.png)
“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.”
It is just that you have to find it and utilize it for better work completion. With the work you do with a little brainstorming, you can find out the requirement of the team and also can create an innovative game to get desired output from the team members. In our previous article titled ‘Agile and Innovation Games’, we have already discussed how innovative games differ agile from the traditional way of working, how it helps agile to increase organizational productivity and unlocks team’s high performance by stating innovative games benefits. We also have classified innovative games with the benefits they provide and various categories they can be put in. In this article, we will go through commonly used innovative games which can be used in various domains.
Me and my Shadow
It is the most common but effective innovative game. It comes in almost all categories and classifications of innovative games, which means it provides almost every benefit an innovative game can provide. Me and my shadow innovative game, a customer is brought into a room and given a product created, and you or your team is asked to take a step back to watch their behavior with the product. It is the same as the product test in the sprints. Team members are suggested to ask some simple questions to that customer from time to time and take photos, videos, and copies of what they did throughout. In addition to this ask other customers also to review what the customer did and would they behave the same or different.
It is the best way to check customers’ behavior and understand them better.
Speed Boat
It is a sweet and also well-known game that takes only 30 minutes of your time but gives a clear idea about what your customers don’t like about your product and service. The speed boat innovative game includes 5-10 participants who will put an anchor to the boat and decrease its speed. In this game, the boat represents the product or service you are willing to discuss, whereas the anchor describes the negative point that is stopping the boat from being agile and achieving desired goals. After discussing the current feature participants will write down their views on negative points on sticky notes and stick them on the anchors.
Once done discuss each point of the sticky notes until you get what’s holding you back from the product/ service.
Ball Point Game
It is one of the games which help team members to understand the agile production process and agile projects. The game takes only 15 minutes and includes 5-7 members. The game must be played as a complete team and in at least five iterations. In the first run, every team member will pass the ball from one end to the other from each team member. Every team member must touch the ball once in each iteration. Once completed team members are asked to improve the process and increase the number of balls they can pass. In the third iteration demand more from the team, than they can deliver. Document the iteration number and process once the iterations are over discuss each document and point and see what team members learned from the game.
Remember the Future
It is an innovative game used to define the future. The game consists of some questions in future perfect forms which help the participants to define the future. Team answers questions like what the team has done to make the project a success 6 months from now. Once the teams can answer the defined future and generate ideas, they have to start working backward from the future date to the current. If things are missed or obstacles occur they can add them along the process and also solve the issues. This innovative game provides more insight than the present form to the team members.
Buy a Feature
It’s a small team game mostly for four people and takes around 30 minutes. To play this creates a list of product features from user’s requirements, rivals products, user research, and desirable during market research. Price each feature by its complexity to production. Provide participants with an average amount of money so that they can buy half and a third of the feature works. Once the money is dished out and features are presented participants buy the feature. The seller must answer every question related. Games continue till all money is spent or all wanted features are sold.
This makes a team like a real market giving a complete idea of feature value and demand.
In agile, “if work isn’t fun, you’re not playing at the right team.” Make sure you are having fun when it’s agile.
About Advance Agility
We, at Advance Agility, are the new-age Agile Coaching, Consulting and IT services company. We enable end-to-end Digital Transformation. Agile execution is integral to our being. We are doing SAFe implementation with small, medium and large organization across the globe. Our vision is to be the leading Agile execution player globally. To keep adding value at every process stage. We are on a mission to empower our clients, move from concept to cash in the shortest sustainable lead time by adopting human centric approach to business agility. Embracing the change is in our DNA. Things that keep us apart are Quicker and Seamless execution with End-to-end gamut of services. Our Global presence and Stellar Track Record give us an edge over our competitor.
Connect with us at advanceagility.com to learn about SAFe and SAFe Implementation. Write to us at contact@advanceagilty.com for any agile training or consulting needs. We are always looking for competent agile trainers as well. So if you are a good trainer or want to become one, do get in touch with us to that we can learn, grow and achieve together.
Connect with us for boosting your work principles and practices as Scrum Masters or Agile leaders
.png)
Comments