Games and Exercises to Improve Agility

“The truly great advance of this generation will be made by those who can make outrageous connections; and only a mind that knows how to play can do that.” – Nagle Jackson

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Who is this dude?

Currently an Agile Coach with Matrix

Past lives have included Project Manager, Portfolio Manager, ScrumMaster, PMO Director, and more!

21 Years in information technology

12 Years in project management

M. Div.; Family Counseling, Music

Wife and three wonderful children

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Play “The opposite of play is not work. The opposite of play is depression.

Respecting our biologically programmed

need for play can transform work. True play, that comes from

inner needs and desires, is the only path to

finding lasting joy and satisfaction in our work.

In the long run, work does not work without

play.”

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Familiar Sight

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Bring Levity to training

Down time in a

stressful environme

nt

Why do we play games?

Represent Achievemen

t

Solidify the social need to

follow (or break) the

rules

Increase willingness to

overcome challenges

Provide constant feedback

loops

Expose Teamwo

rk

Fun!

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Inc. Magazine ArticleWhile the article focused mainly on “taking a break and playing a game” the concepts remain the same – a brain that is introduced to games and challenges continues to grow and improve.

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What is the purpose of games in Agile?

Used as training

enhancers. Limits “death-by-PowerPoint”

Gets to the root of agile

which is individuals and

interactions

Allows for coaching and trainers to be

real world [read: mean]

Exposes organizational

and team impediments

Fun!

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Concept: Prioritization and goal mappingUsage: Product Owner planning such as roadmap generation and release planning“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” ― Roald Dahl

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Prioritization Proposition Each person draws a role that he/she must play

Each person 5 buttons/pennies/markers

There are a multiple of cards with both fun and not fun items

Each card is relational and together, multiple cards can meet a goal

As a group, you must create goals and prioritize items to meet goals

You must also convince each other that the items impacting you are important

15 minute timebox

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Concept: Questioning Traditional Estimation/ExpectationsUsage: Backlog Refinement, Release PlanningA roadrunner’s estimated top speed is 20mph while a coyote’s can reach 43mph.

7/12/2014

My whole childhood was

a big lie. . .

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Estimation

Weight of an African Bush Elephant

Maximum operating depth of a Los Angeles Class Submarine

Dive speed of a Peregrine Falcon

Age of Martin Luther King, Jr. at death

How long did the French and Indian War last?

Current seating capacity of the Turner Field

Diameter of the moon

Net Worth of Bill Gates

Gestation period of a Hippopotamus

Average orbiting altitude of the International Space Station

Population of Canada, eh

Height of the 1980 eruption column from Mt. St. Helens

American deaths from the World War I

Average Home Price in USA, Spring 2014

Distance from Atlanta to Seattle

7/12/2014

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Estimation - Answers Weight of an African Bush Elephant: 12125 lbs

Maximum operating depth of a Los Angeles Class Submarine: 950 ft.

Dive speed of a Peregrine Falcon: 200mph

Age of Martin Luther King, Jr. at death: 39

How long did the French and Indian War last?: 9 years (1754-1763)

Current seating capacity of the Turner Field: 50,096

Diameter of the moon: 2160 miles

Net Worth of Bill Gates: $72b

Gestation period of a Hippopotamus: 8 months

Average orbiting altitude of the International Space Station: 261.5 miles

Population of Canada, eh: 34.88m

Height of the 1980 eruption column from Mt. St. Helens: 80,000ft.

American deaths from World War I: 116,708

Average Home Price in USA, Spring 2014: $188,000

Distance from Atlanta to Seattle: 2180.77 Miles

7/12/2014

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Concept: Teamwork Across OrganizationsUsage: Training, Retrospective, Business vs. Team“This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” ― Alan W. Watts

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Team Speed Uno

RULES:

1. Two equal teams

2. Each team takes 10 cards

3. 1 minute of “Planning”

4. 3 minutes of “Sprint” game play

5. 1 minute “Retrospective

6. Three “sprints”

7. Goal is to eliminate both hands

8. Normal “Uno” card rules apply

SCORING:

1. For every number card discarded, one point

2. For every special card discarded, one point

3. For every number card remaining, negative one point

4. For every special card remaining, negative two points

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Concept: Challenging Work MethodsUsage: Training, Planning, Retrospective“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.” ― Tom Robbins

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Penny Points I need a new product for my unique company, “Perfect Bank Devices”

Your Goal: process the most work possible by passing pennies through a pipeline, following a set of rules:

Pennies must have air time when being passed Pennies must be touched by each and every person Pennies may not be passed directly to your neighbor on the left or right Start Point = End Point Pennies cannot be processed as a total group (bag/box) Pennies left on the floor or any other object outside the end point is waste

and will be subtracted from the production total 1 minute planning/2 minute execution 5 iterations

7/12/2014

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Concept: Communicating NeedsUsage: User Story Creation, “Swarming,” Product Owner Coaching“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

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Build It! Split into Teams

Select a Product Owner and ScrumMaster

There are LEGO items that the customer (Facilitator) wants to be built

Team needs to build the request of the customer

2 Minutes Planning

5 Minutes Build

30 seconds Stand Up

1 Minute Retrospective

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Resources TastyCupcakes.org

Scrum.org Games

InnovationGames.com

Fun Retrospectives

Laughter for a Change

National Institute for Play

Lego Professional Development

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Thank you!“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” - Plato