This is the slide deck for the game I created to help people (product owners in particular) experentially understand how a product vision, story map, and stories are used to develop the direction of a product. It was based off of Chris Chapman's #NoEstimates Puzzle Experiment Game. Thanks to him for sharing!

1. Defining your 1st Release Game
And how do we get there?
What is meant by MVP and MMP?

2. Before we begin you see…
Answer me these questions three…
A’fore the game you may see…
Hands up as we step through these…
• I need to understand how to go from a product
vision to working with stories in an iteration.
• I know what a story map is.
• I’m an analyst that needs to help Product Owners
prioritize their needs into user stories with which
teams can develop.
Apologies to Monty Python…

3. The product is a village.
We’re going to define and build our product in terms of MVP and MMP over four 25
minute iterations
• Elect a product owner
• Product owner will establish a vision about the village (or puzzle completion) to be
done
• She or he will then further define the Epics that will help realize this vision (10 min)
– Epics = things to build
– in the sequence to which they help realize the vision
– An example will be given in a moment
• Then we’ll conduct release planning for 15 minutes, consisting of
1. working together to brainstorm the stories that will help support these (15 min)
– Stories = components of the things to build
– Determine when the product owner may accept stories
– These Stories will be laid out under each Epic at the criticality level for enabling the Epic
– The MVP and MMP will be identified, both on the Story Map and by drawing borders around
each one
– An example will be given in a moment
2. sorting or otherwise preparing (but not connect) puzzle pieces or themselves (last 5 min)
• Then we’ll start our iterations: 5 min iteration planning, 15 min development, 2 min
iteration review, 3 min retro
– Product owner is responsible for ensuring progress towards the vision and quality of story
completion
Represented by a puzzle…

5. Iteration Planning (5 min)
• Refine stories (example story shortly) & estimate
• Any Acceptance Criteria beyond pieces fitting
Development (15 min)
• Everyone but product owner may build puzzle
• Product owner may look at what’s being done
Iteration Review (2 min)
• Show stories & acceptance criteria
• Last responsible moment for product owner to
accept
Retrospective (3 min)
• How can you improve?
• Decide on 1-2 actions to try and help

6. ShopkeeperHome
Home
Home
ShopkeeperHome

7. Example Visions
• Provide a place for people to gather
• Show a beautiful spring day
• Attract photographers
• Provide an enjoyable shopping experience in a
small village

8. Example Epics for 1st Vision
Vision: Provide a place for people to gather
• Create a place for conversation
• Provide cover for inclement weather
• Offer food and beverage
• Attract people to the area with other
businesses
• Set it in pleasant scenery

9. Example Story for 1st Epic
Story: Create a place for conversation
• As a local citizen, set up tables and chairs for my
friends and I to sit in and talk.
Possible Acceptance Criteria
• minimum # of chairs and tables
Possibility that only one table and some set of
chairs would be the initial story

10. Example Story Map
Low
High
Criticality
Usage Sequence
Create a
place for
conversation
Provide
cover from
Weather
Offer food
& beverage
Set in
pleasant
scenery
Attract w/
other
businesess
Build 1
table w/4
chairs
Build 2
tables
w/6 chairs
Build 4
tables
w/16
chairs
Build
enough
awning
over table
Build full
awning
Entry into
the
building
Show
menu
Show
Restaurant
Signage
Hanging
flowers
Have boxed
flowers in
square
Have
shop next
to
restaurant
MVPMMP
Have many
flower boxes
in square

11. MVP

12. MVP
MMP

13. Debrief
Let’s see how this worked out for you…

14. No one expects the Agile Inquisition!!
• How did that feel?
• Did you choose stories that were too big?
• Did your product owner give you good acceptance
criteria?
• Did you find yourself in any of your iterations not
completing stories?
• How involved was your product owner during the
“construction” portion of your iteration?
• What did you actions did you decide to take in your
retro?
• Did your estimates help you? Or were they wasteful?
How did you make decisions about what you could
commit to..? More apologies to Monty Python…

15. Some notes on facilitating this game…
• The puzzle -
– should be large such that it can’t be completed, but not feel insurmountable
~500 pieces is good
– Have areas that people can envision enabling something as a product vision
• Make sure teams adhere to the following:
– Timeboxes!
– Product owner acceptance (last responsible moment is the Iteration Review)
– Product owner is not building the puzzle…
• Walk around and ask Qs
– Is there clear acceptance criteria?
– What infrastructure (sorting pieces) could help you move quicker?
– How can your Product Owner help you?
– What can you do to ensure you make Iteration goals?
• Thanks to Chris R. Chapman of Derailleur Consulting
– He developed a very similar game to showcase how estimation can be a wasteful
activity
– It inspired this game
– See http://www.derailleurconsulting.com/blog/the-noestimates-puzzle-
experiment

16. Your Game Master…
IT Executive Coach w/
Deming, Reengineering, Agile/Lean
Active Agile Community Member
(Agile Coach Camp/Agile Influencers of DC)
(GLASScon/Agile Dialogs/GALE)
Lean Start-up & Product Mgmt
Interests:
Gamification & Boardgames

17. Back-up
What are Story Maps?

18. Story Mapping
Jeff Patton, 2005,
Better Software Magazine,
“It’s All in How You Slice It”
Low
High
Criticality
Usage Sequence

19. Story Mapping
Jeff Patton, 2005,
Better Software Magazine,
“It’s All in How You Slice It”
Low
High
Criticality
Usage Sequence
EPICS

20. Story Mapping
Jeff Patton, 2005,
Better Software Magazine,
“It’s All in How You Slice It”
Low
High
Criticality
Usage Sequence
EPICS
FEATURES

21. Story Mapping
Jeff Patton, 2005,
Better Software Magazine,
“It’s All in How You Slice It”
Low
High
Criticality
Usage Sequence

22. Now You Have a Story Map
Jeff Patton, 2005,
Better Software Magazine,
“It’s All in How You Slice It”
Low
High
Criticality
Usage Sequence