by Hillary Johnson
A couple of weeks ago, Chris was the guest speaker at the Bay Area Agile Project Leadership Network's monthly meeting. It was an evening of game-playing and simulations. One of the most popular is a simple game that takes under five minutes to play, but always blows the tops of people's heads off by demonstrating concretely and irrevocably just how deeply multitasking cuts into productivity and even quality. This particular exercise led to some insightful conversations and aha moments, including:
- The majority of aviation accidents that are caused by human error are the result of unexpected context switching
- Multitasking exercise can make the case for "office hours"
Other highlights from the debriefs around the games included these observations, captured on Post-Its:
- It's a turnoff to be "worked on"
- The team has better visibility into a problem than an outsider
- It's quicker to get into a tangle than it is to get out of one
- Boundaries are movable, depending on your assumptions
- The team can iterate faster and better than the manager
The BayAPLN meetings are open to all, so please join us for the next one on August 18, when the inimitable and entertaining David Chilcott will show you how to have a meeting that doesn't suck (hint: "What if you managed your meeting like a sprint?") . And if you want to play games with us, check our hompeage for upcoming classes and other free events where Chris will be speaking. Or turn up for Agile Open California, where there will be lots and lots of games and even more ahas.
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