /* Abstract */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress <ref name="people_slides"> Thuesen, C., DTU ProjectLab, People Slides about Teams vs. Groups (29-59). </ref>.. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T19:08:37Z

S184404: /* Introduction */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

= Big Idea =
== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T19:06:25Z

S184404: /* Annotated bibliography */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T19:05:58Z

S184404: /* Annotated bibliography */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

'''PMI - Williams, P. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2015—EMEA" '''

Paul William discusses the elements around visual project management in his paper, highlighting the use of graphs, charts and diagrams to improve communication. These elements help to assist in project planning and reporting, where tools such as Gantt charts, Swimlanes and Kanban boards are specific examples. Tools as such can benefit a project team and increase productivity and enhance decision-making.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T18:57:34Z

S184404:

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T18:57:04Z

S184404: /* Annotated bibliography */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''<ref name="kelley" />

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

The remaining references look at the foundation of war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T18:56:44Z

S184404: /* Further Reading */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Virtual War Rooms]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''<ref name="kelley" />

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

The remaining references look at the foundation regarding war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T18:55:32Z

S184404:

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

==Further Reading==
* [[Visual Project Management - War Rooms]]
* [[Stakeholder Analysis]]
* [[Stakeholder Analysis Process]]
* [[Stakeholders from a dynamic and network perspective]]
* [[Managing communication through Network mapping]]
* [[The relevance of management organizational change]]
* [[The Role of Program Management in an Organisational Change]]

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''<ref name="kelley" />

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

The remaining references look at the foundation regarding war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Stakeholder Management in Change Programs

2023-05-08T18:54:48Z

S184404: /* Further Reading */

''Developed by Ioannis Milakas-Tsamouras''

Organizational longevity depends now, more than ever, on its ability to adapt to the ever changing environment. Change Initiatives, which consist one of the three major Program categories<ref name="APPM">Oehmen, Josef ''Introduction to Program Management (Part 1)'', DTU 42433: Advanced Engineering Project, Program and Portfolio Management,Lecture Slides.</ref>, orchestrate the required adjustments in order for the organization to continue to prosper. One of the main elements that can influence the outcome of a change program, is the stakeholder management during its life cycle. The two major components of stakeholder management are stakeholder analysis and stakeholder engagement. Stakeholder analysis includes the identifying analyzing, mapping and prioritizing of the stakeholders while stakeholder engagement involves the formulation of action plans in order to optimally interact with the most important ones. A variety of tools can be used during the steps of stakeholder management including Grundy’s methodology for influencing stakeholders to support the change program. Despite its importance, stakeholder management faces various limitations including the fact that stakeholder analysis is essentially a snapshot of an evolving environment thus it needs to be constantly updated during the program's life cycle in order to continue to be accurate.
== Importance of stakeholders in change programs ==

Organizational change initiatives are programs, that aim to provide benefit for the organization by helping it adapt, in order to survive and prosper in the ever-changing environment. Those programs can either be a result of anticipating change in the environment, where the organization acts proactively in order to be prepared or a reactive response to a clear and pressing need<ref name="CM">Hayes, John ''The Theory and practice of change management'', Palgrave Macmillan, 4th edition, 2014.</ref> . The intensity of these programs varies from incremental ones that involve small changes and fine-tuning of existing operations, to complete transformations of the organization. Despite the fact that change programs vary highly between each other they all share the attribute that, to some extent, they alter the status quo of the organization. Thus, organizational change programs can be perceived by groups or individuals as an opportunity to disrupt the existing internal or inter-organizational balance of power. Those individuals that can affect or be affected by the change program are called stakeholders.
Stakeholders can react in various ways during the lifespan of a change program. Some examples include:
*Members of the organization capitalize on the program as way to obtain power.
*Members of the organization resist the change process because it reduces their power.
*Outsider groups that don’t support the program restrain critical resources from the organization in order to undermine the success of the initiative.
Consequently it is clear that stakeholder management can play a big part on the success of a change program. Various structured approaches to stakeholder management have been proposed such as the “Five-Step Approach to Stakeholder Engagement” by BSR <ref name="BSR">Morris, Jonathan & Baddache, Farid ''Back to Basics: How to Make Stakeholder Engagement Meaningful for Your Company" Cited 20.09.2016,https://www.bsr.org/reports/BSR_Five-Step_Guide_to_Stakeholder_Engagement.pdf</ref> . However, all those approaches share the fact that they include Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder engagement as major parts of their method.

