This document discusses lessons that agile teams can learn from the popular online game World of Warcraft (WoW). It provides an overview of WoW, describing how characters are created with different races, classes, skills and equipment. It then outlines parallels between WoW gameplay and agile practices, such as assigning roles, forming collaborative teams, breaking work into granular tasks, and continually improving skills over time. Finally, it proposes several specific lessons for agile teams, such as making help easier to access, providing rewards for assistance, fostering trust and shared goals within teams.

1. What agile teams can learn from World of
Warcraft
Alexandra
Schladebeck,
BREDEX
GmbH
@alex_schl
www.eurostarconferences.com
@esconfs
#esconfs

2. WHAT
AGILE
TEAMS
CAN
LEARN
FROM
WORLD
OF
WARCRAFT
Alexandra
Schladebeck,
BREDEX
GmbH
Eurostar
2012

3. Agenda
• IntroducGons
and
mandatory
geek
check
• World
of
WarcraJ
–
a
beginner’s
guide
• Parallels
with
agile
• Differences
to
agile
• What
can
we
learn?

4. IntroducGons
• BREDEX
GmbH
– SoJware
development
and
consulGng
– Focus
on
quality
– Focus
on
communicaGon
– Increasing
use
of
agile
pracGces
and
you?

5. Brief
introducGon
to
WoW
• Create
a
character
– Race
– Class
– Equipment
– Talents
– Profession
– Skills
Character
Race
Skills
(innate
abiliGes)
Class
Equipment
Enchantments
Improvements
Talents
Skills
(talent
based)
Skills
(class-­‐
based)
Profession
Skills
Pictures:
ba[le.net

6. Alex’s
Character:
Blood
Elf
Priest
Blood
Elf
Disrupt
magic,
resist
magic
Priest
Magic
cloak
+5
intellect
Shadow
form
Mind
flay
Levitate,
Shadow
Word:
Pain
Herbalism
Lifeblood
(heal)
Example
character
Picture:
ba[le.net

7. Alex
Trained
linguist
A[enGon
to
detail
“Translator”
Training
+5
knowledge
User
interacGon
ConsulGng
OrganizaGonal
skills
Teaching
experience
Talking
to
groups
Example
character
Picture:
ba[le.net

8. Go
on
quests
• Quests
– Find
things
– Kill
things
– Save
things
– Collect
things
• Dungeons
– Killing
and
quesGng
in
a
group
(5)
– Big
“bosses”
to
kill
• Raids
– Killing
and
quesGng
in
a
very
large
group
(25)

9. Agile
vs.
WoW
SimilariAes
• Roles
– Assignment
&
Flexibility
• Team
– CreaGon
– CommunicaGon
– CollaboraGon
– Improvement
• Task
management
– Granularity
– EsGmaGon
– Pace
– Tools
Differences
• Team
– Reliance
on
members
– Dragons
and
portals
• “Easier”
• Task
management
– Dungeon
guides?

10. Roles:
Assignment
Roles
in
WoW
-­‐ Healer
-­‐ Tank
-­‐ Damage
Dealer
Assigned
based
on
various
factors
-­‐ Skills
-­‐ Experience
-­‐ Equipment
Picture:
ba[le.net

11. Roles:
Flexibility
May
need
to
help
others
with
their
role
(short
term)
-­‐ Healer
disconnect?
-­‐ Unexpected
health
hit?
-­‐ Stunned
tank?
Dual
specializaGons
are
possible
(long
term)
-­‐ Require
pracGce
Picture:
ba[le.net

12. Teams:
CreaAon
Role-­‐based
-­‐ Need
specific
roles
-­‐ Not
all
one
role
Diversity
brings
benefits
-­‐ Herbalist
Hunter
can
heal
himself
Groups
à
raids
-­‐ Self-­‐organized
-­‐ Smaller
teams
combine
to
large
group
-­‐ Each
team
structured
same
Picture:
techjunkie.co.za

13. Picture:
pcweenie.com

14. Teams
:
CommunicaAon
Quick
Unambiguous
Teamspeak
for
speed
Symbols
everyone
understands
-­‐ PrioriGes
for
fighGng
order
-­‐ Who
should
fight
whom
-­‐ Skull
=
main
focus
-­‐ Star
=
Sheep
(mage)
-­‐ Triangle
=
trap
(hunter)
Picture:
joysGq.com

15. Teams
:
CollaboraAon
Can
only
succeed
as
a
team
Know
team:
-­‐ Skills
-­‐ Members
-­‐ Experience
Pairing,
e.g.
healer
and
tank
Self-­‐organizing
-­‐ List
of
tasks
-­‐ What
order
-­‐ Who
-­‐ How

