theProject™ 2026 Scenario:

West Michigan Health Partners (WMHP) has approved a strategic initiative to expand its regional healthcare network by developing a new outpatient care facility in Muskegon County. The center will deliver primary and specialty care services, supported by modern digital tools intended to improve patient access, operational efficiency, and clinician experience.

The initiative consists of two coordinated workstreams:

Facility Development – Planning and delivering a new outpatient facility, including site selection, design coordination, permitting considerations, and sustainability goals.
Digital Enablement – Selecting and implementing commercially available technology solutions that support care delivery and facility operations.

The facility must be operational by August 2027 and delivered within a $50 million total program budget.

Student teams will apply PMI PMBOK® Guide v7 principles to develop an integrated project plan that addresses scope, schedule, cost, risk, stakeholders, and value delivery across both workstreams.

Academic Outreach

Developing the Next Generation of Project Leaders in West Michigan and Across Michigan

theProject™ is the PMI Western Michigan Chapter’s flagship academic and workforce pipeline initiative. Each year, student teams take on a complex, real-world scenario that reflects the kind of project challenges shaping West Michigan’s economy and communities across Michigan. Through mentoring, judging, faculty support, and employer involvement, theProject^TM helps students apply project management principles while building connections to future career opportunities.

Why It Matters

Organizations in West Michigan and across Michigan depend on skilled project leaders to deliver work across healthcare, construction, manufacturing, technology, and community development. theProject gives students the opportunity to experience that reality while giving employers, faculty, and project professionals a meaningful way to support future talent.

theProject^TM Event Overview

Students are required to develop a Project Charter and Plan, including the project and event day schedule, budget, location, and high-level logistical plans, while applying their PMI principles.

Who participates in "theProject^TM"?

Student teams comprised of 3 to 6 students from colleges and universities in Western Michigan and across the state. Although project management tends to favor business, computer science, and engineering curricula, students of all academic disciplines are highly encouraged to participate.PMP®-certified project management professional (PMP) mentors are assigned to each team. In addition, there are faculty champions from each school, a core team of WMPMI members covering a variety of competition responsibilities, and a panel of PMP-certified judges.

What Students Gain?

Students participating in theProject:

apply project management principles to real-world challenges
develop leadership and presentation skills
work with mentors and industry professionals
gain exposure to employers and career pathways
compete for recognition and cash prizes

This experiential learning event is designed to build confidence and professionalism, and to spark an interest in project management as a career, fostering an understanding of how complex problems can be solved and solutions delivered using tools honed in the fires of real-life practice.

What’s the format?

Teams are given a real-life scenario and must develop solutions in the form of a project plan. The assigned PMP-certified mentors teach them how to transform their solutions into project plans using the initiating and planning processes documented in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (a.k.a., the PMBOK). Teams have a number of deliverables with due dates to pass through the different Phase Gates. Teams are judged on their use of proper project management techniques, the quality of their solutions, and their ability to present their project plans.

The event day, usually the second week in April, includes team presentations, executive speakers, and the awards ceremony.

If you have any questions, please send an email to:

Travis Pursel, VP, Academic Outreach THEProject@wmpmi.org

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Since 2012

Past Events and Winning Teams Archives

2024 THEProject Event Winners

Michigan Technological University - Team - Anchor Management

See THEProject 2024 Brochure for Event Details

2024 Project Description

College and Education Guide

WMPMI College and University Outreach Activities

TheProject 2023 Spring Competition

Scenario

Student teams develop a plan to prevent and protect digital infrastructure from a Ransomware attack.

Overview

Recently Virginia State Legislature's IT branch was hit with a Ransomware attack resulting in data loss and interrupting legislation for weeks. As a result of the increasing trend of Ransomware attacks, the Acme Corporation has put out a contract to your team to develop and implement a Ransomware Prevention Plan and put in place a Ransomware Response Plan. The RPP should include enhancing current IT processes, training of IT resources (like clean desk and phishing training) and any desirable certifications for the infrastructure to achieve minimum risk from Ransomware. The RRP should include training for all employees, war line procedures and a desktop planning scenario plan for each year.

To learn more about TheProject 2023 see the details click here

Congratulations to the 2023 Winning teams

1st Place - Team HACME from MTU

2nd Place - Team WileyWare from MTU

3rd Place - Team Bronco Cyber Consulting from WMU

Honorable mentions

Team Synced from Hillsdale College - Overcoming Diversity Award

Seidman Six from GVSU - Most Improved Award

Bulldogs of Business from Ferris University - Underdog Award

Warm welcome all the students, champions, and mentors to our THEProject 2023 competition taking place at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville on Monday, April 10, 2023.

This year in 2023, the competition was represented by students from Ferris State University, Grand Valey State University, Michigan Technological University, Hillsdale College, and Western Michigan University.

1st Place - Team HACME from MTU!

2nd Place - Team WileyWare from MTU!

3rd Place - Team Bronco Cyber Consulting from WMU!

Thank you all for your participation!

For all the participating teams, volunteers and sponsors, we have a consolidated brochure for you consolidating our successful event for 2023!

TheProject 2023 brochure

For questions, please contact Matt Mills, VP Academic Outreach vpao@wmpmi.org

To all the students, mentors, school champions,
panelists, judges, and volunteers:

THANK YOU!

The 2021 event was a success because of you!

Check out this year's competion in the booklet below.

This year was the 10th annual competition for the Western Michigan Project Management Institute (WMPMI) collegiate project management competition – THEProject. This year the students tackled a scenario that was straight from the headlines.

Transitioning from brick-and-mortar to remote
or hybrid-school environment

Create a project plan that will protect the university under conditions similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Project Plan will take into consideration lessons learned from the current situation and identify opportunities for the following models: Funding, Matriculation, Campus Building, IT Infrastructure, and IT Security.