Enhance Supply Chain Training with the Beer Game Simulation

Running the Beer Game: What’s the Right Approach?

When run correctly, the Beer Game deserves its long-standing reputation as a pragmatic and realistic simulation of supply chain concepts and dynamics. However, integrating it as a regular feature of staff training and development is no walk in the park.

It’s not as simple as setting up and playing a conventional board game—and without committed facilitators to keep participants on track and highlight the connections between what’s happening in the game and how the dynamics play out in real life, you might not derive the expected value from the activity.

At the very least, if you intend to incorporate the Beer Game into your training programs, you’ll need to:

• Develop a thorough implementation and execution plan
• Invest in facilitator training for selected employees, enabling them to run the Beer Game for you
• Factor in the hours that the facilitators and participants will spend engaged in the simulation
• Ensure facilitators’ and participants’ workloads are covered while they are out of the operation and participating in the simulation

Alternatively, you could engage the experienced Beer Game facilitators from Logistics Bureau to organise and execute your supply chain simulation sessions.

Logistics Bureau has been running Beer Game supply chain simulations for decades, continuously updating our approach in alignment with changes and shifts in commercial environments.

Today we can offer Beer Game facilitation as one long continuous session, or as a series of smaller, sequential events, either on-site at your business premises, or on a fully remote basis, using leading conferencing tools to coordinate the game.

Our facilitation approach is formulated to enhance and modernise this supply chain simulation game for maximum educational impact, offering the following benefits for your training programs:

• Customised supply chain simulation: We run The Beer Game for groups numbering four participants and upward. Our facilitators provide game guidance tailored to the participants’ level of supply chain knowledge and the industry in which they work.
• Professional Beer Game facilitation: Our Beer Game experts are skilled in supply chain operations and vocational training practices. Their expertise ensures participant progress is effectively managed and maintains momentum through to game completion.
• Integrated training and Instruction: During game-play, our facilitators integrate training and instruction linking the simulation with important concepts such as supply chain uncertainty, supplier relationships, and sales and operations planning (S&OP).
• Performance evaluations and after-action reports: Our Beer Game events include in-depth evaluations and debrief sessions for participants and post-mortem reports for internal management and human resources stakeholders.

Let’s Have a Pre-game Chat

We have a tried and tested strategy for running supply chain simulations, but we also tailor our approach to meet your particular needs and objectives.

The best way for us to ensure we do that is to understand your business a little and hear your thoughts and views about what you want from the Beer Game.

That’s why we recommend a FREE 15-minute discovery call, during which you can discuss your simulation needs with one of our consultants and begin to formulate a plan for working together. During that initial consultation, we will:

1. Review your training needs.
2. Determine the required number/frequency of sessions and number of participants.
3. Develop a basic action plan for integrating the Beer Game into your training strategy.
4. Leave you with some ideas and guidelines to help you implement your action plan, even if you choose to run the Beer Game without our facilitation services.