Games/Simulations to help people discover the Manifesto

[Mark Levison]

I've tried Presto Manifesto a couple of times and on its own it hasn't worked for me. I try to introduce the Manifesto and related principles at or near the beginning of my agile courses. The problem is that the concepts are a bit abstract (see my article: http://www.infoq.com/articles/science-of-learning for details as to why this is an issue). Of course I would like to make the basics more concrete before asking to interpret the Manifesto or principles. 

As it stands today I typically use the Self Organizing game to open the class, the next exercise is an adapted version of the penny game and then I sometimes play collaborative origami. That gets across the concepts of self organization, face to face communication, collaboration and finally flow. However I still find that people don't understand the concepts when they come across them. 

So I'm wondering what else do others make the Manifesto concrete? What games/simulations do you use? When do you introduce the manifesto?

Cheers
Mark Levison

Mark Levison | Agile Pain Relief Consulting | Certified Scrum Trainer
Agile Editor @ InfoQ | Blog | Twitter | Office: (613) 862-2538
Recent Entries: Story Slicing How Small is Small Enough, Why use an Agile Coach

[Dennis Stevens]

Mark,

We start with the Origami game. The first time we play it we have them estimate each phase (the box, the fold, finishing) and have someone demanding the work be done on time, we have someone reading the directions to the team, and have them hand over the origami at each break. We give them extra time when they need it - they alway underestimate. We inform QA of the acceptance criteria that the paper has to  be folded color side in and that we want an eye drawn on the crane. No one asks QA until the end.

We talk about how this felt and then introduce the Agile Manifesto. We play pocket sized principles and spend some time discussing what they mean. 

Then we play the Origami game again in a collaborative way. They estimate better, build it better, and ask QA on the front what the acceptance criteria are.

Then we play the paper airplane game. This demonstrates how flow is better than forcing work through system as fast as possible.

Then we play the Coffee Maker game for release planning and sprint planning.

Then we play Lost in Translation - showing how important specification and conversation are.

Finally, we simulate two five day iterations through our system by playing the Scrum Game which emphasizes the value of swarming while anchoring flow, collaboration, focusing on value, and acceptance criteria.

Seems to work okay.

Dennis

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AgileGames" group.
To post to this group, send email to agile...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to agilegames+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/agilegames?hl=en.

[Alan Dayley]

Hi, Mark.

This is an important question.  I have had some success with a variation on the "Presto Manifesto" game.

My goal is to get people to connect the concepts of the Agile Manifesto to the things they already know about projects and teamwork.  So I do the following to help them tie current knowledge to the Agile Manifesto.

- Tell everyone to ignore specifics of Agile for now and just think of other knowledge and especially their own experience.

- Divide the class into teams of maximum 6 people per team.

- Give each team a easel sheet and markers.

- Have each team self-organize and write the attributes of a successful team and successful project on the sheet.

-- They may be creative or not, whatever, as long as it is legible.

-- The entire team must agree on each attribute to make it a team effort, not people writing their own stuff.

- Give them five minutes.

- Have them sign their own sheets, making a Successful Project Manifesto.

- Tape the sheets to the front wall.

- Give each person a sticky note pad.

- Present the values of the Agile Manifesto.

- Present the principles of the Agile Manifesto.

-- For each principle, have each person write two words that, to them, summarizes that principle.

- By the time all 12 principles have been discusses, each person should have 12 stickies of two word summaries.

- Invite each team to bring their stickies forward and stick them on the Successful Project Manifesto that they created earlier.

-- They place stickies that match their manifesto next to the written attributes.

-- They place stickies that don't match their manifesto off to the side or somewhere obviously not connected to the written attributes.

-- Have them group like stickies and arrange them as needed, using the adjacent wall space too.

- Discuss with the whole group the stickies that don't match their manifestos.

-- This is the place where misunderstandings are revealed and "Aha!" moments can happen.

This way of doing it has been valuable and helps keep people involved, though it is not particularly experiential.  I'll be interested to see what other ideas come up in this thread.

Alan

--

[Mark Levison]

Thanks to both of you for taking the time to reply. I've been insanely busy with both client work and getting my material finished. In the end I adapted the Origami exercise, but the other change I made is moving it to late in the 2nd day. It was a suggestion from David Bulkin, who has struggled with the same issue before.

This way the Scrum Framework leads and its much more concrete than the manifesto. By the 2nd day they will have experienced 60 minutes of Scrum at which point it will be easier to see the concepts of the Manifesto.

I appreciate the time you took to help rattle my thinking.

Cheers

Mark

[@FredVandaele]

Hi,

I'm preparing a 'Lost in translation"' game and I would like to know what kind of pictures you recommend for this game?
A set of geometric figures, pictures?  What about the level of complexity of pictures?

Thanks !
Fred