Meetings and communication in general are essential aspects of any Agile process. The number of get-togethers probably depends on your organization’s choice of Agile framework, but some form of daily standup is likely. Making those standup meetings more valuable and efficient adds to the efficacy of any software development project.
Given that Agile is supposed to make software engineering faster, here is a unique idea for improving those Agile standup meetings. Consider this bit of insight to ensure your next development effort is completed on time and under budget.
In an article for SD Times, Madison Moore describes how improv – used in a fashion similar to a comedy troupe – offers the potential to make daily Agile meetings more rewarding. Wayde Stallmann, who works in the software development industry as an Agile coach, devised the practice to improve the productivity and collaboration level of meetings. Stallmann feels using these improv techniques during meetings – both standups and scaled retrospectives – enhances four vital Agile qualities: collaboration, trust, creativity, and communication.
Starting off each meeting with an improv activity lasting a few minutes helps get everyone’s attention focused on the task at hand. “In the first few minutes, everyone talks and has equal voice. No one dominates the game which sets the tone that no one dominates the meeting,” said Stallmann. Once again, the focus is on fostering collaboration among a team of equals.
Some of these gaming activities serve well to fire up the brain – useful for standups occurring first thing in the morning. The Alphabet Conversation is one such example. One person starts a conversion using a sentence beginning with the letter “A;” followed by the next person with “B,” and so on.
While some may feel activities like the Alphabet Conversation seem like a waste of time, Stallmann finds tangible value in the exercise. “We get into the aspect of how a team can solve a problem that no one individually can solve,” said Stallmann. He’s encountered skeptics throughout his coaching activities, but maintains everyone eventually sees the light after they try out the process.
The most important benefit derived from improv activities at the beginning of meetings isn’t making software development faster; instead these efforts teach everyone on an Agile project how to be a better team player. Companies eventually see a benefit from what first seems like an unintuitive exercise. “When I was with AT&T as a Scrum Master, I had a team where we did a three-minute warmup game to start each standup, and we did this for two years straight. They did it for a year after I left the team, which I think is testament to the fact that it wasn’t because I was asking them to do it,” said Stallman.
If your team’s morning standups seem like wasteful drudgery, consider leveraging Stallman’s improv gaming techniques. If it works for AT&T, it just may make a difference for your development staff. Getting their minds focused on the gaming activity to start helps keep their attention during the rest of the meeting.
When you need additional insights on the software development process, keep coming back to the Betica Blog. As always, thanks for checking us out!
Posted on July 21, 2017 Categories News, Software Development Tags Agile, Agile Frameworks, agile team, team