During Agile Australia 2010, I teamed up with Phil Abernathy to present a variety of different team exercises and games. The session starts quite gently and builds up pace culminating in the Ball Point Game right at the very end.
Agile Team Games Phil Abernathy & Kane Mar Agile Australia 2010
Transcript
1. Agile Team Games Phil Abernathy & Kane Mar Agile
Australia 2010
2. Yes, but ... Yes, and 2
3. Yes, but ... Yes, and Purpose: Explore the Art of the
Possible Instructions: Form groups of 5 Plan a party, starting each
new sentence with the words Yes, but ... (2 minutes) Plan a party,
starting each new sentence with the words Yes, and ... (2 minutes)
3
4. Balloon game instructions Pre draw a balloon with a face on
it Sit approx 10 per table Ask them to deliver as many balloons as
they can in 5 min like the pre drawn one Start 5 min count down
Draw up chart for team scores Test rigorously and reject balloons
that do not meet spec Update scores Talk about TDD ( 5min) Redo
exercise Update scores ( should be better) Reflect and close
out
5. TDD Test Driven Development Elaborate with acceptance
criteria Write test cases Build a test harness Write the
(automated) test scripts Build the deliverable Run the deliverable
through the test harness and against the test scripts to see if it
passes If YES Yippppeee If NO fix and re-try
6. Help me see it 6
7. Help me see it Purpose: Explore communication and
collaboration Instructions: Form 1 large circle By going around the
circle, create a fictional character If you dont find the fictional
character credible then you can challenge by saying Help me see it
The next 2 persons must help 7
8. The Ball Point Game 8
9. The Ball Point Game Purpose: Demonstrate the power of
inspection and adaption using a fun, physical game. 9
10. The Ball Point Game Rules You are all one big team Each
ball must have air-time You cannot pass a ball to someone directly
to your left or right The end point must also be the start point
Dropped balls are considered waste Each Iteration = 2 minutes
Retrospective = 1 minute 10
11. The Ball Point Game Inspect and Adapt in Scrum ... is a
Deming* cycle (PDCA) ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ PDCA PLAN:
Design or revise business process components to improve results DO:
Implement the plan and measure its performance CHECK: Assess the
measurements and report the results to decision makers ACT: Decide
on changes needed to improve the process 11
12. Flow game instructions One pre built boat Lots of A4 paper
and red and blue marker pens Sit them in long rows of 7 per team (
rest can be consultants per team) Assign roles ( biz, analyst,
architect, developerx2, tester, business) Ask them to deliver as
many boats as they can in 5 min like the pre built one. They get 3
points per pair of blue and red boats, -1 per page not completed
Start 5 min count down Draw up chart for team scores Update scores
Talk about Pull and Flow( 5min) Redo exercise consultants can give
advice Update scores ( should be better) Reflect and close out
13. Theory of constraints Every organization has at any given
point in time at least one constraint which limits the system's
performance relative to its goal Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt You can
only deliver as fast as the slowest part of your process
14. Increasing Throughput Managing the Littles Law Reduce
on-ramp work in progress Work in progress = Total cycle time Avg
completion rate Removing constraints Increase completion Dont
overburden rate
15. Lets apply some learning Some LEAN principles Identify
bottlenecks and optimise Manage the on-ramp Eliminate waste Pull
and flow Inspect and improve Some AGILE principles Collaborate
Co-locate Self organising teams Testing, testing testing