Why It Works

The Game

Ask your development team to perform the "work" of the system that they are building. If they're creating a new masking tape for painters, ask them to work with real painters, using the masking tape in the field. If they're creating a new professional oven, ask them to cook meals with a professional chefnot in a classroom, but in a real restaurant, where they have to experience the actual challenges of creating meals. If they're building workflow management software for furniture delivery people, have them deliver furniture. They will gain direct knowledge of the problems customers face and empathy for how hard it may be to solve them.

Warning! Play this game with some common sense! This game is not recommended for such things as Formula One race car driving, neurosurgery, or high-explosives research.