Improv-ing Agile Teams: Using Constraints To Unlock Creativity

IMPROV IS NOT ABOUT BEING FUNNY, ORIGINAL, OR CHAOTIC.

IT'S ABOUT EMBRACING CHANGE.

Improvisation. The mere mention of the word makes many people quake with fear at the prospect of chaos and uncertainty. The fact is, though, human beings are improvising almost every minute of their lives it is more natural, and more filled with possibility, than you might imagine.

On stage, improvisational actors use simple rules, collaborative principles, and game constraints to build unscripted yet intriguing storylines. This book explores how those same simple rules and principles can help agile teams collaborate more effectively and how purposefully working within constraints can unlock creativity.

Inside, you ll find over 50 techniques and improv games tailored for agile teams, complete with step-by-step instructions. These games are based on five different principles of improvisational theatre:

SAFETY: how accepting failure is essential to discovery
SPONTANEITY: how to increase the flow of ideas
STORYTELLING: how narratives help teams relate to their customers and end users
STATUS: how adjusting personal behaviour can encourage collaboration
SENSITIVITY: how to become more fully engaged with fellow team members

Paul is an agile coach and trainer, and has been working with agile teams in the UK since 2003. As an accredited Scrum trainer and coach, Paul has trained a variety of companies and individuals to take a more agile approach to project delivery. This book brings together two of his passions, coaching agile teams and improvisational theatre. The principles and practices are so closely linked, he uses them everyday of his working and personal life.