SPA Conference session: The Scoping Game | |||
| One-line description: | Have fun and profit by building families of related applications | ||
| Session format: | Simulation (75 mins) [read about the different session types] | ||
| Abstract: | Software Reuse offers productivity, quality and time-to-market benefits. However, deciding what software should be made reusable can be difficult. Software Product Line research has provided an answer to this question in an activity called Scoping. Scoping determines what features should be made reusable and in what ways by placing values and costs on features of the Product Line. The Scoping Game introduces and explores Scoping through playing a simple game. Scoping is a social as well as an economic activity and many stakeholders are involved. This session will prepare participants for some of the issues that they may encounter in a real scoping exercise when trying to satisfy the competing goals of a large group of stakeholders. | ||
| Audience background: | Anyone who influences the applications his or her organisation develops e.g. managers, marketers, architects, will benefit from attending. No specific technical or domain knowledge is assumed. | ||
| Benefits of participating: | Participants will gain a basic understanding of Software Product Lines. This will help them think in terms of building families of applications rather than one-off applications. Participants will understand Scoping and how it underpins Software Product Lines by supporting systematic reuse. This will motivate them to explore whether Software Product Lines could benefit their organisation. Participants will have fun – the game is straightforward but challenging and has been described as “highly addictive” by a previous participant. | ||
| Materials provided: | Session slides, game rules and components. | ||
| Process: | The focus of the session is game-play, with participants playing the role of stakeholders in a fictional software development organisation. Two rounds will be played, and participants will be encouraged to reflect on each round’s play in terms of the issues it raises. Topics are introduced with slide-based presentation. | ||
| Detailed timetable: | |||
| Outputs: | The Scoping Game is played in two rounds and scores from the final round will be generated after the session – these and intermediate scores will be posted on the Conference Wall or web site depending upon the where the session is placed within the conference schedule. Participants are encouraged to comment on game play after each round and comments will be recorded on flip chart paper or whiteboard (and photographed) for posterity. Web page with session review, pictures of game play and player-generated artefacts (e.g. notes made during game play) and comments. Action points could include suggestions for game revision e.g. to make the game more realistic (while maintaining its simplicity), suggestions for changes to session content, or work on adapting the game to a non-Software Product Line scenario. | ||
| History: | I ran The Scoping Game successfully and received positive feedback at Software Product Lines Conference 2006 in August. Game play is straightforward and requires no prior experience. However, the presentation elements of the session will be reduced and adapted for SPA 2007 to include a brief introduction to Software Product Lines and to remove some of the more advanced concepts. | ||
| Presenters | |||
| 1. Mark Dalgarno Software Acumen |
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