Subtitle: How we created and played a brand new game all in one day.

On Day 2 of DeepAgile, Michael McCollough and Don McGreal got us started on with a game design workshop. From there we used open space to invent and play the game with other attendees. This blog shares what we learned about product backlogs and game design.

Getting started: A room with a view

The first job in open space was to create 3 consecutive session in the open space (one for each of: objectives, design and play – see photo). I announced that each open space session was independent and that people could attend just one or all – we would do a re-start at the beginning of each one. Working and collaborating with others – what a great way to use Open Space.

I scoped out an amazing room at NERD with a round table, ceiling-height whiteboard and a spectacular view. Perfect for inspiring a team and encouraging collaboration.

Learning Objectives: Keep it simple

We started with a long list of learning objectives at the end of Mike & Don’s workshop (see photo on left). We knew this was way too long and had it winnowed down to the three within the next hour (see photo on right). By the end of the day we had stripped it down even further to just the first objective: there are multiple ways to represent a backlog. KISS strikes again.

The Problem: Product Backlog Management has challenges

The starting place was to help product owners to organize and prioritize their backlog. We spent discussed the topic for a while to get on the same page. We figured out there are a whole bunch of steps involved in building and maintaining a backlog (See diagram below):

1. Identify Stakeholders
2. Identify work (Stories)
3. Estimate work (units, T-Shirt sizes); identify risks
4. Organize & Prioritize <– Focus of our game is on organizing
5. Communicate
6. Execution & tracking (Release burndown/up)
7. Re-prioritize

(We had a great diagram on the whiteboard but can’t find it. So I redrew it from memory and added some flourishes.)

The simple act of preparing brainstorming objectives for the game led to a better understanding for all of us on the full life cycle of a product backlog. The big picture allowed us to focus in on one part: organizing and prioritizing. Even this was too big! We split approaches and concepts into ones that were more about organizing and ones more about prioritizing. At this point we had three game concepts:

1. The missing stakeholder game – who are my stakeholders and why are the missing? (prioritization)
2. “Malfunction at the stakeholder junction” – AKA the dysfunctional stakeholder game. “I want this.” “No, I want this.” (prioritization)
3. The Backlog is in the eye of the beholder – all about organizing based different stakeholder perspectives. (organization)

We did a strawman vote and there was a clear consensus around moving forward with the last one – on organization of the backlog.

Working together on the game

It was fun. Really fun. I played the role of product champion and facilitator.

We started with the Pomodoro Technique to stay focussed and on track (yes, I even drew tomatoes on the whiteboard).  In the design session, we got into a state of flow and just kept going to meet our timebox.

We had to deliver a game since it was announced and on the open space board! As my thesis supervisor said – “Nothing concentrates the mind like a deadline.”

We did lot’s of brainstorming. Everyone was really good about coming up with ideas and letting go of ones that weren’t working out. One idea Greg Ott came up with was that of a garden (see photo on right). After a while this turned into the the farm metaphor we decided to use for the game. In retrospect, having a huge wall to keep ideas alive was invaluable.

Playing the Game

Playing the game was a lot of fun. You could feel the energy in the air (see photo) and the room was packed with designers, players, and observers. We got mostly very positive reviews.

You can find the game rules and feedback here: Backlog is in the Eye of the Beholder Game v0.7 This is our current version. It is also posted on TastyCupcakes game site. Feel free to use and make your own.

Thanks to everyone who designed, played and supported us. Special thanks to core co-inventors: Warren Elliott, Greg Ott, Mary Gorman, Dan Zaino, Judy Rivais.

(This is part of a series on DeepAgile 2010 Games Weekend).

Michael McCollough and Don McGreal ran a valuable workshop on how to create your own game. Mike and Don have been creating simple, fun games for years and have noticed an approach they follow. See TastyCupcakes for lots of great games. As a caveat, they outline one particular style of game development – simple games. This is in contrast with complex games such as XPGame and Business Value Game (which are favourites of mine).

It all starts with a problem. What do you notice going wrong? What do you want your teams to understand better?

Next come your objectives. Pick one to three things that you want the game players to learn.  For extra points you may want to consider the Dreyfus model or Bloom’s taxonomy. These were suggested by attendees. Mike and Don keep it simple.

For a while you will need to spin and loop around as you search for an idea. As this happens, it is helpful to be constrained by some principles: stick to objectives and keep it simple (KISS). Inspiration will come from material (cards, balloons, etc), as well as games in other industries. Their mantra is “Beg, borrow, steal” and them make it your own. Learn from your participants – they will tell you a lot if you listen.

Finally, summon the courage to try it (or just do it). Start as soon as possible and iterate.

And remember, the whole point is the debrief. Give ‘em space and let ‘em discover.

(This is part of a series on DeepAgile 2010 Games Weekend).

Tobias Mayer led a fun and effective session (Agile Playground) at DeepAgile where we played games for building team and collaboration.

