Thammasat MBA Wins 5th Consecutive OpsSimCom World Championship

     The Thammasat MBA “Dracarys” team secured their 5th consecutive OpsSimCom World Championship, a global Operations & Supply Chain simulation organized by MIT Sloan. The winning team includes Suphanat Hannarong, Thammaporn Thirapakphum-anan, Pharmacist Kanisorn Leartpattanasak, and Nitiphon Chattrakool, advised by Asst. Prof. Dr. Krit Pattamaroj from Thammasat Business School. Initially ranked near the bottom in practice, the Dracarys team was motivated by a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude to give their utmost effort in OpsSimCom. This global Operations Management simulation requires managing the entire operations and supply chain, including costs, production, pricing, and business outcomes, with real-time KPIs driving pressurized, effective cost management decisions.

     “This year’s challenge is considerably more difficult than in previous years, as there are multiple cost components that need to be managed continuously. A particular challenging task is identifying cost optimization, including how much we should sell, how we should adjust our processes, and how we should manage operations across the entire chain. It is important to note that this year, every team begins the game with a negative status from the outset,” stated Nitiphon.

“Four Eyes Principle” – A Strategy to Mitigate Uncertainty

     Regarding the competitive strategy, Thammaporn explained that the team focuses on gathering opinions from each member. Everyone contributes suggestions on how to make decisions in various situations, which are then evaluated for their advantages, disadvantages, and potential risks associated with each option before a collective decision is made.

     During the competition, Nitiphon added that if there is a relatively calm period and an unexpected event occurs, the team will hold a meeting or conference call immediately, with at least one to two people involved, to collaboratively address the issue as quickly as possible. Having more than one person to brainstorm, or the Four Eyes principle, helps alleviate the pressure of decision-making and enhances the sharpness of decisions made during high-pressure situations.

TBS: Teamwork

     In addition to the hard skills or knowledge that the faculty members have imparted intensively through learning and practical experience, Pharmacist Kanisorn stated that another crucial aspect is soft skills, particularly teamwork. “Throughout the 48 hours of the competition, we had to stay together, think together, and make decisions together. There were many moments when problems and obstacles arose, but what TBS designed in the curriculum helped shape our ability to brainstorm, work collaboratively, and move forward together towards the goals we set.” he said.

Victory from “surpassing one’s own limits“

     Kanisorn and Nitipon attributed their victory to ‘surpassing one’s own limits’. Kanisorn initially never imagined reaching the pinnacle of success like previous champions, but credited TBS for instilling the confidence to do so. Nitipon gained crucial confidence in decision-making and applying knowledge, and encouraged others to seize every opportunity, no matter how small.