Immersive Workshop

The Heist: Project Mayhem

Plan and execute a high-stakes operation that demands flawless project management. An immersive experience that makes planning skills unforgettable.

What you'll need

  • Time: 120–180 minutes
  • 👥 Group: 8–24 people
  • 🪑 Space: Large room with team stations and central "operations" area
  • 📺 Tech: Countdown timer display, optional audio
  • Prep: 30 minutes to set up stations and materials
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[Workshop illustration]

About this workshop

The Heist transforms project management from a necessary evil into a thrilling challenge. Teams must plan and execute a complex "heist" with multiple moving parts, tight dependencies, and unexpected complications—all while the clock ticks down.

Through the immersive scenario, participants experience why planning matters, what happens when dependencies fail, and how to adapt when things go wrong. The lessons stick because they're learned through doing, not listening.

What participants will learn

The knowledge and understanding they'll gain:

  • How dependencies create risk (and how to identify them early)
  • The difference between planning and over-planning
  • Why communication is the most common point of failure
  • How to build contingency into tight schedules

What they'll be able to do afterwards

The skills and behaviours they'll take away:

  • Break complex projects into manageable, sequenced tasks
  • Identify and mitigate critical path risks
  • Communicate status updates clearly and efficiently
  • Adapt plans in real-time when circumstances change
  • Run effective project coordination under pressure

How it works

Teams receive their "mission brief"—a complex heist with multiple objectives, team roles, and a tight timeline. They must plan their approach, coordinate across roles, and execute while dealing with "complications" that test their adaptability.

The debrief reveals how planning decisions played out, where communication broke down, and what would have made the difference. Participants leave with frameworks they can apply to any project.

Perfect for

Project teams who want to work together more effectively, organisations rolling out new project methodologies, cross-functional teams learning to coordinate, or any group that finds traditional PM training too dry to stick.

What's in the base box

  • Facilitator guide with scenario scripts
  • Mission briefing documents
  • Role cards with individual objectives
  • Planning templates and timeline tools
  • Complication cards for facilitators
  • Communication log sheets
  • Debrief framework and discussion guides

Available add-ons for this workshop.

Custom Scenario

A heist themed around your industry or the types of projects your team runs.

Methodology Integration

We'll weave in your specific PM framework—Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid.

Multi-Team Version

Scale up to 50+ participants with competing or collaborating teams.

Facilitator Coaching

Learn to run high-energy project simulations with confidence.

Tools Integration

Use actual project tools (Jira, Monday, etc.) during the simulation.

Ready to pull off the perfect project?

Let's talk about bringing The Heist to your team. Or if you need something bespoke, we can design that too.

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