==Stakeholder Analysis==

Stakeholder analysis typically involves the following four steps<ref name="BSR"></ref>:
#'''Identifying''': Listing the individuals or groups that can be affected by and/or affect the change program.
#'''Analyzing''': Formulating an understanding of the stakeholders, regarding their point of view, ambitions, power etc.
#'''Mapping''': Visualizing the results of the previous step.
#'''Prioritizing''': Ranking the relevance/importance of stakeholders in order to decide with which to engage.

===Identifying===
[[File:Stake.PNG|right|450px|thumb|'''Figure 1:''' Typical examples of stakeholders Source: https://www.boundless.com/accounting/textbooks/boundless-accounting-textbook/introduction-to-accounting-1/overview-of-key-elements-of-the-business-19/business-stakeholders-internal-and-external-117-6595/]]

The objective of the first step is to produce a list of the stakeholders relevant to the organizational change program. Various tools and methods can be used on this stage such as:
*'''Brain Storming''': Where people are asked to write down any individuals/groups that come to mind as relevant and then the results are gathered and sorted.
*'''Mind Mapping''': A visualization technique used to organize information. A mind map is hierarchical and illustrates the relationships between pieces of the whole. Broad categories can be used as a starting point such as the OGC stakeholder categories <ref name="BIS">UK Office of Government Commerce, Department for Business Innovation and Skills ''Understanding programs and Program Management", 2010 Cited 18.09.2016,https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31978/10-1256-guidelines-for-programme-management.pdf</ref> (users/beneficiaries, governance, influencers & provider) and be expanded until a list of stakeholders is composed
*'''Experience from previous projects/program''': Utilize a stakeholder analysis that have been conducted during a previous project/ program. However, this should be performed with caution since the dynamics of stakeholders can change over time and also because stakeholders that are relevant considering one project/program are not necessarily relevant regarding another.
*'''Organizational charts''': These can be especially helpful for identifying the internal stakeholders i.e. those entities within the organization

===Analyzing===
Once the list of stakeholders has been conducted, the next step involves further analysis of each stakeholder in order to determine their relation to the change program, the links between each other as well as their importance, based on a chosen set of criteria. Multiple criteria have been proposed and being used in practice and their selection depends on the specific case and the background of the people conducting the analysis. Some of the most common criteria are<ref name="CM"></ref>:
*Support towards the change program (attitude)
*Ability to influence the outcome of the change program (power)
*Awareness regarding the change program
*Interest towards the change program
*Willingness to engage
*Necessity of involvement
*Position in the information flow network.

===Mapping===
[[File:Threed.PNG|right|350px|thumb|'''Figure 2:''' Three-dimensional grouping of power, interest and attitude Source: https://mosaicprojects.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/for-stakeholders-2x2-is-not-enough/.]]
The mapping stage aims to provide a better understanding of the relative importance of stakeholders by visualizing the relative position of the stakeholders based on some or all of the criteria used previously on the analysis phase. Usually mapping is two dimensional with each axis representing a criterion. However three dimensional mapping is also possible with the size/color/shape of the depiction of the stakeholders representing the third dimension. Frequently use stakeholder mapping tools are:
*Power/Influence- Interest grid
*Power/Influence – Impact grid
*Three-dimensional grouping of power, interest and attitude <ref name="MS">Ruth Murray-Webster & Peter Simon ''Making Sense of Stakeholder Mapping
", Published in PM World Today - November 2006 (Vol. VIII, Issue 11) "Connecting the World of Project Management,Cited 10.09.2016,\http://iptk.gov.my/doc/Making%20Sense%20of%20Stakeholder%20Mapping.pdf</ref>

===Prioritizing===
As it is not practical and usually unnecessary to engage with all stakeholder groups with the same level of intensity it is important to prioritize them in order allocate the most time and effort to the most important ones. The analysis and mapping steps, if performed correctly, would lead to a shorted list of stakeholders based on a set of criteria. Furthermore groups of stakeholders can be formed at this stage that require the same form of engagement. Finally the importance of the selection of the right set of criteria at a given time should also be stressed.

