It’s time to begin excited about an acceptable costume you may put on to the numerous agile-themed Halloween events you’ll attend. On this put up I’ll share some last-minute costume concepts you may pull collectively whether or not you’re a Scrum Grasp, product proprietor, or perhaps a stakeholder on an agile challenge.
This run-down of Halloween costumes for agile groups began out only for enjoyable. However then I obtained to considering, it is also a inventive (and informative) approach to run a Halloween retrospective: Agile workforce members might come dressed to symbolize the position they performed previously dash.
Or you would attempt a Halloween agile retrospective for the challenge as an entire: and invite stakeholders, administration, and workforce members to decorate because the roles they’ve skilled, or want they might expertise, to this point. Or you may simply get pleasure from some light-hearted insights into the Scrum roles.
Auto Mechanic
Let’s begin with a Scrum Grasp costume. An auto mechanic costume can be nice for a Scrum Grasp. Like a mechanic, a Scrum Grasp troubleshoots and fixes issues. A talented and skilled mechanic can usually establish points earlier than they turn out to be issues (“your brake pads are getting skinny”). A Scrum Grasp will be regarded as tuning up a workforce to attain its very best efficiency.
Costume: Seize some coveralls, possibly smear some grease on them, and both carry some instruments or put on a toolbelt.
Ghost
Stakeholders can typically act like ghosts.
Some individuals say ghosts don’t exist. My good friend Jim Harold says in any other case on his podcast. However the kind of ghost I’m referring to is the stakeholder who doesn’t present up at dash critiques.
Typically stakeholders inform us the challenge is vital and get annoyed if the workforce misses a aim. However by by no means attending iteration critiques, successfully being as invisible as a ghost, these stakeholders’ actions point out the challenge should not be that vital in spite of everything.
Costume: A easy white sheet with two eye holes.
Tightrope Walker
Product house owners are sometimes compelled to prioritize competing wants from completely different stakeholders. Stakeholders might symbolize completely different geographic areas, departments inside a company, or they could simply have completely different views of a product’s future.
Whatever the purpose, stakeholders search to affect a product proprietor into constructing what they want, which is perhaps very completely different from what the shopper or different stakeholders are searching for.
In these conditions, the product proprietor is a tightrope walker balancing competing calls for and striving to not fall by leaning too far to both facet. A method to assist preserve stability is for product house owners to deal with stakeholders as a second workforce, somewhat than as people.
Costume: So long as you carry a protracted pole for stability, you may most likely put on no matter you need, however some spandex is perhaps acceptable.
Golf Caddy
Scrum Grasp is sort of a golf caddy. All the things a caddy does is to assist the participant—recommending golf equipment, carrying the golf equipment, observing different gamers—all these aids assist a golfer deal with hitting the ball properly. Scrum Masters emulate this by equally eradicating all impediments to a workforce’s progress.
After the ultimate putt is made, cheers go up for the successful golfer because the caddy stands by, unnoticed by most. The identical is true of Scrum Masters. When their groups succeed, reward is heaped on the workforce. However astute observers understand how a lot the Scrum Grasp did behind the scenes to assist the workforce succeed.
Costume: Channel Rodney Dangerfield from Caddyshack, or put on your loudest polyester pants and borrow your brother-in-law’s outdated golf golf equipment.
Bartender
Scrum Grasp listens to detect when a workforce is having an issue, after which fixes that drawback. A bartender listens to patrons’ issues and…OK, presents solace at finest, however doesn’t repair the issue. So put on a bartender costume if you wish to costume up like a foul Scrum Grasp.
Costume: A white apron maybe with a holster belt that holds a bottle on all sides will work properly. If you wish to transcend the minimal, add a vest or suspenders with aptitude.
Ted Lasso
As an alternative of dressing like a foul Scrum Grasp, although, take into account dressing as an incredible agile coach: Ted Lasso. As a coach, Lasso displays many traits we’d all do properly to emulate: empathy for his workforce members, nice listening abilities, willingness to experiment, lack of an outsized ego, in search of to make his workforce the very best it may be, and extra.
Costume: A blue tracksuit or pullover with sun shades. Don’t neglect to both develop a mustache or purchase a stick-on one. Nearer to Halloween, you may want to purchase the mustache.
Alfred Pennyworth
Batman can be misplaced with out his trusted butler, Alfred. A retired actor and former particular agent of the British authorities, Alfred does no matter Batman wants, normally with out Batman even having to ask. Alfred would be the truest instance attainable of a true servant chief.
Costume: This can be a nice DIY costume. Alfred is at all times impeccably dressed, so put in your finest go well with and tie a full Windsor knot—and rapidly rehearse your English accent.
A Couple’s Costume: A Rooster and a Pig
A narrative from the early days of Scrum concerned a hen and a pig who needed to open a breakfast restaurant. The pig declined the chance, understanding that in producing a ham-and-egg breakfast he’d be dedicated, the hen can be merely concerned.
The story was instructed way back to say that product house owners have been merely concerned in sprints. They weren’t dedicated like Scrum Masters and workforce members. I by no means agreed with that view, as a result of in my expertise probably the most profitable groups have product house owners who act each bit as dedicated because the builders.
However, most likely as a result of the joke is no less than barely amusing, chickens and pigs nonetheless often come up in Scrum discussions. This makes them the proper couple’s or group Halloween costume.
Costume: Go all out and make (or purchase) hen and pig costumes. Or hold it easy and get a pig snout on an elastic band. Complement it with a pink hoodie if you would like. The hen can put on a white or yellow hoodie and a plastic beak.
What Are You Sporting This Yr?
I hope I’ve given you a couple of workforce costume concepts for work, and a few group costume concepts for all the Halloween events, costume contests, and treat-or-treating outings you’re positive to be invited to. And I hope that I’ve additionally given you some new issues to consider with the assorted Scrum roles or planted the seeds for some new holiday-themed retrospective concepts.
What different concepts do you have got? What costume would you put on to an agile Halloween celebration? Please share your ideas within the feedback under.
