KPMG

"Space Advisors" sales game

The Challenge

KPMG’s Advisory Professionals are trusted counselors to the world’s largest, most successful organizations. They face a formidable challenge, though: how can they best represent a rapidly growing network of over 40 KPMG specialty teams in constructing a comprehensive, tailored solution for each client? Selecting the appropriate KPMG service groups for each client opportunity is an especially daunting task for newly hired professionals, who usually lack the organizational savvy required to craft an optimal solution. Working in close collaboration with subject matter experts at KPMG, Gronstedt Group developed a sales game that won the Silver Medals Award in the 2018 Serious Play Competition.

KPMG: Projects

The Solution

Space Advisors is an interactive game designed to help Advisory Professionals uncover client business requirements and select the key network players to solve them. Years of experience have demonstrated that clients often fail to understand the full scope of their problems (and potential). The game therefore encourages advisors to identify business issues the client may not have considered so KPMG can then bring the right mix of industry-leading capabilities and competencies to bear in solving them. By forcing advisors out of their comfort zones, Space Advisors supports the firm’s efforts to boost client financial results by integrating the entire range of service groups.

The science fiction themed game is comprised of four increasingly complex client engagements. In the first level, players visit the Healthcare Droids of Star System Trappist-1 to help them transform Medroid, Inc’s financial system. The player, who assumes the role of a KPMG Management Consulting practice member, is invited to attend a client scoping meeting to discuss the opportunity with a team of senior Medroid partners. The goal is to optimize KPMG’s value to the client by representing the firm’s values and promoting the “one firm” approach.

The player is challenged to:

Gather information about the client: The player can perform background research before the meeting.
Assemble an initial presentation team: The player picks a team roster to bring to the first client meeting. Based on all available information, representatives of which service groups should attend?
Question MedDroid leaders: The questions available to ask will vary, depending on the composition of the presentation team. Asking the right questions will uncover additional opportunities.
React dynamically: Take opportunities for follow-up exchanges to further understand the client’s requirements.
Assemble final team and proposal: Based on what they learn in the initial client meeting, the player has to identify the Client Performance Priorities and map them to the right KPMG service team. They use a Service Network selector to pick the teams that will provide the best solution.

Once the player has finalized the roster for the second client meeting, they are scored and about the scope of the engagement they have structured.

Upon completing the first scenario, they level up for the second one: Helping the GrooveBots of OctaBorg ont Planet Pegasus 6 manage deposit interest expenses. Next, they fly to planet Kepler 9 to meet HoloV, the virtual reality communications provider. They need a Human Capital Management System that can handle their growth. You know, holodeck production houses with full sensorama capabilities. And finally, the boss level: Players meet Varsity AG and the JockDroids of Planet Gridiron 4 and help them divest their podracer seat and interior business.

Each subsequent client scenario is harder and more complex than the one before. This level progression process encourages “flow,” the feeling of working right on target between skill and challenge levels.

The game thrives on compelling storylines with colorful characters, real-world problem solving, level progression, game aesthetics, hint-system, feedback and freedom to fail, and preliminary feedback from play testers has been uniformly positive, suggesting the game is an engaging way to learn how to operate as one firm.