==Stakeholder engagement==

Once the stakeholders have been identified, analyzed and prioritized the next step is the formulation strategies and action plans in order to optimally engage with them. The level of engagement as well as the choice of strategy, depends on how important each stakeholder is for the success of the change program. Considering that four “high level” strategies for managing stakeholder can be identified <ref name="Carol">Carrol, Archie ''A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate performance'',Academy of Management Review, 4(4) 497-505.</ref> <ref name="Clarck">Clarckson, Max ''A Stakeholder Framework for Analyzing and Evaluating Corporate Social Performance'',The Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 92-117.</ref>:
*'''Being Proactive''': actively engaging with stakeholders and trying to resolve any issues they might face
*'''Accommodating''': trying to deal with stakeholder issues without engaging as actively as in the proactive strategy
*'''Defending''': doing the minimum in order to accommodate the stakeholder issues
*'''Ignoring''': or refusing to address the stakeholder issues because they are considered as unimportant for the success of the program

[[File:Powin.PNG|right|450px|thumb|'''Figure 3:''' Power/Influence - Interest Grid Source: https://mosaicprojects.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/for-stakeholders-2x2-is-not-enough/.]]

Stakeholder mapping is also utilized in order to decide on engagement strategies. Perhaps, the most widely used application of a stakeholder mapping tool deploys the power/influence – interest grid and categorizes the stakeholders in the following four groups with their respective engagement strategies<ref name="InIn">Mitchell, R. K., B. R. Agle, and D.J. Wood ''Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of Who and What really Counts'',Academy of Management Review 22(4): 853 - 888.</ref>:
*'''High Power High Interest''': Those stakeholders are the “key players” thus they should be a top priority and managed closely. If an organization falls into this category possible beneficial engagement tactics could include some sort of partnership or collaboration.
*'''High Power Low Interest''': The stakeholders that fall on this category should be kept satisfied and their need should be attended because, even though they have low interest on the change program, they have the power to influence its outcome.
*'''Low Power High Interest''': Those stakeholders have low power to influence the change program individually. However it is best to be kept informed about the developments and their attitude towards the program should be monitored since they could form coalitions with enough power to influence the program.
*'''Low Power Low Interest''': The organization should spent minimum effort and time regarding the engagement with the stakeholders of this category. Nevertheless those stakeholders should be monitored in case their level of influence or interest changes or in case a powerful coalition arises from them.

Another important stakeholder category that needs to be considered are individuals that hold important positions on the information flow network of the organization. Those individuals don't necessarily have high power or interest regarding the change program but they can play an important role in the spreading of important information regarding the change program through the organizational network or as gatekeepers of information who filter, alter or withhold it. Therefore, engagement with those individuals is necessary in order to achieve the desired information flow through the organization during the change program. <ref name="CM"></ref> <ref name="wiki">''Social network analysis'',Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_analysis</ref>