Movers and Shapers for team dynamics

I first played this game with Tobias at Agile 2009 and found it very powerful for teaching the impact of our behaviours on team dynamics. There are three rounds of simulation with different focus on how to interact with others. A detailed write-up of the game is on Tobias’s blog. Very handy for shifting thinking and focus to team behaviour.

Hypnotizing Hypnotist for pairing and collaboration

This is a very cool exercise to provide participants a sense of directing, following and collaborating. The group is formed into pairs. One person is the hypnotist and guides the other person with their hand. The hypnotizee’s job is to keep their face 1 foot from the hand of the hypnotizer (see Tobias hypnotizing on left). Debrief. Roles are reversed. Debrief.

Now it gets really fun. In the next stage, pairs hypnotize each other at the same time (see Lyssa and Tobias on right). This generates some laughs and interesting behaviours. I think we also ran it with one half of the room at a time so we could see what was happening. Remember to applaud.

Other stuff

There was other really cool stuff I am skipping over:

• Failure Bow – give people the freedom to take risks and recover from mistakes. This allows them to be available and productive rather than discouraged and disengaged.
• Pair storytelling – One person puts their hands behind their back and the other stands behind them and becomes their arms and hands. Once a story topic is established, the participants get to tell a story together with the hands leading.

(This is part of a series on DeepAgile 2010 Games Weekend).

Lyssa Adkins ran a very practical session at DeepAgile that shared several tools for team formation or for tuning up existing teams. She often uses these right at the project start since team members may know very little about one another – even if they have been working together for years. Here is a run-through of three of the exercises.

Constellation – Understanding each other through motion

I love this exercise. It provides the team members as well as the coach important information about everyone on the team. It is called constellation since everyone arranges themselves around an object on the floor (in our case a roll of tape) depending how they feel about a statement such as “I like getting results”.  People align their bodies with the statement: standing beside the object signifies strong agreement while standing far away to signifies strong disagreement. It is very powerful since people are engaging their whole bodies. To learn more, there is a full write-up on Lyssa’s blog.

Journeyline – sharing our pasts

In Journeyline, each participant draws a timeline of their life with peaks, valleys and major life events. In turn, each person describes their Journeyline to the team. Team members listen and note skills or talents (on sticky notes) that stand out. These are then posted at the bottom of the Journeyline and reviewed as a team. This approach is about figuring out who the person is and what special perspectives they bring to move the project forward. When we did this, it helped the demo subject feel more positive about their talents. Nice.

Marketplace – sharing our talents

In marketplace we pretend we are a vendor in an open-air market place and decide what wares we have to sell. What are our special skills and talents that pertain to this project? We even get to create a banner to attract people. Under the table are things that are true for us, but may not directly relate to the project. The debrief is the same as Journeyline. Usually a coach will use one or the other (in the training session half of us did marketplace and half did Journeyine).

Below is my marketplace as an Agile coach.

(This is part of a series on DeepAgile 2010 Games Weekend).

At DeepAgile2010 this past weekend Mike McCollough led a session on Retrospective Games. We played a brand new game called Balloon Madness as an excuse to use several different retrospective formats. The game is in the conference booklet but is not yet posted on TastyCupcakes (check site for lot’s of fun Agile learning games).

What I learned about retrospectives

• Change the format on a regular basis. One attendee switches things up every retrospective.
• You can get great results by focussing on more of what works. This is inspired by appreciative inquiry. We are so used to looking at what the problem is, that looking at success can have a powerful shift.
• Another was to have each person write a personal commitment story card for something to do in the next iteration. They signed the card and someone else agreed to pair with them on it to provide support. The cards were posted beside the scrum board as a reminder. They were reviewed at the start of the following retrospective.
• Liked-Lacked-LongedFor was also suggested as a powerful way to connect with people’s deeper selves.

At DeepAgile in Boston, I played Yellow Brick Road: Fresh InsightsThrough Peer Coaching. The game was led by it’s inventor – Portia Tung who did a great job even with a very large group. If you haven’t played this, I suggest you make the time.

The game teaches people skills and resources to be effective coaches by practicing with peers. In the game, people take turns in one of 3 roles: Client (with a problem), Coach, and Observer.

Solve real problems

In the role of Client/Dorothy, you get to be yourself and bring up a problem that you want to work on. Over several iterations, new perspectives help you access the resources you already have. So a cool side-effect of this game is that you get fresh insights into whatever problem you want to work on.

Coach practices questions

The coach gets to practice listening and asking questions. We discovered that listening is something we need to practice since we are so used to jumping in with our expert opinion and solutions.

We also get practice with different types of questions (image by Portia Tung):

Observer provides depth

The observer roles gives you a chance to step back from the situation and really notice what is going on. Portia’s picture captures the simplicity of the task:

I was reminded that observation is a very helpful debugging technique. It is also less than easy – especially if you are like most of us and out of practice.

As the observer, I was able to get much deeper insights.

Go play this game

I am going to play this game again for myself and to help those I am coaching. The complete game instructions and presentation is available for download, so give it a go! I’m sure you will get value out of it. Even better, get Portia to come play with you so you can see some of the finer points.

(This is part of a series on DeepAgile 2010 Games Weekend).