Comments on: What Were They Thinking? http://blog.tastycupcakes.com/2009/06/what-were-they-thinking/ Fuel for Software Professionals Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:11:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Michael McCullough http://blog.tastycupcakes.com/2009/06/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-45 Michael McCullough Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:12:46 +0000 http://blog.tastycupcakes.com/?p=22#comment-45 Hi Lodewijk! Thanks so much for your comment. I agree, many developers understand the imperfection of language to completely describe what is fundamentally an uncertain goal. The intent of this game is to illustrate that point to those less familiar with the nature of building software. The idea of changing the game to illustrate the need for feedback in empirical processes sounds really interesting. I wouldn't say you're on the wrong track in any way. It is just not the path we went down when we created the game. I would be interested in hearing how this works for you. Perhaps you could even post it as a new game! Mike Hi Lodewijk!

Thanks so much for your comment. I agree, many developers understand the imperfection of language to completely describe what is fundamentally an uncertain goal. The intent of this game is to illustrate that point to those less familiar with the nature of building software.

The idea of changing the game to illustrate the need for feedback in empirical processes sounds really interesting. I wouldn’t say you’re on the wrong track in any way. It is just not the path we went down when we created the game. I would be interested in hearing how this works for you. Perhaps you could even post it as a new game!

Mike

]]> By: Lodewijk Bergmans http://blog.tastycupcakes.com/2009/06/what-were-they-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-43 Lodewijk Bergmans Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:24:32 +0000 http://blog.tastycupcakes.com/?p=22#comment-43 I am very much in favor of activating people when learning, and preferably in a fun way. I do think this is a nice exercise, but I am wondering to what extent we need to let people experience "In software, we are rarely creating something that already exists. So we are forced to communicate in imperatives and metaphors and, quite often, much is lost in translation." Certainly almost every developer is aware of this, right? Now I am wondering if this could be improved (and e.g. "Mr. Happy Face" does a better job at that) to let people experience an alternative way of working: indeed the difference in round 1 and 2 is doing that, but the overall feeling after the game will remain: we have a problem (as we already knew). So why not have (equally difficult?) assignments where in the last round, additional iteration/feedback cycles are allowed, to show that the result is actually better? (or even continuous feedback while the team is working...) You could even introduce economics in it, perhaps? -> e.g. cost per time unit, every time you iterate, costs additional, delivering the wrong thing will yield nothing. If I am on the wrong track with my suggestions; please enlighten me! cheers, Lodewijk Bergmans PS: especially when drawing, this is much like the party game 'pictionary'--great fun indeed I am very much in favor of activating people when learning, and preferably in a fun way.
I do think this is a nice exercise, but I am wondering to what extent we need to let people experience “In software, we are rarely creating something that already exists. So we are forced to communicate in imperatives and metaphors and, quite often, much is lost in translation.”

Certainly almost every developer is aware of this, right?
Now I am wondering if this could be improved (and e.g. “Mr. Happy Face” does a better job at that) to let people experience an alternative way of working: indeed the difference in round 1 and 2 is doing that, but the overall feeling after the game will remain: we have a problem (as we already knew).
So why not have (equally difficult?) assignments where in the last round, additional iteration/feedback cycles are allowed, to show that the result is actually better? (or even continuous feedback while the team is working…)

You could even introduce economics in it, perhaps? -> e.g. cost per time unit, every time you iterate, costs additional, delivering the wrong thing will yield nothing.

If I am on the wrong track with my suggestions; please enlighten me!

cheers,
Lodewijk Bergmans

PS: especially when drawing, this is much like the party game ‘pictionary’–great fun indeed

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