🎭 Role-play · collaboration · research

Game rules

Role-play session: practice Git-style teamwork and Agile rituals while delivering a fast-paced project.

Sessions feel short on purpose—that pressure matches real research deadlines.

Ask for help whenever you are unsure. Learning when to ask is part of the game.

Overview

The moderator is the researcher. Pick one Scrum Master: they run the Play timers on their machine, announce when each sprint and retro starts and ends, and otherwise work as a developer. At the start of each sprint, choose a new project lead for that sprint only. Everyone else is a developer.

Optional: split into teams — either coordinate on one shared deliverable, or compete and each team ships its own output. Your table decides.

Roles & responsibilities

Researcher

Moderates. Owns the brief, clarifies scope, answers questions, and joins retros with the team.

Scrum Master

Runs the Play timers on their machine; calls sprint and retro boundaries. Otherwise contributes like any other developer.

Project lead

Leads for one sprint at a time—sets priorities and speaks for delivery with the researcher at that sprint’s retro.

Developers

Research, write, keep the repo tidy—pair up, review each other’s work, unblock teammates.

Structure & timing

  • 3 sprints · 15 minutes each.
  • Start each sprint with a new project lead; the Scrum Master opens and closes each sprint and retro.
  • Retro after every sprint — that sprint’s lead checks in with the researcher.

Play page

Keep the Play tab on the Scrum Master’s device—everyone else builds on their own setups while the SM drives timeboxes. The project lead can use the workflow page on a separate screen for GitHub steps.

Go to play Workflow Project requirements Home