Are you in search of some scrum master team building activities?
Building a high-performing team is crucial in the agile world, where collaboration and efficiency are key. If you are a scrum master, it is your responsibility to create a positive and cohesive environment for your coworkers.
In this article, we have compiled a list of 10 exercises that you can try with your scrum teams. These activities can help strengthen group dynamics, and foster a sense of camaraderie among your employees.
What is a Scrum Team?
A Scrum Team consists of professionals who work together to deliver a product increment within a Sprint, the time-boxed period often lasting 2-4 weeks. This team is cross-functional. That means it has all the competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others outside of the team.
The team is made up of:
The Product Owner: One who defines the work and priority.
The Scrum Master: One who ensures the team is using Scrum to its full potential.
Development Team Members: The ones who do the work.
10 Scrum Master Team Building Activities
Here are some engaging team building exercises to try with your scrum teams:
#1. Scrum Master Quiz
This is a competitive activity aimed at refreshing and testing the team’s knowledge of Scrum methodologies.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Quiz questions, a timer, and a prize for the winning team
Participants: Entire scrum team
Instructions
- Start with preparing a set of questions related to Scrum practices, roles, and principles. Ensure to include a mix of difficulty levels.
- Divide the employees into small groups and explain the rules, including time limits for answering each question.
- Begin the quiz, keeping the atmosphere lively and competitive. Use a timer to keep track of the time for each question.
- Tally the scores at the end and award the winning team with a small prize to celebrate their knowledge.
Debrief
During the debrief, it’s crucial to highlight the areas where the team showed strong understanding. Plus, identify the gaps in knowledge that need addressing. This exercise should ideally lead to a plan for targeted learning sessions to deepen the team’s grasp on Scrum methodologies.
#2. Product Box
In this activity, teams engage their creativity to design a product box, compellingly pitching its features and benefits.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: Paper and markers
Participants: Groups of 3-6 individuals
Instructions
- Begin by assigning each team a product or allowing them to choose one. Encourage creativity by not limiting the products to those related to work.
- Set a time limit for creating the product box, including designing and writing compelling copy to pitch the product.
- Once the time is up, each team presents its product box to the rest of the group, highlighting its unique features and benefits.
Debrief
During the debrief, discuss the effectiveness of each team’s presentation style and what made their product stand out. Highlight the importance of effective communication and creative thinking in marketing or selling a product.
#3. Agile Lego Game
This is an interactive activity where participants use Lego bricks to simulate the dynamics of an agile project. It enhances their understanding of adaptive planning and iterative development.
Time: You decide
Materials: Lego bricks
Participants: Groups of 4-8 individuals
Instructions
- Start by dividing the participants into small teams and outline the project requirements provided by the “customer”. For example, “Build a house with two bedrooms and one bathroom.”
- Set a time limit for the first iteration. Encourage teams to work collaboratively and adapt to any changes or updates from the “customer”.
- After the first iteration, introduce new requirements or changes from the “customer”. For example, “The house now needs a garage and an additional bedroom.”
- Teams must adapt their initial design to incorporate the new changes while staying within the time limit.
Debrief
Discuss how they navigated the challenges of changing requirements and the strategies used to adapt their projects effectively. Highlight the importance of flexibility, communication, and team collaboration in the agile process.
#4. Scrum Simulation Origami
This is a hands-on exercise to illustrate the key components of Scrum methodology, including sprint planning, execution, review, and retrospectives.
Time: You decide
Materials: Origami paper
Participants: Groups of 3-6 individuals
Instructions
- Begin by forming teams and assigning Scrum roles – Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Development Team Members.
- The Product Owner outlines the “product backlog” – a series of origami models that need to be created like a crane, flower, and butterfly.
- The Development Team estimates the complexity of each model and selects the most feasible ones for the first sprint within a set time limit (e.g., 5 minutes).
- After the first sprint, teams have a short review to reflect on their progress and adjust their approach for the next sprint. The cycle continues for subsequent sprints until all the models are completed or time runs out.
Debrief
Conclude with a discussion on the lessons learned through the activity. Focus on the dynamics of team collaboration, the agility in adapting to changes, and the importance of iterative development in achieving project goals.
#5. Story Mapping
Story Mapping is a collaborative exercise that aids in the visualization of a product’s scope through a user-centric approach. It is one of the amazing scrum master team building activities.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Sticky notes
Participants: Product development teams
Instructions
- Have each team member write down the features of your product on separate sticky notes. For example, if your product is a mobile app, you may have features like user login, search function, and payment processing.
- Arrange the sticky notes in a logical sequence, from left to right, representing the user’s journey through the product. This creates a “backbone” or timeline for your story map.
