The Power of Improvisation on Agile Teams

Jim York (FoxHedge Ltd), Tobias Mayer (Agile Thinking)

Hands On · Individuals & Teams

Tuesday, 10:30, 1 hour 30 minutes | Meeting Room 15

Drawing from the art of improvisation, Agile coaches Jim York and Tobias Mayer lead this fun exploration of dysfunctional interpersonal communication born of learned bad behaviors. On Agile teams, these stifling exchanges inhibit forward progress. In this session, Jim and Tobias share a different approach based on their experience teaching Agile teams techniques from improvisation to help them find creative ways to discover and deliver customer value. Participants will learn how to avoid responding in a way that obscures possibilities. They will also learn how to heighten their own awareness and understanding during an exchange so that they can respond with agility and purpose. Sample exercises for this session include facilitator-led word games and other interactive games designed to facilitate group awareness, understanding, and direction. Examples include:

• I don't see it... Help me see it
• Writing a letter one word at a time
• String of Pearls - various takes on a group telling a story; backwards, forwards, and from both ends to the middle

Jim York is president of FoxHedge, Ltd, a process and management consultancy. He has coached companies large and small to successful adoption of Lean and Agile methodologies and practices in financial services, government/defense, telecommunications, energy, and media. Jim is a Certified Scrum Trainer and blends his experience in Scrum, Agile Project Management, Lean Software Development, Extreme Programming, and traditional project management to deliver "just-in-time" training to teams.