Illustrating self organization and collective ownershipJeanne Boyarsky4/28/15

Note: I did not use any slides when presenting. This is a summary of what I said/did.

Goals3 exercises to illustrate why self-

organization and collective ownership are useful

Target audience

◦ Those new to agile/scrum

◦ Those needing to convince teammates

To UseWith a team, do each exercise with

discussion in betweenSince this talk was only 10 minutes, I just

stated the learning goal after each

Note: this is useful even on a waterfall project. Empowered workers are a good thing!

Exercise 1(copied from Scrum training)1. Break into pairs (we did one pair because room was tiny)

2. Person on left is leader

3. Leader walks “worker” around room giving only instructions (Remember to move chairs/obstacles in the way)

1. Left

2. Right

3. Stop

4. Forward

4. Try exercise again but can give any commands you want

Exercise 1 – Learning GoalsThe second is better because workers

are empowered to make decisionsBetter means faster/more efficient/etcA good leader/manager will move the

chairs out of the way rather than give instructions to walk around them.

Exercise 2Prep: In advance, pick someone who will

be the worker. His/her job is to walk up to the chair obstacle and loudly say “I’m stuck”.

Have the “worker” walk. Put chair in the way and then go stand in the corner.

“Worker” announces being stuck

Exercise 2 – Learning GoalsGives up easily“Worker” knows the most about the problem.Leader didn’t even see problem (because in corner.)Better to:

◦ Solve problem on own

◦ Recommend solution and ask if ok

◦ Describe problem and ask for ideas

Not good to dump on someone else

Exercise 3At sprint planning meeting, “worker” in

#2 agreed to take care of the all important walking task every day.

At daily scrum/stand-up, “worker” is out sick/can’t do it due to something unexpected/etc.

What happens?

Exercise 3 – Learning GoalsTeam should solve the problem rather

than looking to manager/Scrum Master.Possible solutions include:

◦ Someone else volunteering

◦ Splitting up the task

◦ Re-prioritizing

Exercise 3 – Learning GoalsTeam should solve the problem rather

than looking to manager/Scrum Master.Possible solutions include:

◦ Someone else volunteering

◦ Splitting up the task

◦ Re-prioritizing