AGILE GAMES

Remote Comunication

AGILE GAMES

Remote Comunication

In these times of remote teams, it is always difficult to generate pleasant team dynamics.

I have used this dynamic several times, it helps me to improve communication, cohesion, and participation within the teams.

Checklist

  • The video game “Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes”, can be any mobile or desktop version (It can be found in the Steam store). https://keeptalkinggame.com/
  • The manual for the game (it’s in different languages) https://www.bombmanual.com/
  • Some video call software (Teams, Zoom, Meets, Skype)
  • Disposition

“Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes” is a game where you have to defuse a bomb, at a certain time which contains different modules (varies according to the difficulty), whereas using a manual you can disarm these modules (sounds some agility value).

The dynamics are easy, someone on the team has to be the one who disarms the bomb (bomb operator), and the other members guide the one who disarms the bomb (manual instructors), looking at the manual, they should not see the screen of who is the bomb operator, they should only be focused on the manual and the descriptions of the operator.

Then do several iterations (much better if the role of the operator changes in each iteration).
Until the team decides or the time is up.

Close by talking about how the team felt about the dynamics.

Questions to ask

  • What did we learn?
  • Which role is more difficult, pump operator or manual instructor?
  • How can we improve (in case of constant failures)?

I hope you enjoy it and use it as much as I do, I look forward to your feedback.

About Tasty Cupcakes

This content was originally published on Tasty Cupcakes, a community-run website founded by Michael McCullough and Don McGreal after they presented a series of games at Agile2008 in Toronto. The site’s tagline was “fuel for invention and learning.” After 15 years at TastyCupcakes.org, the content has found a new permanent home here at Agile Alliance.

The games, techniques, and approaches presented are here to use and explore. All we ask is that you tell others about us and give us some feedback on the games themselves. All of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Add to Bookmarks Remove Bookmark
Add to Bookmarks Remove from Bookmarks
Add to Bookmarks Remove from Bookmarks

Got feedback? Join the conversation!

Explore additional Agile Games

Description Organization and prioritization are two distinct activities that can be used to improve the quality of a product backlog. A simple linear list is difficult to prioritize. As well, many stakeholders are forgotten in the rush to deliver cus…
Objectives Learn about the attributes and duties of a role. Verify what your students already know about the subject (complemented by a short lecture). Let your students learn from each other. I've successfully used it with all three Scrum roles: th…
This activity was designed to teach continuous integration concepts and value without resorting to code, a continuous integration server, or any hardware or software.  While the participants will experience some frustration in trying to complete the …
While we've all heard about "pair programming", pairing is not just for programmers. In this activity, participants will use fiction/creative writing to understand the importance and value (and fun) of pairing. Timing Prep: Printing out the ha…

Discover the many benefits of membership

Your membership enables Agile Alliance to offer a wealth of first-rate resources, present renowned international events, support global community groups, and more — all geared toward helping Agile practitioners reach their full potential and deliver innovative, Agile solutions.

Not yet a member? Sign up now