This document describes a simulation exercise for practicing Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) using LEGO and other materials. Participants will build a transportation business connecting European cities using LEGO sets for buses, buildings, and terrain materials. The goal is for teams to work together profitably to meet customer demands for transportation between cities. The document outlines setting up cross-functional teams, area product owners, an initial product backlog refinement, and sprint planning and execution for the simulation.

1. Welcome to the
LARGE-SCALE Scrum
simulation with lego

2. Alexey krivitsky
Mediocre developer
Bulldozing scrum master
Kicking ass agile coach
Certified scrum trainer
Fat ski rider
Lame bass guitarist
Mostly known in agile community for #lego4scrum.
Alexey Krivitsky
agiletrainings.eu/blog
krivitsky.com/блог

5. I’ve done this before… It kinda works

6. I’ve done this before… It kinda works

7. I’ve done this before… It kinda works

8. I’ve done this before… It kinda works

9. Challenges of scaling

10. There are two key approaches to dealing
with the scaling challenges:
1. Managing the complexity
Here we usually end up adding new
roles, rules, processes – and
this creates more complexity.

11. There are two key approaches to dealing
with the scaling challenges:
2. Minimizing the complexity
Here we are working hard to
understand where the complexity
is coming from – and minimizing it.

12. Component teams not owning the whole stack
TECHNICAL PLATFORM / ENGINE
CONSUMER PRODUCTS

13. Customer-facing teams with end-to-end responsibilities.
Easier to plan, build and ship quality software
TECHNICAL PLATFORM / ENGINE
CONSUMER PRODUCTS

14. one product split into many sub-domains
root of local optimizations

15. whole product focus.
Easier to maintain bigger picture
and optimize the whole.

16. More with less
Less management
Less focus on processes
Less standardization
Less hierarchies
Less complexity
Less inward focus
More customer focus
More product focus
More empowered teams
More global optimization
More transparency
More learning

17. The “Less Framework”
3-7 teams

18. Large-scale scrum is Scrum
One product Owner (for whole product)
Single Product Backlog (for whole product)
Single Sprint (for all teams)
Single Product Increment (from all teams)

19. The “Less Huge Framework”
8-108 teams

20. Enough theory.
So let’s get our hands dirty!

21. Real business simulation
Business model – ground passenger transportation.
Your goal – build a profitable business.
You are building cities with a transportation network.
Clients are willing to pay for intercity tours.
You are getting 60 million of initial investment.
Your expenses are on the materials.

22. What do we know about our customers?
Our potential customers are interested in
traveling among the capitals of Europe.
They are willing to pay for bus rides among
the cities.
They are attracted by sightseeing sites.

23. Market Demands
Market is ready to pay these amounts monthly for
trips:
Kiev <-> Barcelona 25’000’000
Paris <-> London 20’000’000
Kiev <-> Berlin 15’000’000
Rome <-> Barcelona 12’000’000
Rome <-> Paris 10’000’000
Paris <-> Kiev 8’000’000
Rome <-> Berlin 8’000’000
Amsterdam <-> Paris 5’000’000
Amsterdam <-> London 3’000’000
Amsterdam <-> Berlin 3’000’000
Amsterdam <-> Rome 2’000’000
Amsterdam <-> Barcelona 2’000’000
Every sightseeing gives an additional 3’000’000

24. Architectural Constraints
Each city needs to be recognizable.
Distance between cities need to be relatively right.
Buildings need to at least 80% of LEGO.
You’re using duct tape for roads.
And flipchart paper for city ground.

25. Material Pricelist
LEGO sets for buses: 10’000’000
LEGO sets for buildings: 2’000’000
One flipchart sheet for terrain: 1’000’000
One meter duct tape for roads: 1’000’000

26. “Culture follows structure”
new
Structure
introduced
existing
culture
New
culture
New
Behaviors
emerge
New
Habits
stick
LaRman's law

27. “Your Structure is Your Strategy”

28. less.works/case-studies/ericson.html
“Culture Follows Structure”

29. Culture of Self-Organization
1. High Alignment
leader: “our goal is …”
2. Clear Constraints
leader: “Here are some boundaries to follow …”
3. High Autonomy
leader: “go and figure out hoW!”

30. (1) Getting Ready
Shaping the org structure
• Product
• Product Owner
• Area Product Owners
• Teams
• Scrum Masters
• Project Managers???

31. LeSS Principle: LEAN THINKING
eliminate waste!
What are the top activities managers are
kept busy with in traditional organizations?
1. Managing of resources
2. Managing of dependencies
3. Managing other managers

32. free your project managers!
1. Teams are the minimal building blocks
of an organization
No external resource mgmt needed.
2. Teams are cross-functional with minimal
outbound dependencies who learn to
coordinate with others when needed
No external dependency mgmt needed.

33. For our less huge adoption
We’ll need a Product Owner team
1 x PO
5 x Area Pos
The PO gets the investment
And they need to come up with a product
strategy.

34. 16 Shades of Self-management
Setting overall direction
Designing teams and its
org context
Monitoring and
managing work process
and progress
Executing team task
“Leading Teams”
book by Richard Hackman
Most Scrum
teams
Cool LeSS
adoptions
Is there
life of Mars?Pre-agile

35. Who
assigns
scrum masters
to teams?

36. Team self design workshop
1. The skillset
2. 5-7 people per team
3. Team members like each other to the extend
that they can work together for about two
hours
4. Each team has all necessary skills

37. What do you do with
free managers?
Fire? RE-Hire? Admire?

38. Re-hire project managers
1. As Area Product Owners (good skillset)
2. As general managers (yes, we need them)
3. As team members (now go and do good!)
4. As ScrumMasters (nah…)

39. (2) Getting Ready
forming product groups
1. Product Owner pitches the vision to
everyone
2. Each Area Product Owner selects teams

40. (3) Getting Ready
product groups prepare their space
1. Each Area Product Owner and her teams
select a war space (enough wall and
floor space)
2. They are getting ready to run their Initial
Product Backlog Refinement session (in
parallel to the others)

41. (4) Getting Ready
Initial product backlog refinement
1. The Teams and their Area Product Owner
brainstorm 10 ideas for their Area Product
Backlog
2. Write on post-its
3. Then they detail top 3-5 items
Four minutes

42. (5) Getting Ready
sprint planning
1. Sprint will last 8 minutes
2. Area Product Owners get cash from the Product
Owner
3. Each team builds a Sprint Plan pulling items for
the Area Product Backlog
4. If you need to coordinate with another team
– just talk!
Four minutes

43. SPRINTING
1. Sprint starts now!
2. Overall Sprint Review is in 8 minutes.
Eight minutes

44. Inspect and adapt
1. Sprint Review for whole product
2. Sprint Retrospectives:
• In each team separately
• In each area with all teams and APO