We’re once again encountering strange phenomena. These appear to be underwater boos roaming the technical depths. Are they real or hallucinations? As we ascend to a shallower depth the pressure changes. Narcosis while diving may cause a (reversible) alteration in consciousness that occurs while diving at depth.
Technical Debt is a hard challenge for Scrum Team to manage. If only there was something like a Ghost Buster contraption that teams could apply to suck in and capture those malicious spirits.
Ghost Trapper involves four steps that are taken by a team of (ideally) cross-functional specialists: find, capture, explain, and wonder.
This play may be skipped by the crew, yet may work well as a “Call to Adventure” where they can trap ghosts with their Scrum Team.
(This play can work well combined with ‘Tiny Monsters’ (from the Valley of Values) to visualize the ghosts.
Ghost Trapper is a playbook format based on "Slow Complexity Capture", a Project Zero Thinking Routine from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
1. Find
Find an example of the complex harmful problem within the system.
2. Capture
Take some time to look carefully.
Capture it by developing a shared understanding of it by exchanging perspectives.
Visualize it on a board.
Inspect closely and notice details.
3. Explain
After you have visually and mentally captured it, write a paragraph (or show and tell another colleague) how it is complex.
Can you explain it to an 85 or 5-year-old?
4. Wonder
What new insights were revealed?
What new ideas and questions do you have?
Are there ways to make it harmless or less harmful?