- Add additional sticky notes below each feature to represent smaller tasks or user stories related to it.
- Once completed, review the story map as a team to ensure all the features and tasks are in the right sequence.
Debrief
Reflect on how this exercise helped in understanding the user’s perspective and identifying any gaps in the product’s design. Discuss the benefits of visually organizing thoughts and tasks. Plus, talk about how this can lead to a more cohesive and user-friendly product.
#6. Retrospective MadLibs
This is an innovative and amusing activity designed to enhance team retrospectives through creative storytelling.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: MadLibs template, and pens
Participants: Sprint team members
Instructions
- Start with a pre-made MadLibs story template focused on the sprint experience, leaving blanks for key nouns, verbs, and adjectives. For example, “During this sprint, we ____(verb) a lot of ____(noun) and it was ____(adjective)”.
- Ask team members to fill in the blanks with words or phrases related to their experience during that sprint.
- Once everyone has completed their MadLibs, have each person share their story with the group, filling in the blanks as they go.
Debrief
During the debrief, explore how this creative approach allowed team members to express thoughts and identify sprint challenges in an enjoyable way. Discuss how humor and storytelling can be powerful tools in fostering open communication.
#7. Design Thinking
This is a dynamic group activity aimed at solving problems through creativity, empathy, and iterative learning.
Time: You decide
Materials: Whiteboards, markers, sticky notes, and prototype materials
Participants: Team members across different functions
Instructions
- Begin by presenting a common problem or challenge that your team is facing. Encourage everyone to share their initial thoughts and perspectives to foster empathy.
- Use sticky notes for brainstorming sessions where team members can jot down as many ideas as possible for solving the problem. No idea is too outlandish.
- Select the most promising ideas and form small groups to develop prototypes. These can be simple models or diagrams that outline a potential solution.
- Finally, have each group present their prototype to the other teams. Encourage constructive feedback and iterative improvements to refine the solutions.
Debrief
Discuss how each step contributed to developing effective solutions and how these methods can be applied to future projects. Highlight the importance of empathy in understanding user needs and the value of diverse perspectives in problem-solving.
#8. Lean Coffee
Lean Coffee is a participant-driven meeting format focused on agile methods and team dynamics.
Time: Variable
Materials: Sticky notes, pens, a timer
Participants: Team members interested in agile practices
Instructions
- Participants write down topics they are interested in discussing on sticky notes, such as “Improvements in the sprint process” or “Ways to enhance daily stand-ups.”
- Everyone votes on the topics, prioritizing the agenda based on collective interest.
- Discuss each topic in a time-boxed manner, starting with the highest voted; use a timer to keep discussions concise and on track.
- Conclude with open feedback or additional quick votes to decide if a topic needs more discussion in the future.
Debrief
The debrief should uncover new ideas and actionable insights gained from the discussions. Encourage participants to reflect on how this format promoted collaboration and encourage all voices to be heard.
#9. Coin Game
This is a fast-paced activity designed to teach teams about prioritization and efficient delivery in product development. It is one of the easiest scrum master team building activities.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: Coins of various denominations, and a timer
Participants: Group members involved in product development
Instructions
- Divide the participants into small teams, providing each with an equal number of coins.
- Explain that each coin represents a “feature” to be delivered for the product. For instance, a penny may represent a small feature like a bug fix, while a quarter may represent a larger feature like a new product enhancement.
- Set a time limit for the game, such as 5 minutes. Teams should prioritize and organize their coins during this time.
- After the time is up, have each team present their prioritized list and explain their reasoning.
Debrief
Identify the strategies each group used to prioritize and deliver their coins. Discuss the challenges and benefits of prioritizing features in a fast-paced environment.
#10. NoEstimates Game
This is an enlightening activity that teaches teams to focus on delivering value rather than concentrating on estimates.
Time: Varies
Materials: Product backlog items and timer
Participants: Group members involved in product development
Instructions
- Begin by explaining the goal of working without traditional time or effort estimates. Clarify that the focus should be on delivering the most valuable product features efficiently.
- Divide the participants into teams and provide each with a list of product backlog items.
- Without using traditional estimates, teams must plan their sprint, selecting the items they believe they can deliver.
- Let them complete the sprint. Then, review the work accomplished against the selected items.
Debrief
Examine how the absence of estimates influenced the team’s decision-making and productivity. Discuss the potential for implementing this approach in your regular workflow and the changes it may necessitate.
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Final Words
Experiential learning exercises are vital for nurturing your scrum team’s mindset and capabilities. They can help create a safe environment for teams to experiment and learn from both successes as well as failures. By incorporating these activities into your agile training, you can foster collaboration, critical thinking, and continuous improvement within your team. Keep exploring new and creative ways to engage your team in learning together.