Agile Movies Workshop

How it all began

In 2018, my colleague Jörg Karlinger approached me and told me about an exciting idea: He and his wife had realized how well agile values and principles are reflected in movies.

We had long been looking for a better way to teach the basics of Scrum and Kanban. Simply explaining the manifesto? That doesn’t work. You have to experience agile values to really understand them. Jörg’s idea to use films as a learning tool was exactly what we needed.

Challenges and solutions

The biggest challenge was the legal side. The use of film clips in a professional context is complicated. After many discussions with legal departments, we found a solution: All film clips are streamed live via YouTube. This way we avoid storing copyrighted material.

Since the availability of films on YouTube is constantly changing, we recommend that you briefly check before each workshop whether all clips are still working. If you find a link that does not work, please let me know.

Why this approach works

  • Practical examples: Films show how agile principles work in practice.
  • Emotional connection: Stories from films are better remembered than abstract concepts.
  • Fun while learning: The workshop is fun and motivates participants to join in.

Framework

The workshop is particularly suitable for teams that have already been working agile together for a while. But managers who want to learn agile leadership principles also benefit from this workshop.

It takes place as an interactive face-to-face event. The optimal process is designed for 6 to 16 participants, ideal for the usual team size. It is best to plan 2 hours for the workshop.

The workshop takes place in a seminar room with a large monitor or projector and flipcharts. The duration can vary depending on the group size and needs.

The centerpiece

Here is the direct link to the “Agile Movies” workshop: https://agilemovies.roberteppig.com
You can configure it there according to your needs.

Implementation

Would you like to conduct the workshop yourself? Ideally, you should experience it as a participant beforehand. This gives you a direct impression of the process and dynamics.

To prepare you optimally, I offer you a special train-the-trainer session. Here I go into detail about the moderation, the individual exercises and possible challenges. Together we adapt the workshop to your individual needs and your target group. You benefit from my experience and receive valuable tips for a successful implementation.
Simply contact me to make an appointment!

The information below is available for you to read or to prepare for your own workshop. Here you will find details on operation, content, process and materials.

Operation

The website is designed for use with the keyboard. Please open the website with your configuration, switch to “Full screen” (F11) and then use the following keys for navigation:

  • h displays a short help text with keyboard shortcuts.
  • 1-6 The number keys start the corresponding film. Alternatively, you can also click on the respective button with the mouse.
  • Esc removes all displays and shows the start screen. This can also be used to cancel an accidentally started film!
  • w displays a page with a white image to focus the participants’ attention on you. This often works better than “b” if you are working with a monitor.
  • b displays a page with a black image to focus the participants’ attention on you. This often works better than “w” if you are working with a projector.
  • p shows the presentation “Agile Manifesto Values and Principles”. Then use <right arrow> and <left arrow> to navigate through the slides. Pressing “p” (or “Esc”) again hides the presentation. Pressing “p” again later shows the last slide displayed again. This way, the last slide with the overview of the 12 principles can simply be shown again and again.
  • s shows the reference solution for the last film clip played. By pressing repeatedly you show the following information one after the other:
    • Film details (title, year of release, crew)
    • Reference solution for agile values and principles

    Pressing again closes the display.Erneutes Drücken schließt die Anzeige wieder.

  • l lists all films assigned to keys 1 to 6, including the respective reference solution. This can be printed out and used as a notepad for the moderator. Pressing again shows the list of all currently available film clips with the reference solutions. This is ideal if you are looking for a film on a specific principle.
  • c shows the configuration form. You can find details on this in the next section “Configuration”.

Configuration

Before you start the workshop, adapt it to your audience using the form (accessible with the key c). Each adjustment is automatically saved in the URL. Save this URL as a favorite to be able to access your individual workshop version again at any time.

You can make these adjustments here:

  • Title This is nothing more or less than the title of the workshop that will be shown on the screen. Please do not underestimate how it will be received by the participants if their team name appears there!
  • Language All film clips are set to English audio. I try to make versions with German sound available for further film clips. By changing the language to “German”, the clips with German sound will be shown if possible. Film clips that have the prefix “(EN)” in the title after selecting “German” are not yet available in German and will continue to be shown with English sound.
  • Movie 1-6 Selection of which film clip is hidden behind the corresponding button
  • Abandon Back to the start screen without changing anything in the configuration
  • Save Generate a new URL that saves the current configuration and reloads the workshop website with these settings. Copy this URL to call up the workshop later with the same configuration again and again.

Preparations

Please make sure that the room is suitable for optimal playback of the film clips. Pay particular attention to the sound quality, as the text plays an important role in some scenes. You divide the participants into small groups – about three to four people per group. Make sure each group has a whiteboard and a quiet place to work. Each group also needs handouts with the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto. You can find the templates for the whiteboards and the handouts below.

Procedure

The course of the workshop will soon be outlined here.

Materials

Workshop materials such as posters and handouts will soon be available for download here.

Variants

I will soon provide information on alternative procedures here.