==Actions for influencing stakeholders to support the change program==

John Heyes<ref name="CM"></ref> based on a stakeholder analysis process developed by Tony Grundy <ref name="Grundy">Grundy, Tony ''Strategy Implementation Through Project Management'', Thorogood, 2001.</ref> proposed a list of actions that could help the change program obtain the maximum level of support. Grundy mapped the stakeholders on two dimensions based on their power to influence the change program (high, low) and their attitude towards the change (positive, negative). Once the stakeholder analysis based on these criteria is performed, the following actions could take place.
#'''Gaining the support of stakeholders that have negative attitude towards the change but have high power to influence the program'''. This could be managed by involving them more in the change process, bargaining with them or provide them with information that could persuade them about the necessity of the program. It is important for the program manager to try and understand the point of view of those who oppose the change and even giving the skeptics an opportunity to express and discuss their thoughts could lessen their negative attitude and prevent firm opposition due to stubbornness.
#'''Increasing the influence of the supporters'''. In order to achieve this a program manager could try to allocate supporters on positions with high power, or in decision making groups. As a result individuals with a positive attitude towards the change program would be able to materialize their support through actions aided by the power of their organizational position.
#'''Reducing the influence of powerful stakeholders who oppose the change'''. This can be achieved by preventing individuals from being part of decision making groups regarding the change program or if possible transfer them to another part of an organization. Moreover they can challenge their arguments or openly counter-argue their criticism.
#'''Forming coalitions of stakeholders who support the change'''. Even though a stakeholder can have small influence as one entity a group of stakeholders working together could have a strong impact. A program manager can influence the formation of such coalitions by successfully communicating the vision of the change program and highlight the mutual benefits that individual stakeholders would achieve by working together towards the implementation of the change.
#'''Breaking apart existing coalitions which oppose the change or preventing their formation.''' This might be achieved by turning key players of the coalition into supporters as discussed on the first action.
#'''Introducing new powerful supporters'''. The program manager can try to persuade powerful stakeholders that have a neutral or indifferent attitude towards the change to embrace and support it. This can be achieved by publicizing the change process so it would reach stakeholders outside the organization.
#'''Re-framing the change program in a way that attracts more supporters'''. If the stakeholder analysis shows that the opposition to the program is much higher than the support, it might be necessary for the program to be re-framed in such way that accommodates the needs and wishes of important stakeholders in order to attract the necessary support and be successful.

[[File:Ways_of_engag.PNG|center|thumb|650px||'''Figure 4:'''Overview of actions for influencing stakeholders to support the change program, Source <ref name="Grundy"></ref>]]

==Limitations==
One of the main limitations of stakeholder analysis is that it provides a snapshot of a dynamic field. Relationships between stakeholders as when as their power interest and attitude are subject to change through the life cycle of the change program. As a result stakeholder analysis should be constantly revisited and updated. Moreover, caution should be exercised when results of older stakeholder analysis are deployed during the process of a newer one. Furthermore, the success and objectivity of the analysis depends heavily on the position and background of the persons who conduct it. For example if the analysis is made by external consultants it might be more objective regarding external stakeholders but lack insight on the internal ones. On the contrary an analysis conducted by members of the organization could be really detailed concerning the internal stakeholders but prone to subjectivity due to personal views or emotions. Other limitations of the stakeholder analysis lie on assessing the stakeholders based on the chosen criteria. Firstly, most of the commonly used criteria are qualitative and no quantitative. Thus they can not be measured objectively and can only give a taxonomy based on the relative "results" between the stakeholders. Moreover certain stakeholders could have high power to influence a certain side of the change program and low on others. Finally stakeholders might have hidden agendas, making the assessment of their interest for the program hard.

==Further Reading==
* [[Stakeholder Management]]
* [[Stakeholder Analysis]]
* [[Stakeholder Analysis Process]]
* [[Stakeholders from a dynamic and network perspective]]
* [[Managing communication through Network mapping]]
* [[The relevance of management organizational change]]
* [[The Role of Program Management in an Organisational Change]]

==Annotated Bibliography==
*'''The Theory and practice of change management''' Hayes, John: A comprehensive book on change management, covering all aspects of the change processes from recognizing the need of change, diagnosing what needs to be change and planning the change process to implementing the change program and sustaining the change. It Includes both scholarly discussion and practical application.
*'''Back to Basics: How to Make Stakeholder Engagement Meaningful for Your Company''', Morris, Jonathan & Baddache, Farid: An analysis of BSR's five step approach to stakeholder management. It includes separate reviewing of each step: Engagement Strategy, Stakeholder Mapping, Preparation, Engagement & Action Plan.
*'''Understanding programs and Program Management''',UK Office of Government Commerce, Department for Business Innovation and Skills: A guide for those involved in delivering large-scale programs in BIS and its partner organisations. It aims to present the basics of programs and program management and highlight the ways they differ from projects and project management.
*'''Making Sense of Stakeholder Mapping''',Ruth Murray-Webster & Peter Simon: This paper introduces the three dimensional grid of power, interest and attitude as a tool for stakeholder analysis.
*'''Strategy Implementation Through Project Management''' Grundy Tony: A guide through Managing strategic projects. linking projects with business strategy,strategic project definition,project strategy & plans and strategic project control and learning. It includes an analysis of engagement tactics in order to win the support of stakeholders.

