Scrum Training and Activity

I Finally Facilitated a PMP - Agile - Scrum Training

I finally facilitated a PMP - Agile  - Scrum training.

As the title suggests, the core focus of the workshop was Scrum.

I started with PMP, then moved into how Agile was adopted within PMP, explored different Agile frameworks, and finally narrowed the focus to Scrum.

This training was basically designed for people from different departments like HR, Marketing, Consultants.

The presentation itself was intentionally light, around 12 slides. While I cannot share the actual slides here, I can walk you through how the session unfolded.

🌱 Setting the Context

I began with a quick introduction to PMP and Agile, and then transitioned into Scrum.

We explored:

• Sprint

• Scrum events

• Roles

• Artifacts

• Scrum values

• Concepts like Definition of Done and Definition of Ready

Once we covered these, I introduced Scrum flashcards. This acted as a quick, interactive revision of everything we had just discussed.

🎯 The Real Learning Moment

The final part of the session was not a slide.

It was an experience.

The Sprint and Bowl of Challenges

There were two bowls:

• One with work related challenges like dependencies and delays

• The other with interpersonal challenges like burnout and communication barriers

And some interesting shapes:

Examples of Work challenges:

• You must complete the drawing using one less line than planned

• Every second line must be drawn from a different starting point

• You must mirror the drawing halfway through

• You must restart from a different corner after 2 lines

• You must connect all lines without lifting the pen

• One team member must pause for 10 seconds before drawing every lines

• You must combine your drawing with another team’s drawing

Examples of Soft Challenges:

• You must plan everything beforehand no one can speak when you start drawing

• One person can only observe and cannot speak

• The Product Owner must wait 5 seconds before responding to any ide

• All communication must be done through gestures 

• You must add an additional shape to their drawing without altering the existing one

The participants were divided into two teams of three. Each team selected a Product Owner.

I handed over three shapes to each Product Owner. Only the Product Owner could see the shapes.

This was intentional. It reflects how, in real Scrum teams, the Product Owner has a clearer view of what needs to be built and helps guide the team toward delivering value.

The Product Owner selected the first shape and communicated it to the team. The team then had to figure out how to draw it.

✏️ The Rules

The rules were simple:

• Only one member could draw at a time

• Each person could draw only one line

• Turns had to rotate

Sounds simple.

It wasn’t.

🔁 Round 1

The teams worked on their first drawing without any challenges.

This helped them understand the task, align with each other, and find a rhythm.

⚡ Round 2

After completing the first drawing, each team picked one challenge from the bowls.

Now things started to shift.

One team had to plan everything in advance and could not speak while drawing. This reflected a scenario where there is heavy reliance on upfront planning, with no room for clarification during execution.

The other team had one member who had to wait 10 seconds before drawing their line. This introduced delay, representing dependencies or communication lag.

The focus was no longer just on completing the drawing. It was about navigating the constraint.

🔥 Round 3

After the second round, teams picked another challenge.

Now they had to work with two active constraints.

One team had to mirror their drawing midway. This reflected a change in requirements during the sprint.

The other team had to add an additional shape to their drawing without altering the existing one. This simulated scope change and adaptation.

At this point, the drawing was no longer the challenge.

Working together was.

🧠 Reflection

Once all three rounds were completed, we paused.

We discussed:

• What changed across rounds

• What felt difficult

• How they adapted

• What they noticed about their own behavior

• How did the Product owner prioritise and why

Everyone shared their experience.

This is where the real learning happened.

💬 Closing the Loop

At the beginning of the session, I had asked everyone to write down their expectations.

At the end, they revisited those expectations individually.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

🌍 What Made It Work

The participants came from different backgrounds.

So while explaining concepts, I used very generic examples:

• Knitting a sweater

• Opening a restaurant

• Cutting potatoes

These simple, relatable examples helped everyone understand the concepts without needing specific domain knowledge.

But more importantly, the hands-on activity made the difference.

The activity was not about drawing.

It was about:

• Experiencing a sprint

• Feeling constraints

• Adapting to change

• Working as a team

The theory made sense because they lived it.

🔍 What Could Have Been Better

One thing I would improve for the next session is setting expectations more clearly at the start.

Some participants assumed this would be a theory-heavy training. While the theory was important, the session was intentionally designed to move into a hands-on activity.

In hindsight, it would have helped to briefly walk them through the structure:

• First, we explore concepts

• Then, we experience them through an activity

Setting this context early could have helped participants:

• Stay more engaged during the theory

• Look forward to the activity

• Connect the two parts more consciously

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✨ A Personal Note

I conducted a workshop like this after almost two years.

And I enjoyed every minute of facilitating it.

🎯 Final Thought

Scrum is easy to explain.

But it is much more powerful when experienced.

Sometimes, all it takes is a few lines, a simple drawing, and the right constraints to truly understand how a team works.