Commercial Real Estate / Flexible Workspace · ERP Implementation · WeWork
ERP Implementation Project Manager Simulation — WeWork
Lead a $4.8M Oracle NetSuite ERP implementation at WeWork — replacing a patchwork of QuickBooks instances, Yardi, and spreadsheets left over from the company's restructuring. The project starts clean: good budget, engaged sponsor, competent vendor. Then the CEO announces WeWork is pivoting to 'Workspace-as-a-Service' — licensing its operating model to third-party landlords. Half your requirements change overnight. The vendor contract doesn't cover the new scope. Your stakeholders disagree on what the pivot even means. Deliver an ERP that serves both the current business and a future that isn't fully defined yet. Gain hands-on project management experience over 27 days of real decisions, stakeholders, and PMO deliverables — no prior experience required.
The scenario
WeWork Inc. — the global flexible workspace company operating 300+ locations across 37 countries — emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring in mid-2024 with a leaner footprint, shed $4B in lease obligations, and a mandate to rebuild its financial infrastructure from the ground up. During the restructuring, the company operated on a fragmented patchwork of financial systems: 14 separate QuickBooks instances (one per major region), Yardi Voyager for property management and lease accounting, Salesforce for member CRM, and dozens of Excel spreadsheets bridging the gaps between them. Month-end close takes 22 business days. Intercompany reconciliation is manual. ASC 842 lease accounting compliance is maintained through heroic effort by a three-person team. The board has approved a $4.8M Oracle NetSuite ERP implementation to consolidate financial operations onto a single cloud platform. NetSuite was chosen over larger platforms (SAP, Oracle Cloud) because WeWork's post-restructuring scale — $3.2B revenue, 4,800 employees — fits NetSuite's mid-market sweet spot, and the company cannot afford the $15-20M price tag of a Tier 1 ERP. RSM US LLP has been engaged as the system integrator under a $3.4M fixed-price contract. The implementation covers three modules: NetSuite Financials (GL, AP, AR, Fixed Assets, Revenue Recognition), NetSuite CRM (replacing Salesforce for member management), and a custom Real Estate Accounting module built on NetSuite's SuiteGL and Advanced Revenue Management for ASC 842 lease compliance across 300+ locations. Yardi will be retired for financial functions but retained for property management operations with a bidirectional API integration. The project is well-positioned: clean executive sponsorship from the CEO, a competent SI partner, a realistic timeline, and a team that survived the bankruptcy and is hungry for modern tools. The previous financial chaos is fresh enough that nobody needs to be convinced this project matters.
What you'll do as the project manager
- →Consolidate 14 QuickBooks instances and manual reconciliation processes onto a single NetSuite Financials platform — GL, AP, AR, Fixed Assets, Revenue Recognition
- →Implement ASC 842 lease accounting for 300+ global locations using NetSuite SuiteGL and Advanced Revenue Management, replacing the current spreadsheet-based compliance process
- →Deploy NetSuite CRM to replace Salesforce for member management — pipeline tracking, contract management, and member lifecycle across all locations
- →Build bidirectional API integration between NetSuite and Yardi Voyager for property management data (lease terms, occupancy, maintenance costs)
- →Reduce month-end close from 22 business days to 8 business days within 3 months of go-live
Project management skills you'll build
The challenges you'll navigate
- •14 QuickBooks instances have inconsistent chart of accounts structures — data migration mapping could reveal irreconcilable differences requiring manual cleanup
- •ASC 842 lease accounting configuration is the most complex workstream — NetSuite's native capabilities may require significant SuiteGL customization for WeWork's 300+ location portfolio
- •Yardi API integration has not been prototyped — bidirectional sync between property management and financials has known latency issues in similar implementations
- •WeWork's post-restructuring employee base is lean — key finance team members are already at capacity and may struggle to support UAT and training alongside daily operations
- •Salesforce-to-NetSuite CRM migration involves 4 years of member data, contract history, and pipeline records — data quality is unknown
Technology & stakeholders
You'll manage 8 stakeholders, including David Tolley (Chief Executive Officer), André Fernandez (Chief Financial Officer), Priya Mehta (Chief Technology Officer), and more.
What you'll walk away with
A verified, shareable record of a completed enterprise project — plus the PMO deliverables you produced along the way (charter, project plan, SteerCo deck, closure document). It's real, demonstrable project management experience you can put on your resume and speak to in interviews.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need project management experience to start?
No. This simulation is built for aspiring and practicing project managers alike — you learn by doing. You make real decisions and get feedback, with no PMP or prior PM job required.
How long does this simulation take?
It runs over 27 days, roughly 26 minutes per day, covering the full project lifecycle from initiation to closure.
What will I learn?
You practice the core of project management — stakeholder management, budget and schedule control, risk, scope, and PMO governance — in the context of erp implementation in commercial real estate / flexible workspace.
Is this based on the real WeWork?
It's a realistic scenario inspired by WeWork and the Commercial Real Estate / Flexible Workspace sector. Details and names are fictionalized for training — it's a simulation, not a record of any actual project.
What do I get at the end?
A verified project completion plus the PMO deliverables you produced (charter, plan, SteerCo deck, closure) — proof of hands-on experience you can show employers.
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