Scrum Simulation With Dice

Learning Outcomes

This exercise provides some experience using metrics to record progress at both the Sprint and release level, and discover the strategies that you and your team can use to cope with responding to change.

Prerequisites

A prerequisite for this exercise is that the estimation and planning exercise, My Sweet 16 Birthday Party has been completed, as this will then provide a Product Backlog and a release plan that can be used in the Metrics Game.

Timings

Allow 40 mins for this exercise.

Material

• Dice, enough for pairs of attendees to be able to throw up to 3 dice
• Marker pens
• Release and Sprint burn down charts

Tasks

1. As a team sum up the total number of story points for all of the items in the Product Backlog
2. Divide the total number of story points on the Product Backlog by 150. This is the number of dice to now request from the facilitator.
3. On the Release Burndown chart mark off the total number of story points on the vertical axis, and calculate the divisions on the vertical axis. (For example, if my total number of story points on my Product Backlog is 100, then I will put 100 on the top of the vertical axis and mark off 10 story points for each division on the vertical axis.)
4. Finally, draw the ideal burn down line from the total number of story points on the vertical axis to Sprint 5 on the horizontal axis. (This should provide a diagonal line from the total amount of work down to zero by Sprint 5.)

   

5. Repeat steps 1, 3 and 4 for the Sprint 1 Burndown chart, but this time only for the items in Sprint 1 on the Product Backlog. (The end result should be a total number of story points for Sprint 1 on the vertical axis, the vertical axis divided into equal divisions, and a diagonal line from the top of the vertical axis to day 5 on the horizontal axis.)
6. DO NOT GO BEYOND SPRINT 1 at this point
7. Working on Sprint 1, throw the dice. The total numbers from the dice throw now represent the work that was completed on day 1.
8. On the Sprint 1 Burndown Chart decrement the dice throw (work done) for day 1 from the total number of story points and mark how much work is remaining on the chart for day 1.

   

9. Repeat step 7 and 8 for each of the remaining 4 days for Sprint 1. (If the burndown chart shows that the work is completing ahead of time, bring in an additional item into Sprint 1 on the Product Backlog and mark off how much work is remaining with the new item.)
10. The first Sprint has now been completed.
11. Next update the Velocity chart with the total work completed for Sprint 1. (This should be around half way up the vertical axis, as future Sprints may deliver more or less work.)

    

12. Going back to the Release Burndown chart, decrement the work done for Sprint 1 from the total amount of work and mark how much total work is remaining on the chart after Sprint 1.
13. On the Product Backlog mark off the items that were completed during Sprint 1 as “Done” with a bold tick or similar.
14. Performing a Sprint Review adjust the release plan on the Product Backlog by rearranging the work planned for the future Sprints based upon the velocity. (Any items not completed in Sprint 1 should now be moved to a future Sprint.)
15. Repeat steps 5 – 14 for the remainder of the Sprints and adjusting the Product Backlog as you go to provide the best possible value with respect to the velocity.
16. Call over the facilitator for review and discussion.

See Also

• My Sweet 16 Birthday Party