== References ==
----
<references />

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T18:48:08Z

S184404: /* Learnings from a Project in Construction */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). Due to confidentiality reasons, the names cannot be mentioned. The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''<ref name="kelley" />

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

The remaining references look at the foundation regarding war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>

Project War Rooms: Physical vs. Virtual

2023-05-08T18:42:58Z

S184404: /* Creating a War Room */

''Written by Ellen Cathrine Luke''

== Abstract ==
Project war rooms are a crucial tool in project management. They allow for a group or team to have a visual and collaborative space to plan, strategize, and track progress. Historically, war rooms have been physical rooms, where teams would gather to work on the project together. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased amounts of remote work are arising and the format of war rooms has adapted to this change. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations and still access all the necessary information and tools. Some of these virtual platforms are sourced by companies such as IBM and Cisco<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>. With these virtual platforms, the challenge for project teams now becomes, “How do I provide that same data to the project team that we used to have in hard copy form in this room to the people no matter where they are on a real-time basis?”, as said IBM Project Manager Jerry Perone, PMP <ref name="IBM challenge"> Ingebretsen, Mark, (2003), Enter the war room. Available at:https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/corporate-war-room-problem-solving-3368 </ref>.

Despite the change in format, the importance of war rooms remains the same. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects, and the visual nature of war rooms facilitates better communication and collaboration. In the post-pandemic world, virtual war rooms are becoming a necessity for organisations to manage their projects effectively, regardless of location. Both the physical and virtual format of a war room have their advantages and limitations, which will be explored further in the following sections.

__TOC__

== Introduction ==
=== Definition & Historical Overview of Project War Rooms ===

[[File:Warroom-historical.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Figure 1: A historical representation of a war room. <ref name=warroom2>
Naval History and Heritage Command, War Room, Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/telegraphy-and-cable/illustrations/war-room.html</ref>]]

A Project War Room, also referred to as situation rooms, control rooms and command centers, is a dedicated space or virtual platform where project teams can gather to visually plan and track the progress of a project. It is a collaborative environment where all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the project's goals, tasks, and timeline <ref name="ITWarRoom"> Kidd, Chrissy. What Is An “IT War Room”?, (2019), Available at:https://www.bmc.com/blogs/it-war-room/#:~:text=Also%20known%20as%20situation%20rooms,any%20type%20of%20project%20management. </ref> . The concept of project war rooms has existed for decades, particularly used since World War II. The concept has since been used in other contexts and has become an essential tool in project management <ref name= "lesson"> Shaker, Steven, Lessons Learned from War Room Designs and Implementations, 2002, Available at: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA467523.pdf </ref>.

Project war rooms were inspired by the military, where they would use the rooms to plan tactics and strategies to take down the enemy. Miniature models and figures would be laid out on tables, creating a visual and collaborative approach for leading generals. During the 1950’s and 60's, project war rooms became physical spaces, which were often located within an organisation's headquarters. These would be set up as continuous spaces with walls covered in charts and information relevant to the project. The wording "war room" can at times have a negative connotation. It expresses that a project is in crisis mode and not going as planned. A war room can instead be viewed as a "solution room", promoting active involvement from the team, hereby improving communication and collaboration. The aim was to create a visual and interactive environment where the project team could work together, brainstorm, and make quick decisions <ref name= "lesson"> </ref>. An example of where a war room is crucial, is when a project team needs to keep track of progress. At the beginning of a project, several short- and longterm factors are unknown, but that does not mean they should be forgotten. By allocating physical or virtual space for collaborative planning, a team can help ensure that all elements are accounted for, increasing the chance of executing on time and on budget.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of project war rooms has had to shift. Virtual war rooms have become increasingly popular, allowing team members to work together from different locations while still having access to all the necessary information and tools. The virtual environment provides the same collaborative and visual benefits as a physical war room, but with the added convenience of remote access <ref name="IBM source"> </ref>.

Regardless of the type, project war rooms allow organisations to manage their projects effectively and are an essential tool in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. They provide teams with a structured environment to tackle complex projects and the visual nature of war rooms allows for better communication and collaboration.

