Daily Standup Catch Game

Introduction

The purpose of this game is to demonstrate the collaborative nature of agile cross functional teams in a simple game that can be done before or after a daily standup.

Materials

• 1 ball that will not damage anything in a work setting - foam stress balls are ideal
• A timer that has an audible alarm

Game Play

The ball is passed between members of a team that are stood up with the following rules applied:

1. The objective of the game is to score as many passes as possible in a minute
2. Each participant throws the ball to an intended recipient that is not to the left or right of themselves to score a pass within the time limit
3. Passes that are made to anyone that is to the immediate left or right of the thrower are discounted and do not count towards the total
4. The game finishes with the time alert being sounded after 1 minute of play and the total number of passes recorded

Closing

1. Ask the team what analogy the ball represents during the game
2. After receiving their answers confirm that the ball represents a user story in play which receives attention from all members of the team as they pass it to one another to ensure that it is completed within a time boxed sprint

Alternatives

During The Daily Standup

This game can also be done during a daily standup where the person with the ball at that current time gets to talk. After their update, they pass the ball to the next player.

This has the following benefits:

• Self determination of who goes next rather than defaulting to a scrum master to tell them
• Focusses attention especially if the standup is in the morning - you have to be awake to catch the ball
• A fun activity in the standup