This document discusses how serious games can help teams solve problems and engage customers. It provides an overview of what constitutes a serious game and examples of how teams have used them. Specific benefits mentioned include helping with ideation, requirements collection and validation, rapid decision-making, and improving team dynamics. Serious games leverage intrinsic human motivation and create a richer conversation compared to traditional project discussions. The document encourages organizations to incorporate serious games on an ongoing basis into requirements, planning, and retrospection processes.

1. TeleconferenceSerious Games Help Teams Solve Tough Problems, Engage Customers DifferentlyTom Grant, Ph. D., Senior AnalystJune 29, 2011. Call in at 12:55 a.m. Eastern time

2. Agenda

3. Agenda

4. Welcome to Flatland

5. Voice of the customer? Really?Unfortunately, the customerdoesn’t always share thatopinion.Dev teams often think theyunderstand the customer . . .

6. Are we surprised that we don’t understand customers?

7. But we won’t reason our way out of our problemsThese arguments make sense, but theydidn’t make requirements the top priority.

8. “Team dynamics” may become an oxymoronCompartmentalizationOverbearingpersonalitiesPoor morale

9. TIME TOCHANGETHERULES

10. What is a serious game?StructuredRules, but often no winnersPurposefulDefinite outcomeTime-boundBy definition, a time-boxed exerciseParticipatorySuccess depends on everyone participating.EgalitarianEveryone has an equal opportunity to participate.

11. Example: Buy a featureCOSTFEATURESPENT-Android app for activity management$5,000$500Custom pipeline stages$2,000-More complex lead-scoring options$3,500$300More canned reports$1,500$2,000Define and manage teams$4,750$2,500Easy clean-up of bad or duplicate data$2,500-Activity entry via email$3,250-Associate teams with prospects$1,250

12. Prune the product treeSales MGRTeamsSales RepReport APIEmailactivityAndroidPipelinemgtOpportunitystates

13. Teams often use serious gaming regularly for:Ideation.Requirements collection.Requirements validation.Rapid decision-making.Strategic-level decisions (portfolio, road map, etc.). Retrospection.

14. Why do serious games work?IF figure out puzzle THEN release pleasure- creating chemicals (opioids)Our brains are wired for intrinsic motivation.

15. Why do serious games work?? ? ?Mysteriousother stakeholders? ? ?BUSINESS:We need this from you.IT: I’ll get back to you.TRADITIONAL CONVERSATIONabout projects, requirements, design, road map

16. I think it is, but for different reasons than she does.Why? Is it really more important than the other thing?We have to make a decision. Who’s for funding this thing?We really need this thing.RICHERCONVERSATION[Quietly taking notes]Why do serious games work?

17. Why do serious games work?NEW RULESWho’s playing?

18. How do we participate?

19. What’s the objective?

20. How long do we play?Executives sponsor serious games

21. We already use games (well, some of us)Planning PokerUsed Buy A Feature to decide future projects

22. Serious games are not…Goal = provide ongoing motivationGamificationToo unstructuredBrainstormingGoal = predictionSimulationOnly goal = trainingeLearningClose, but lots more prep neededRole-playing

23. Agenda

24. We might go back to the drawing board when . . .We don’t know what we don’t know.We wish that we could make better decisions.We could work better as a team.

26. We don’t know what we don’t knowLooking for fresh ideas for support projectsHave to overcome geographic and organizational boundaries to find themRan “Buy A Feature” online Allowed broad participationRecorded conversationsHad high engagement, including after workGave workers outside HQ a sense of real participation

28. We wish that we could make better decisionsRewriting a decade-old system from scratchNeeded to economize on features included in the first versionUsed a Product Box game to ask stakeholders what was most importantSome surprises in the resultsCommunicated the results throughout the companyOUR PRODUCTNow with more stuff!

30. We could work better as a team Mayor City officials Community

31. Agenda

32. Serious games change howAgile and Lean changewe make decisionshow we work

33. Your next move with serious gamesSTART WITH THE IMMEDIATEPick the game that addresses your issue.Prepare, prepare, prepare.Make sure you have enough resources for the exercise.Record the exercise.Socialize the results.Plan for the next game.THEN MAKE SERIOUS GAMES AN ONGOING ACTIVITYRequirementsPlanningRetrospectionAd hoc decision-making

34. Different needs, different gamesSource: April 29, 2011, “App Dev Teams: Consider Playing Around With Serious Games” Forrester report