== Physical Project War Rooms ==

=== Creating a War Room ===

[[File:War-room-checklist.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Figure 2: War Room Checklist <ref name=checklist> Design A Better Business, War Room Checklist, Available at: https://www.designabetterbusiness.tools/tools/war-room-checklist </ref>]]

War rooms can vary from being high-tech rooms with digital screens displaying information, to low-tech with whiteboards, post-it notes and hand written additions <ref name= "lesson"></ref>. When setting up a physical war room, there are several key features that need to be addressed. The space should give the team an instant overview, including a broader recap over a longer time period and a current-state summary. The overview can include daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and even yearly progress and planning, in different degrees of detail. That means, the daily, weekly and monthly schedule should be more detailed than the long term overviews. Understanding the different layers of a project and maintaining this progress overview is crucial for successful project execution.

Since there is a great deal of information that can be displayed, it is important to agree beforehand how the war room is going to be used. The initial team should set out to create the skeleton of the room, whereafter experts are invited into the process to adjust and assist<ref name="lesson"></ref>. Next, it needs to be decided whether or not a purely analog format is used, or if the idea of a hybrid war room is introduced. A hybrid version allows for the analog information on whiteboards and post-it notes to be translated into a digital platform afterwards. This makes the information easier to share with other stakeholders and generally more accessible. An example of this could be a share-point profile for the company, where meeting minutes are noted and shared or diagrams written on whiteboards are transferred into a digital version which also can be modified.

The skeleton of the room includes the following elements:

# Space for the entire project team to sit and move if needed
# Zones for the team to have discussions and ideate
# Wall space for drawing, designing etc.
# Tools such as sticky-notes, drawing tools, paper, white boards.
# Be able to keep the room as is, for the duration of the project
# Adjustable work environment with versatile furniture
# Record your work by camera or translating it to an online work environment to track progress <ref name="ExampleWarRoom"> Van Der Pluijm, Erik, "Welcome to the war room", Available at: https://designabetterbusiness.com/2016/12/02/welcome-to-the-war-room/ </ref>

[[File:WarRoomGeneral.jpg|right|thumb|500px|Figure 3: Generic example of war room layout. <ref name="art"> The Art of WarRoom, the user called "SapientNitro" (2014) (Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/rmurray/the-art-of-warroom) </ref><ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

A key element in the room are the walls or boards, where a project team displays all the information. The war room walls and boards can be categorised into general sections such as Orientation, Time, People and Thinking.

'''Orientation''' includes critical information such as contact information to all relevant parties involved in the project. This helps to eliminate the potential excuse that a phone number wasn't available, or a team member being unaware of which suppliers there are etc. Orientation can also include the project mission, "why is this project occurring?" and the project description, "This is how we are going to execute.". It is also possible to include background material on the vendors, suppliers and other relevant parties if needed.

'''Time''' should give an overview of the project schedule and progress. When a project member walks into the room, they should be able to get an idea of where in the project the team currently is and how far along they are. Different degrees of detail can be included. Furthermore, events such as holidays, vacation days, closing days for maintenance etc. can be included. These days should be relevant for the whole team to know about, to keep everyone in the loop. It can be a good idea to have a calendar overview for this information.

'''People''' incorporates customer information, such as analytics, perhaps important stakeholders that the team needs to be mindful of. It can be useful to include a competitive landscape if this is relevant for the project. Including insight into different personas can help guide communication in knowing who to get ahold of for different questions and tasks.

'''Thinking''' is the section of the war room where free thought can take place. There should be space for post-it note ideation, ideas and insights found along the way and visuals such as sketches and diagrams. This part of the room can help nurture the create process and increase collaboration between team members.

=== Advantages & Limitations ===

Having physical war rooms for project teams lets you face the problems immediately. Being together in an inclosed space allows for clear communication and collaboration. There can also be increased productivity, since the team is faced with the problem then and there. The physical setup of a room can aid understanding and provide clear visualisations for everyone, also allowing team members to interact with the tools in the room to get points across. That being said, there are a few, yet critical limiting factors of having a physical war room. As companies grow, more people are needed in crucial meetings such as those in war rooms. Having a room with a set size and capacity will not allow for everyone to fit. This can decrease communication efficiency, if people who are not present need to be informed after the meetings through additional documentation. In addition, people can end up speaking over each other, where the dominant participants will be heard more than the rest. We as humans do not have the ability to manage several conversations at once and must therefore be mindful and let everyone be heard<ref name="IBM source"></ref>. Furthermore, in the time people are physically together, there are often private notes taken and information scattered in different platforms. If there is inconsistency in the documentation process, information will be misaligned and not useable for future reference.

