Iterated
the story behind the game part I
ITERATE™ had started around 2013 when after attending a workshop Kamil, at that time one of Tomek’s students, have come up with a suggestion to transform Tomek’s project simulation into a full-blown board game. The idea was to create a realistic and fun simulator of a Scrum Product Owner. In subsequent years, the game artifacts and its rules were gradually and carefully added to ensure the game accurately reflects and emphasizes real-life problems and dilemmas. Since then the game has been played countless times at conferences, community meetups and private and public workshops, and Tomek and Kamil have become partners in crime trying to iterate it towards perfection. Here is what our players say about the experience:
Really nice experience, with cool people and a great place. It was worth it!
Well-invested time! Great way to learn how complex product development is and how consecutive decisions influence it. In contrast to other training games, it’s not simplified what makes all mechanisms and effects tangible for the participants.
Chapeau bas to the organizers! The game is awesome and triggers thinking. Great workshop; I would gladly forget what it was about to play it again.
Very cool, looking forward to future sessions.
The game was fun and revealed new talents. A very quiet team member took the role of the Product Owner and led the team very efficiently.
Great idea! This game maps reality really well. Looking forward for the next workshop.
The game is very entertaining, eye-opening and challenging. It helps understand what influences the product development process in a fun way.
The game is really cool!
Really good job with Product Development Game! It’s good to fail, so we can learn.
Thanks for the big fun combined with knowledge, and congratulations on developing such a great game!
The game perfectly reflects the business complexity of product development. And it’s a great entertainment!
This workshop shows how complexity affects software projects. Nicely wrapped in Scrum practices (roles, artifacts, and events). I wish we had more time to play.
Fun & inspiring. Great experience!
Great game – I recommend playing it!
Thank you! Tremendous knowledge collected in the game.
Thank you for the possibility of taking part in this amazing workshop!
Inspiring and eye-opening!
Cool game! Very well prepared and conducted too! Facilitation was very much needed and helpful.
Excellent! One of the best workshops I have ever had.
Very successful meeting. The game made me think about how wrong things can go when we are not able to see every aspect of the simulated project environment.
Productified
the story behind the game part II
Fast forward to 2018. The long way of preparing, testing, changing and improving the game is over and the boxed version is ready for sale. By listening and responding to the players’ feedback, the game has become a well-balanced product which makes us proud. Somewhat unexpectedly we ended simulating not only a Product Owner role but also the whole Scrum Team, its business surroundings and more! One could say we have “iterated” and then “productified” the Iterate™ Product Development Game!
Tomek
to be blamed for the overall concept of the game
Pragmatist and empiricist. Likes to push it to see what will happen. Aspiring stoic, currently 180° opposite. Strong personality. Usually right about things (especially when he’s not). Has assisted many organizations in their agile journeys to help them change the world, while reaching and maintaining competitive edge. When he’s not fighting for a high quality–high value software, he is to be found under a tree smoking his pipe and thinking things through. Focused on the educational aspect of the game. Quality design lover.
Kamil
master mind behind most of the traps in the game
Passionate physicist, practicing Product Owner and an aspiring artist. The driving force behind the development of the world’s most advanced automated grocery warehouse. Always looking for and finding solutions – often by running some kind of a simulation to make the game even more evil. A true geek and serious board game addict. Focused on the gameplay and fun aspects of the game. Protector of balance and Tomek’s main opposition. Owns a ginger cat (or the other way around).
Kasia
graphic designer constantly trying to combine useful and pretty
Spends her days hunting (running with scissors!) Tomek to get to know what to do next. Loves constant change and the diversity of challenges that come with the development of the game. Crazy about her job even when working as a screwdriver. She just gets things done. When she’s not productifying the game, you can find her having a meltdown (Tomek is to blame for that too), walking her dogs, rescuing a hedgehog or climbing a fell. You will hear “told you so” a lot when working with her. Let her say it and move on.
Krzysiek
killer workshop facilitator
Agilist, empiricist and football fan (not necessarily in that order). Honest, intelligent, optimistic and well-informed. He never loses it. Never ever. Believe us – we’ve tried. Perhaps it’s because he knows how to count. Famous for the quote “it is the pizza you deliver”. Fighting in silence against the complexity of everyday software life. Persistent in convincing others that one can be actually productive using Windows. Religiously meticulous.