Prioritisation Exercise

This workshop provides some experience in creating a Product Backlog in the form of a Story Map and running a dice based simulation against it to explore the need to make prioritisation decisions.

Learning Objectives

• To be able to form a meaningful Product Backlog in the form of a story map
• To order the items in a meaningful way
• To be able to respond to the changing situation and make prioritisation decisions

Timings

Allow for 30 minutes for table groups to successfully complete their tasks

Materials

• Each team should have a printed copies of:
  • Prioritisation Headers
  • Prioritisation Initiatives, Epics and Stories
• 5 x white dice + 2 x red dice
• Post-it notes
• Marker pens

Setup

1. Cut up the "Prioritisation Initiatives, Epics and Stories"
2. Choose one of the themes and place stories that belong to that theme in an A5 envelope
3. Stick the epic of the corresponding theme to the front of the A5 envelope and seal it
4. Place the A5 envelope inside an A4 envelope
5. Stick the initiative of the corresponding theme to the front of the A4 envelope and seal it
6. Repeat for the other themes until there are several A4 envelopes, one for each theme, with an A5 envelope inside it, with stories inside the A5 envelope

Tasks

1. Arrange the "Prioritisation Headers" as per the diagram below
2. Arrange the A4 envelopes under the backlog header in the desired prioritisation order
3. To get the first iteration completion rate:
   1. Roll all of the dice
   2. Subtract the total of the red dice (impact of technical debt) from the white dice
   3. The result is the first iteration completion rate
4. Select which items have had been work

1. Call over the facilitator to review and discuss

See Also

• Wedding Planner