16. Teams
:
Improvement
What
is
hard
now
may
be
easy
later
-­‐ Experience
-­‐ Skills
-­‐ Armour
-­‐ New
group
members
Play
more,
win
more
RetrospecGves
-­‐ What
went
wrong?
-­‐ Ba[le
log
-­‐ Don’t
step
in
the
green
goo
Picture:
pcweenie.com
Picture:
joysGq.com

17. Tasks:
Granularity
Quests
-­‐ Back-­‐story,
reason
-­‐ InformaGon
-­‐ Requirements
to
complete
Quest
sequences
-­‐ Overarching
story
-­‐ Each
quest
separate
and
individual
-­‐ Reward
aJer
each
quest
Dungeon
=
set
of
separate
tasks
with
one
aim
(
=sprint)
Picture:
joysGq.com

18. Tasks
:
EsAmaAon
Drop
rate
Ease
Risk
Amount
of
players
needed
Phases
in
fight
are
Gmeboxed
How
much
mana
is
enough
Picture:
wowpedia.org

19. Tasks
:
Sustainability
and
Pace
Refresh
aJer
fight
-­‐ Eat
/
drink
-­‐ Repair
equipment
-­‐ Recast
spells
Too
many
fights
without
refresh
can
lead
to
death
/
wipe
-­‐ Ideal
situaGon
is
not
having
to
recover
from
fight
Picture:
pcweenie.com

20. Tasks
:
Tools
Macros
-­‐ AutomaGon
for
sequences
and
combinaGons
-­‐ Can’t
automate
everything
-­‐ Intelligence
and
skill
sGll
required
Tools
-­‐ Are
oJen
necessary
(healbot)
-­‐ Must
be
used
correctly
-­‐ Can’t
lose
focus
on
fight
Picture:
joysGq.com

21. Differences…
No
automaGc
level-­‐up
No
automaGc
new
skills
No
dragons,
portals
or
dungeon
finders
-­‐ Make
life
(and
helping)
easier
No
reliance
on
specific
role
-­‐ Damage
dealers
are
less
important
than
tanks
and
healers
-­‐ Without
the
tank
or
healer
à
die
Can’t
give
up
completely
on
tasks
No
dungeon
guides
Picture:
joysGq.com
Picture:
wow-­‐nimbert.de

22. Who
are
the
WoW
testers?
• Healers?
– “Heal
over
Gme”
à
stop
problems
before
they
start?
– “Your
fault”
if
we
have
a
wipe?
• Damage
dealers?
– Is
tesGng
a
destrucGve
acGvity?
– Do
we
cause
problems
from
afar?
• Tanks?
– Standing
at
the
forefront,
taking
the
hits?
• Rogues?
– Because
we’re
sneaky?
• Mages?
– Because
we
do
magic?

23. Why
does
the
game
work
so
well?
• Tangible,
a[ainable
goals
• Easy
to
help
and
be
helped
• Instant
graGficaGon
–
it’s
fun
• Because
it’s
not
the
real
world
– Experience
points
– Magic
armour
– AutomaGc
levelling
– It’s
just
a
game

24. Conclusions:
What
can
we
learn
for
our
teams?
Aim
WoW
Agile
Make
helping
easier
Dungeon
finders
Easy
port
in
and
out
Open
door
policy
Same
office
Extra
seats
Not
punished
Build
on
bu[on
press
Provide
test
environment
Rewards
for
helping
and
iniGaGve
$
for
random
dungeon
Booty
Thank
people
(also
publicly)
Social
/
team
incenGves?
Short
feedback
loops
e.g.
CI
Biscuits
Nurture
a
common
goal
PresGge,
XP,
Items
Pride
in
soJware:
demos
Foster
mutual
trust
Playing
regularly
as
a
team
RetrospecGves
Team
problem
solving
ConGnual
tester
presence
Create
shared
mental
models
World
rules
Common
symbols
Transparent
decisions
Shared
language
PrioriGes,
order
and
risk
easy
to
see
Reduce
frustraGon
AutomaGc
improvement
OpGon
to
abandon
quest
A[ainable
goals
RealisGc
esGmates
Repair
&
rejuvenate
Gme
if
necessary

25. Conclusions:
What
can
my
“character”
learn?
• Keep
learning
– PracGse
“dual
specializaGon”
– Aim
for
improvement
– Keep
up
with
“extra-­‐curricular”
interests
• Gain
pleasure
from
social
incenGves
and
rewards
• Rely
on
your
team
– You
can’t
kill
the
boss
on
your
own
;)
Picture:
ba[le.net

26. Thank
you!
Alexandra.Schladebeck@Bredex.de
@alex_schl
www.bredexsw.com
blog.bredex.de
Picture:
ba[le.net