== Virtual War Rooms ==

The concept of a virtual war room should be able to do the same as a physical one. All relevant stakeholders should be together in one space, sharing ideas and coming up with solutions. Within a digital platform, there is ease of access to information, which can be retrieved immediately by any stakeholder. A platform as such can vary in layout and include different components, such as dashboards, digital whiteboard or progress reports. The goal is still to gather project teams and progress within the project as effectively as possible.

=== Examples ===
Larger companies such as IBM and Cisco have developed solutions for virtual war rooms. IBM's solution ChatOps focuses on being able to communicate across several teams, allowing for breakout rooms and threads to be created. Since all the information is documented in ChatOps, newcomers can easily join and be up to date. Even though it can be difficult for physically present and virtual attendees to have simultaneous conversations, messaging and threaded conversations allows teams to communicate concurrently. IMB's solution is built to invite all people into the war room, whether that be a confident project manager or a reserved developer<ref name="IBM source"> Barron, Robert. Solve problems in a virtual war room. Available at:https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/virtual-war-room/</ref>.
Cisco's virtual war room combines the use of dashboards and notes in a chat room setting. When issues occur, these can be added to the timeline overview, available to all inside the war room. Their focus is to keep everyone informed through real-time, assigning responsibles to the issues at hand and giving an overview to a broader audience<ref name="Cisco source"> AppDynamics by Cisco. Virtual War Rooms. Available at:https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/22.6/en/appdynamics-essentials/dashboards-and-reports/custom-dashboards/virtual-war-rooms</ref>. Other solutions such as Kosy's (https://www.kosyoffice.com/use-cases/war-room) does not include all the features of the other two examples, but still allows for documentation, illustration on virtual white boards and their own meeting room design, which can be customized.

=== Advantages and Disadvantages ===

The virtual war rooms solutions presented by IBM and Cisco aim to simplify and accelerate problem solving. Participants are able to multitask without interrupting others, work together without being physically together and document information for everyone to see. Generally, the virtual war rooms allow for more flexibility, potential reduced cost since a physical room isn't needed, and AI assistance in the form of transcribed meeting notes and suggestions for new tasks. The downside of only having a virtual war room, is the lack of physical collaboration. Limiting personal, face-to-face interaction can end up limiting productivity. Having conversations face-to-face builds trust and also helps reduce miscommunication, as one is able to read facial expressions and other social cues in the physical conversation. <ref name="face2face"> Kinsey Goman, Carol (2018) . Has Technology Killed Face-To-Face Communication?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2018/11/14/has-technology-killed-face-to-face-communication/?sh=718f367ea8cc
/</ref>. Although technology has many benefits, implementing a completely virtual war room can end up being overly technical and eliminate the core purpose, namely working as a team to defeat problems. Clear communication is increased in a physical setting and shouldn't be ignored just because maximum efficiency is the desired output. A team should desire to provide a sound solution, not just a fast one.

== Learnings from a Project in Construction ==
It is important to remember that project war rooms can vary in layout, depending on the type of project. An interview with an engineering manager and the project manager of a production facility at a large pharmaceutical company in Denmark, gave insights into how they prioritise setting up 'solution' rooms (another expression for war room). The walls of the room are split into the sections seen in the image below.

[[File:WarRoomDiagram.jpeg|right|thumb|600px|Figure 4: Specific example of solution room layout. <ref name=warRoomDiagram> War Room Layout, Created by: Ellen C. Luke </ref>]]

The primary focus of the room are all the issues occurring on the project. Surrounding the room, there is a progress board for the overall project and individual progress being documented for each zone in the facility. This way, the project team can have an overview of the big picture and zoom into different areas. Next, there is a board called "Hot Topics". This is where important tasks are written up and monitored, making sure they are executed on time.

