Dec 30, 2022
This week, Dan Neumann is joined
by Michael O’Reilly, SVP in IT within the financial services
industry.
In this episode, Michael, an
avid board game player, shares the similarities between Dungeons
and Dragons and potentially the Scrum Framework. Michael and Dan
explore this interesting analogy. The entertainment world is huge
and very profitable; it is a serious business for a lot of people
who are employed in this field. Also, some fun games make work much
more entertaining and the learning experience easier.
Key Takeaways
- Scrum has a framework and Dungeons and Dragons
has rules and infinite possibilities to take.
- Session Zero in Scrum can have a bad reputation
due to how it is characterized. In gaming, it also has similar
features.
-
- Session zero is showing what we need to do
before trying to do it, is this planning step really
needed?
- Everyone wants everybody to be successful, but
there is this expectation of the role each one plays, the
abilities, and how each member contributes. A session in DandD is
like the increments of value in Scrum.
- Transparency is always valued in Scrum as well
as in any “good” constructed game.
- House rules work for games and
Scrum:
-
- If you don’t follow certain rules, you are not
doing Scrum.
- Table rules and house rules are like the Team’s
working agreements.
- The Dungeon Master has a role that goes beyond
the fun and the profits; his role is to arbitrate the rules and
facilitate the adventure. What role is that in Scrum?
-
- The Scrum Master could be the one facilitating
the Scrum values on the Team but it is not quite the same as what a
Dungeon Master does.
- What does it take for a Game master to create a
sense of agency? Michael explains how.
- How do you plan for your
session/sprint?
-
- If you are the Game master, you need to make
sure you have the characters there that will be introduced or
met.
- Players can prepare ahead for a game;
oftentimes there is homework.
- Everybody could decide to go one way and then
change their minds.
- Safety tools:
-
- A lot of games provide safety tools for people
to check in with their players while they are going.
- In Scrum, a Team activity is about sharing what
each member can offer and what they need, which is an effective way
to clarify what each can bring to the Agile Team and in exchange
ask for what is needed.
- In the game, you attack the problem, not the
people. In Scrum it is the same, you address a problem together as
a Team to solve the challenges in the way to achieve the
goal.
- Fun activities are valuable opportunities to
learn.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Improv for
Gamers, by Karen
Twelves
The Art of Agile
Development, by James Shore
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