The FactOrEasy® simulation was developed at PEF CZU for the purpose of teaching selected skills which are needed to manage an enterprise. The subject of the simulation is decision-making in the management of a manufacturing enterprise. Participants in the simulation compete with businesses that are represented either by other students (the offline version) or are run by artificial intelligence (the online version). It is the simulation of a market environment in which a player takes several decisions in each round. The length of the simulation depends on the number of rounds selected. The basic principle of the whole simulation consists of three decisions made in each round following a fixed order: (1) the purchase of material, (2) the manufacture of products and (3) the sale of products on the market. The online version adds two more decisions that the player can take at any time: (4) investing in expanding production capacities (build a new factory) and (5) taking out a loan. Individual decisions are interconnected and determine each participant's strategy. During the course of the game, various situations can arise on the market of materials or products, which have a theoretical basis in economics and management but which are also common in managerial practice. Participants in the simulation are thus given the opportunity to “experience” these situations in the secure environment of the simulation which, with the guidance of a qualified instructor, leads to a better understanding of the particular issues. This method of teaching thus follows modern trends in education based on an individual's own experience (so-called experiential learning). Therefore, supplementary materials in the form of manuals are an integral part of the simulation. Both standard user manuals and tutorials describing the rules and operation of the simulation are available as well as a didactic tutorial for instructors. The latter contains an overview of the didactic possibilities of the simulation, a description of the various situations that may occur, their theoretical basis and a description of the ways in which they can be explained to students during the simulation.
As mentioned above, the FactOrEasy® simulation can be used in offline and online versions. During the course of the training, with respect to the topic of the subject to be taught, each version can be used either separately or the application of both versions can be effectively interconnected. The graduated involvement of both versions in the training (first the offline and then the online version) is the recommended way of using the simulation.