Deep Sea Adventure "Retrospective"

Charles Reace — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:44:18 +0000

As a change of pace for our sprint retrospective, I decided to try a little experiment using the "Deep Sea Adventure " game. In this little table-top game, each player is a diver trying to grab as much treasure as they can, being sure to make it back to the submarine before the oxygen supply runs out.

Game Play

We played four rounds. We varied a bit from the actual rules by returning all retrieved treasures back to the initial start configuration, so that each round was like the start of a new game.

First, we played one round of the game as it would normally be played, with every player for himself. This provided everyone a chance to get a feel for how the game works, and how the greedier you get, the faster you use up the available oxygen supply.

After that, we played three rounds in a cooperative mode, with the stated goal being to score as many total points as possible when adding our scores together. (Otherwise the rules and mechanics stayed the same.)

In the first round, no communication was allowed in terms of planning, hints, suggestions, complaints, etc.
We added a planning phase to the next round, spending a few minutes discussing what sort of strategy and tactics we would use to optimize our chances for a better score. Once we started playing though, inter-player communication was still a no-no.
In the final round, we opened up all communication channels, allowing us to not only tweak our initial strategy, but to discuss changes and adaptations at any point during the game.

Results

While luck can play a critical role in this game at times, we managed to increase our total score each round; so in a very limited set of test data we proved that planning is better than no planning, and continual feedback and adjustment of plans are even better. 😉

If interested in learning more about the game, this Youtube video begins with a rules explanation, then they play a full game (which only takes about 17 minutes).

Remember Your Victory Conditions

Charles Reace — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 18:25:49 +0000

For the last several sprints, our team at work have been emphasizing the need for clear sprint goals. Along with that comes an emphasis on staying focused on the current goal while avoiding distractions that should not be part of the current sprint. For example, if, while working on new feature A, a developer notices something that probably should be re-factored in feature B, it is not okay for him or her to just change gears and start that re-factoring. Instead, a ticket should be created and put in the backlog, and the team as a whole can determine during the next stand-up or backlog review if it needs to be a priority: perhaps in the next sprint, or even in the current sprint — or maybe never. The important thing here is to not miss the current sprint's target goal due to lack of focus on that goal.

Our recent discussions on this during sprint reviews triggered a memory from years ago when I was in college. That memory has nothing to do with any college courses, however, but with playing war games with my roommate. One game in particular came to mind: Avalon Hill's "Panzer Leader", a tactical-level simulation of World War II combat in western Europe. In one scenario, we had a closely fought battle, and I had concentrated on using all my units to their best effect, inflicting serious casualties on the enemy while holding my positions. On the final turn, my dastardly roommate realized he could run one measly little armored car unit down a side road and into a small, insignificant village. At first, this looked like no big deal, until I remembered that that little village was one of the places a player could gain victory points if he "owned" it.

That little victory point bonus was just enough to give my roommate the win. I, however, at least learned my lesson: "Know what the victory conditions are, do not forget them, and base all your tactics on them". This holds true in any war games I've ever played, or for that matter, most games in general. In the same vein, scrum development teams should follow the same guideline, which might be paraphrased as, "Know what the sprint goal is, stay focused on it, and base all of your decisions on it."

In fact, I suspect there is a corollary rule for most things in life where we want to achieve some sort of "victory"; though we may want to be careful about focusing totally on our potential victories, as winning at all costs is not always the best way to maintain relationships and keep your life in balance.

IMHO.

(Extracted from my blog)

Forem: Charles Reace

Deep Sea Adventure "Retrospective"

Game Play

Results

Remember Your Victory Conditions