I copied this exercise from: https://www.tastycupcakes.org/2016/05/throw-the-cat-and-other-objects/
Timing: 10 minutes preparation, 15 minutes to run then as long as you need to debrief
Materials:
Stickies, Pens and a list of objects
Instructions:
I’ve started using this as a variation on the https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/may/title-teaching-relative-estimation-by-throwing-a-c example by Tomasz de Jastrzebiec Wykowski.
The basics of it involve getting the team to discuss the relative estimation of achieving a task. I’ve found this really useful for new members to the team to understand that a 13 for one team may not be a 13 for another, not due to ability but rather it all being relative to previous works done.
- On a wall add to sets of estimation counting, anything you like… in this case I used Story Points and T shirt sizes, so one board is the points the other is shirts
- Split the team in to two
- give each an identical pack of items, don’t look at the yet.
- Scenario – each object must be thrown at least one meter
- Place the objects on the boards using relative estimation for difficulty
I purposely selected an ambiguous set of objects, which if the team ask for clarification I’ll answer.
So this is what we went for..
- Cat – will it just let you? will it fight back
- Ball – it is actually a medicine ball… I just don’t specify
- Feather
- Rose
- Trumpet
- Pizza
- Jaguar – worse than a cat… but actually the car
- Sheet of paper – can you scrunch it? make a plane? again don’t specify
- Stone – from Stone Henge, again don’t specify
- Bat – Vampire kind
The actual cards are one word and ambigious
Learning Points:
The purpose is to get discussion going and realise that there is no correct answer, By using 2 different measurements you can see first of all what one group thinks then how it relates.