Adventures in Project Management
Scrumples! - Bluesville regeneration
Scrumples! - Bluesville regeneration is a fun and noisy board game that teaches the basics of using epic and feature kanban boards, Programme Increment planning and user stories. Players work together (rather than compete) to prioritise user stories and epics, plan Programme Increments and prioritise and deliver features.
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Game play includes counters and dice. It works best with 6-12 people, split into a product owner team, a strategic leadership team and a delivery team and needs a referee to co-ordinate the game play and coach the teams. It takes 60-90 minutes to play. No previous knowledge of agile is needed and players will come away with a basic knowledge of Kanban, product owners, sprints and Programme Increment planning.
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The scenario
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You all live in a small town called Bluesville. It has some wealthy and some more deprived areas. Rich home owners live close to unemployed families relying on benefits. There has been underinvestment in the town for many years, and what was once considered a desirable place to live now has a reputation for crime, vandalism and drugs. Residents avoid the park, lake and canal due to the litter, graffiti and not feeling safe.
Spandana, the lead singer of the world famous rock group of the same name, who grew up in the Bluesville council estate has given the town £1M to “make it a better place for everyone who lives there”. She has set a 12 month challenge and will give another £1M each year that improvements are demonstrated when she makes her annual visit.
You have been chosen to spend this money to make Bluesville better, and ensure the money keeps coming each year. You are using a Scaled Agile approach to deliver the benefits from this investment. You have assembled a team of spokespersons from the local community, and have split yourself into a strategic leadership team and a delivery team.
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Let's Scrumple!