I connected the console to the TV and started the game. Immediately, the word "Jumanji" appeared in large letters, and the game master began to speak: "Your task is to locate the jewel for the client in the jungle and thus break the curse of Jumanji. If you succeed as a team, great honors await you at the end of the game. But why are you still standing around? Let's go!"
Suddenly, I was pulled into the game and found myself as the character "Franklin." Franklin was the weapons and backpack carrier for the tall and imposing Dr. Bravestone, who led the team through the mission. As Franklin, I had all the necessary equipment in my backpack for the dangerous journey to the jewel. But which path should we take? And when should I use which tool? And then this one strange instrument suddenly appeared in my backpack. What was I supposed to do with it?
The path through the thicket
My last project assignment was like this video game. After getting to know each other in the newly formed team and figuring out who brought which skills, we had to agree on a methodology. In recent years, various communities (like the Design Thinking Community or the Lean Startup Community) and individual authors have created their own models to help teams solve problems and develop new ideas. My toolkit included methods like Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Innovation Vortex, Scrum, Kanban, Double Diamond, DevOps, and others. Which one was right for us? Our team ultimately agreed on a common path and rules, and everyone continually committed to improving collaboration.
Using the right tool at the right time
Back to our game, aka project. As the team's weapon and backpack carrier, my job was to fill the backpack with tools and methods and pull them out when needed. But honestly, who hasn't gotten lost in the jungle of requirements engineering and business analysis methods? And then there's the added challenge of learning new methods, acquiring them, and gaining experience with them. After all, who ever perfectly completes a game level on the first try? Not me.
FIG. 1: GENERALIZED GRAPHIC OF THE ITERATIVE APPROACH IN SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT (BASED ON THE INNOVATION VORTEX BY JÜRGEN APPELO)
The basis of our guide for working on the field and improving our skills is a vortex of the most important activities in systems development. We call this guide the 'Whirl of Methods'.
And to keep things manageable, here's a brief explanation. Around the 'Whirl of Methods', we arrange seven main activities of systems development : Surveying, Understanding, Modeling, Ideating, Implementing, Testing, and Learning. Our representation is based on Jürgen Appelo's Innovation Vortex. As Appelo explains, in practice, the main activities in systems development don't flow sequentially. Instead, they flow into one another (Blog article: The Design Thinking and Lean Startup Models Are Broken. Here is the Innovation Vortex!).
FIG. 2: EXAMPLE OF THE MAIN ACTIVITY 'UNDERSTANDING' USING THE STAKEHOLDER LIST AND SCENARIO MAP METHODS
We assign each requirements engineering or business analysis method to a main activity. Furthermore, multiple maturity levels possible for each main activity. We thus move from the initial "understanding" stage, progressing from the general to the detailed, ultimately reaching our goal at the center. For example, a stakeholder list in the "understanding" main activity provides the team with an overview, while a scenario map offers a deeper understanding of a topic. Additionally, the team initiates activities within the "eliciting" main activity to complete the scenario map.
When to unpack which method
When does our team use which method, and who has the necessary skills? Here's how you can proceed with the 'Whirl of Methods':
- Figure out which main activity you want to progress in.
- Determines the degree of ripeness.
- Choose the method based on the main activity and the level of maturity.
- Identify who on the team can apply the method. If the know-how is lacking, then develop those skills.
The 'Whirl of Methods' is a guide, or rather, a map through the jungle of methods. It won't solve all your problems, but this tool can be crucial in taking you to the next level. And then you, too, will reach your Jumanji.
Good luck!
March 26, 2020, Eveline Scala & Patrick Steiger
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