Classroom game
The Boat Game
A complete risk-management workshop told through a story everyone understands: a boat trip across the Atlantic. Brainstorm what can go wrong, rate it on a live matrix, plan and price the responses - and leave with a real risk log.
What is the The Boat Game game?
The facilitator tells a short story - you are on a fancy boat crossing the Atlantic with your friends. Participants answer one question from their phones: "What can go wrong?". Every answer becomes a digital sticky note on the projected wall.
The authors then place their own notes on a probability × impact risk matrix, the group argues the placements, stars 1–3 risks and works each one through two whiteboard columns - Prevention and Worst case scenario - with rough price tags, keeping only strategies that cost less than the risk itself, and assigning an owner. The result is a classic risk register, downloadable as CSV.
Features
Key capabilities
Sticky-note brainstorm
A timed "what can go wrong?" round - everyone writes from their phone, notes land live on the projector wall.
Live risk matrix
Authors place their own notes on a Probable/Possible/Improbable × Low/Medium/High/Extreme wall; disagreements are argued out loud.
Prevention vs worst case
Two whiteboard columns per risk, priced against the cost of the risk itself - the console flags what is worth doing.
A real risk log
Probability, impact, costs, kept strategies, owner and comments - exportable as CSV for your next project meeting.
Step by step
How it works
Tell the story
Pick the scenario (boat, plane or vacation), share the QR and read the story aloud.
Brainstorm and evaluate
Five minutes of sticky notes, then each author places theirs on the risk matrix.
Work the top risks
Star 1–3 risks; the room fills prevention and worst-case columns, prices them and assigns owners.
Debrief with the log
Review the finished risk register together and download it as CSV.
Use cases
What it’s good for
- Project-management and risk-management training - the full identify → evaluate → respond loop in one exercise.
- Project kickoffs: run it as an icebreaker, then repeat the same flow on the real project.
- Team workshops that need everyone - not just the PM - to feel ownership of risk identification.
- Run a workshop on identifying project risks
- An exercise that leaves a finished risk register behind
- Explain the risk matrix through a story anyone can follow
Training by Octigo
Want this run as a full training?
You are free to run our games and simulations on your own. But if you would like us to deliver a complete training, with a professional debrief and the concepts behind the “The Boat Game” simulation explained in depth, get in touch. Octigo is a professional training company with 20 years of experience and many awards for its simulations.
- 20 years of experience in corporate training
- Award-winning training simulations
- A professional debrief and takeaways after the session
- A programme tailored to your goals and your team
Prefer to write to us directly? szkolenia@octigo.pl
Try “The Boat Game” in Verbalu
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