Abstract
Empiricism and continuous improvement remain the backbone of Scrum and other Agile methods. However, building a practical understanding of such a process during a one-day Scrum workshop or a university course remains an ongoing challenge. This paper introduces an extended version of a novel drawing-based game designed to demonstrate the use of client feedback in continuous improvement process and simulating work within a Scrum framework by means of an analogy involving the drawing of icons as an alternative to randomly generated results. In the performed study, 107 participants in subgroups took part in a one-hour-long game session and solved a Scrum knowledge test before and after each game. Results show noticeable improvement in Scrum knowledge among participants. Additionally, the drawing aspect of the game has been found engaging and significantly enhanced the construction of analogies between gameplay and real-world software development processes during the game and further work with the participants. This research adds to the existing knowledge on Scrum coaching and teaching, providing a simple-to-set-up game allowing for the simulation of the use of empiricism and continuous improvement without the need for complex, expensive tools or environments.
Paper Type
Full Paper
DOI
10.62036/ISD.2025.23
Drawing Based Game for Teaching Empirysm and Continuous Improvement in Scrum
Empiricism and continuous improvement remain the backbone of Scrum and other Agile methods. However, building a practical understanding of such a process during a one-day Scrum workshop or a university course remains an ongoing challenge. This paper introduces an extended version of a novel drawing-based game designed to demonstrate the use of client feedback in continuous improvement process and simulating work within a Scrum framework by means of an analogy involving the drawing of icons as an alternative to randomly generated results. In the performed study, 107 participants in subgroups took part in a one-hour-long game session and solved a Scrum knowledge test before and after each game. Results show noticeable improvement in Scrum knowledge among participants. Additionally, the drawing aspect of the game has been found engaging and significantly enhanced the construction of analogies between gameplay and real-world software development processes during the game and further work with the participants. This research adds to the existing knowledge on Scrum coaching and teaching, providing a simple-to-set-up game allowing for the simulation of the use of empiricism and continuous improvement without the need for complex, expensive tools or environments.
Recommended Citation
Marek, K. & Martyniuk-Sienkiewicz, K. (2025). Drawing Based Game for Teaching Empirysm and Continuous Improvement in ScrumIn I. Luković, S. Bjeladinović, B. Delibašić, D. Barać, N. Iivari, E. Insfran, M. Lang, H. Linger, & C. Schneider (Eds.), Empowering the Interdisciplinary Role of ISD in Addressing Contemporary Issues in Digital Transformation: How Data Science and Generative AI Contributes to ISD (ISD2025 Proceedings). Belgrade, Serbia: University of Gdańsk, Department of Business Informatics & University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences. ISBN: 978-83-972632-1-5. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2025.23