All information regarding the solution room for this project is only documented manually, where a facilitator delegates tasks out and those individuals document their own tasks down. It is important to note that this project was taken over by a new team half way through the process. To quickly get an overview, the new team had to create a solution room from the bottom, as there were too many missing pieces and lack of alignment. The manual documentation process during solution room meetings does not get translated into a virtual version due to lack of time. Had the management team highlighted, that if if they had had more time, a hybrid solution would have been useful. This way, people are still able to interact with each other in the physical room, whilst being able to access the information from a digital platform. In other successful project executed by this management team, dashboard tools representing progress of cost and time would be updated in synch with the physical solution room. A hybrid model worked well in these scenarios and are the preferred way of working in the future. Next steps could include trying to synch the time schedule with the actual progress. However, there are several difficulties when it comes to this suggestion, as unforeseen events, such as delays and other supply chain issues, take place and would have to be manually updated. Being able to have a digital time scheduling tool that can take these issues into account would allow for streamlined communication across any team.
In conclusion, the layout of the solution room and the overview it is able to provide helped create clear communication for the new project team and is a tool they will continue to use in future projects.

== Conclusion ==

In conclusion, physical and virtual war rooms have their unique qualties that can make them advantageous in different scenarios with regards to communication, visuals and decision making. Physical rooms will always offer better opportunities for face-to-face communication and give team members a dedicated area for people to collaborate, where virtual options allow for a flexible work environment and accessible information. The learnings from a real project gave insight into how a hybrid approach can be a way to integrate the two solutions. This way, team members can work together physically when needed and use a digital platform to collaborate remotely, increasing efficiency. In a post-pandemic world, companies are still trying to figure out which solutions work best for them and their coworkers. While Covid-19 showed us that it is possible to work remotely, it can't be ignored that humans are social creatures and seek to be in teams, whether that be at work, as a family, social clubs etc.. <ref name="socialCreature"> Parkhurst, Bryan & Tarvin, Kieth (2021) . On Being Social Beings. Available at: https://www.oberlin.edu/oberlin-center-convergence/oberlin-center-convergence/learning-communities/on-being-social beings#:~:text=Humans%20are%20social%20creatures.,emergent%20property%20of%20group%2Dliving.
/</ref>. That being said, the virtual war room shouldn't aim to take over as the dominant solution, yet teams should adapt and understand which solution is best for them.

= Annotated bibliography =

'''BMC Software - Kidd, C. - 2019 - “What Is An “IT War Room”?” '''<ref name="ITWarRoom"/>

This article highlights the use of an IT war room. An IT war room is usually a cross-functional IT team, who have specific skills and knowledge related to the systems being monitored. The article provides tips for setting up an effective IT war room, including selecting the right team members, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing communication protocols. Furthermore, the article also explains how the IT war room can be used for any type of project management, not just for responding to crises. The war room concept can be applied to a variety of fields and can be particularly helpful for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. To conclude, the article stresses the importance of being prepared for unexpected challenges in IT and project management and having a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

'''Kelley School of Business - Standaert, W., Muylle, S., & Basu, A. - 2021 - "Business meetings in a post-pandemic world: When and how to meet virtually?" '''<ref name="kelley" />

This study looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has effected meetings in a professional environment. It presents a decision-making framework for determining when and how to conduct virtual meetings based on communication capabilities, meeting objectives, size, and duration. The framework is developed through extensive empirical research in collaboration with major U.S. and European companies. This topic is not highlighted extensively throughout this wiki article, but does reflect upon an interesting topic, namely the objectives of online and physical meetings.

'''Woeppel, M. - 2015 - "Visual Project Management: Simplifying Project Execution to Deliver On Time and On Budget" '''

This book examines the effects of visual project management and how it can simplify project execution and improve communication within a team. It identifies the challenges with traditional project management methods and how they often can lead to failure. The book guides the reader on how to apply visual tools such as flowcharts, diagrams, and timelines to create a visual plan. This allows a team to collaborate and see the full picture together, encouraging project success. Lastly, the book stresses the importance of continuously reviewing and improving processes, in order to achieve project goals and objectives.

The remaining references look at the foundation regarding war rooms, where historical and current perspectives are seen through articles and other relevant blog posts.

== References ==

<references>