Facilitation Dojo Andreas Schliep, Peter Beck We provide this Facilitation Dojo as a platform for safe learning and exchange about facilitation techniques, pitfalls und secrets. Learning Objectives: - Provide an engaging and inspiring environment for an event Deal with disturbances and interruptions - Address conflicts and help the parties to navigate through them Collect ideas and organize them into topics - Understand the origin of the word facilitate and live to it See more at: https://www.scrumalliance.org/courses-events/events/global-gatherings/2015/prague-2015#sthash.9vEzZnhG.dpuf

1. Facilitation Dojo
Andreas Schliep & Peter Beck
@andreasschliep @curlypeter
Picture from the Movie: The Matrix (1999)

2. Committed to Result
ResponsibleforGroupImprovement »Team lead
»Project Manager
»“Embedded” Tester
»External Workshop Facilitator
»Scrum Master
»Agile Coach
»Line Manager
»Developer
PLACE THE ROLES IN
THE GRID

3. Facilitator:
» Responsible that the group can
achieve their goals
» is creating a frame/container
» is sensing the communication
» is creating hypothesis what the
group can help doing the work
» is setting intervention and
observe
Manager:
» Responsible that the work is
done
» is dispatching the
Communication
» is checking if work is done
correctly
» is slowing down the
communication down to his
processing speed
» (...)

4. Facilitation Dojo
• References: Coding Dojo, Testing Dojo, Coaching Dojo
• Practice in a safe environment
• Get instant feedback
• Focus on facilitation, not problem solving!

5. Dojo FacilitatorObserver
Exchange
Facilitator
Actor

6. Scenario
„Architecture“
Background Story
Your team is working on a new web app with special technical
and functional constraints – 5 million users, globally accessible,
high availability. The team is still unsure how to master some of
the technical challenges.
Your team consists of 12 developers. It is supposed to be split
in two functional teams. Three developers are seen as very
experienced „thought leaders“. But they have quite different
approaches to design the system and software architecture.
After a long discussion, the team agrees to one approach and
continuous the split into two sub teams. The two „losing“ senior
developers accept the decision and join different sub teams.
Two weeks later, team members start to complain in the Daily
Meeting that they are actually working on different architectural
solutions, which makes it extremely hard to proceed with their
tasks.

7. Scenario
„Architecture“
Situation - Daily Meeting
The development team gathers to address the
„three questions“. Team members start to
complain about the different architecture tasks.
Roles:
ScrumMaster (facilitates)
Dev. team incl. 3 senior developers.
(see detailed hints)
Set-up
Act-Storming: Team room

8. Scenario
„Architecture“
Situation - Architecture Workshop
The ScrumMaster gathers the team to clarify the
causes of the team members’ complaints, and to
determine how to proceed.
Roles:
ScrumMaster (facilitates)
Dev. team incl. 3 senior developers.
(see detailed hints)
Set-up
Act-Storming: Team room

9. Scenario
„Architecture“
Senior Developer 1
You are convinced about the necessity of a decision at this time,
You have used your own – conservative – approach multiple times
and you trust it to be the right way.
Senior Developer 2
You are hot blooded and innovative. Your approach is based on
an OR-mapper you have maintained as an Open Source project.
You would love to give a talk about your architecture.
Senior Developer 3
You are an external consultant from MacroHard. Your boss wants
you to apply corporate solutions. You are highly convinced of the
MacroHard products yourself, while you see the value in Senior
Developer 1’s arguments.
Other development team member
You are happy with any decision because you want to work on.

10. Scenario „Personal
Conflict“
Background Story
Your team is close to the end of a Sprint
Retrospective. There had been several occasions
during the sprint, where two developers started
bullying each other. Another developer, who had
worked with both of them, brought the topic to
the ScrumMaster. She is very frustrated and
brought down by the situation.
The retrospective is almost over. While the team
devised several improvement suggestions, the
conflict between the two has not even been
brought up.

11. Scenario „Personal
Conflict“
Situation - Last Third of Retrospective
The ScrumMaster wants the team to come up
with the underlying conflict and work towards
reconciliation and better cooperation.
Roles:
ScrumMaster (facilitates)
Dev. team
(see detailed hints)
Set-up
Act-Storming: Meeting room

12. Developer 1
You are young and ambitions, full of ideas and pretty direct in your
communication. You work hard, but you’re no fan of punctuality. You
love to over-deliver, but you are sometimes pushing it too far.
Developer 2
You are more settled and very experienced. Unfortunately, you have
less capacity to grasp new concepts than when you were younger.
You structure your work carefully. You expect a respectful and polite
behavior around you.
Female Developer
You like to work with everybody. You do not understand the conflict.
Somehow, you feel a little more in line with Developer 1’s position.
Other development team member
You know about the conflict, but you’re uncomfortable talking about it.
Scenario „Personal
Conflict“

13. Questions?

14. Sources
• Hunter, Dale; Taylor, Bill; Bailey, Anne, “Art of Facilitation: How to Create
Group Synergy”; Toronto 1995
• Raelin, Joseph, “The Role of Facilitation in Praxis”, Paper,
www.organizational-dynamics.com
• Norman L. Kerth; “Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews”;
Dorset House Publishing Company, Incorporated (February 2001)
• Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber; “Agile Retrospectives: Making
Good Teams Great”; Pragmatic Bookshelf (July 26, 2006)
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