Best Agile game ever. Marshmallow Challenge!

PowerPoint Presentation

The Agile Marshmallow Challenge

Best Agile game ever

Javier Espinosa de los Monteros , Agile Coach

This is an Agile game that will take 33 minutes with the video and the explanations. You can cut down the last tree minutes of the video if you want to make it in 30 minutes. Agenda:

2 Minutes explanation18 minutes Building5 minutes learning 8 minutes videoMaterial

1. a bag of small marshmallows2. a bag of Large marshmallows3. Masking tape (1 metre per team) 4. Scissors (1 per team) 5. String (1 metre per team)

Thank you,

Javier Espinosa de los Monteros https://www.linkedin.com/in/javierespinosadelosm/

The Marshmallow Challenge20 pieces uncooked spaghetti 1 metre of string1 metre of masking tape1 fresh marshmallowBuild the tallest free-standing structure in just 18 minutes. The marshmallow must be on top and cannot be deformed to hold it in place. The structure has to stand firmly on its own; it cannot be propped up, held, or suspended from the ceiling.Material available:http://marshmallowchallenge.com/Welcome.html

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Note: please only provide them with only 18 spaghettis to see if they notice. If they do and they ask give them 4 the two that you missed + 2 more as reward for noticing. This will be important as is one of the Agile principles. They should have documented if they have the right amount of spaghettis.

Also you have to put in each table a random number of spaghettis (around 100) Please give them also something to cut the string. You will need 1 small marshmallow and one large per team. (I will sugest you to have many more because it is not the first time that people eat them by mistake )

The Marshmallow ChallengeStart!


Please start a timer using something like https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=timer+online&* And show it all time (except for the interruptions)

The Marshmallow ChallengeHi I Lead architect Spaghetti LTD.

I am here to show you the process of how to do it!


Interruption 1.

When 3 minutes has passed , without stopping the timer, interrupt the teams, read the message on the screen and tell them to see the presentation. This is just a distraction that and proves that Individuals and Interactionsare more important than processes and tools . Dont tell them this now! Wait until the section of lessons learned.

After the video is over put back the timer to create more pressure.

The Marshmallow ChallengeThere is been an escalation!

Hi I am the CEO of Spaghetti LTD and I want to help you. There is a BIG reward to the supplier with the tallest structure!

Also I will contractually punish everyone else!


Interruption 2.

After another thee minutes stop the team and read them loud the message above. Dont tell them the price but I usually have another bag of marshmallows. This will show them the value of: Customer Collaborationover contract negotiation


The Marshmallow ChallengeHi I am the QA lead and we have new announcements!We need your resources in another project that is highest priority!

In each team : The two people that are building the spaghettis please:Stop and move to another team for 3 minutes!


Interruption 3.

After three more minutes stop and follow the instructions above.


The Marshmallow ChallengeHi I am the PMO lead and we need you to follow the process!

The two people that are building the spaghettis please:

Stop

And document (count) all the spaghettis in the pile on your table.


Interruption 4.

Before the session start you have to leave a pile of about 100 spaghettis on each table but they are not allow to touch them. The idea is that they have to understand the concept of Working Softwareover comprehensive documentation. If you remember we only gave them 18 spaghettis but they also have 100 more. They need to understand what is the right amount of documentation needed.

The Marshmallow Challenge

There is been a CR (Change request)

Sorry we changed our mind! It was fine from the beginning!


Interruption 5.

This is just something to distract them and put more tension. Tell them that the senior stakeholders have changed the scope and give them a bigger marshmallow. After 30 seconds tell them that sorry but we have decided that the initial scope was the right one.

The Marshmallow ChallengeDone?



What have you learned?


When the 18 minutes are gone please stop the clock and start the lessons learned.

Learning

The ArchitectThe PMOThe CEOThe CRThe QAIndividuals and Interactionsover processes and toolsWorking Softwareover comprehensive documentationCustomer Collaborationover contract negotiationResponding to Changeover following a planFocus


Now ask one by one what was the impact to the team.

The Architect - Individuals and Interactionsover processes and toolsWhat happened? Did his information help? Was the process right?

The PMO - Working Softwareover comprehensive documentationDid any of the teams documented enough to realise that there was two spaghettis missing? How useful was to count all the spaghettis on the table?

The CEO - Customer Collaborationover contract negotiationHow useful was more presion or reward? The learn should be that there is no benefit from it. In the next video they will understand how pressure impact on teams.

The CR - Responding to Changeover following a plan.Did any team manage to have a structure stable enough to support the marshmellow?

The QA FocusPeople working in multiple things at the time does not work.



Just play the video.


Thank you for playing!


Thank you!

Javier Espinosa

Best Agile game ever. Marshmallow Challenge!

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