Proposed and accepted for RSGT 2025
In the fast-paced world of agile design, teams often find it challenging to move beyond initial adoption and sustain long-term agility. Enter Cowtopia: Mission to Mars, a hands-on, immersive serious game designed to help teams internalise key agile principles while navigating complexity, fostering collaboration, and building a culture of continuous improvement.
Join us for this 100-minute session as we take participants on a playful journey through the world of Cowtopia, where you’ll face real-world challenges like unexpected changes, time constraints, and balancing value with constraints—all while designing rockets and launching cows to Mars! This engaging experience encourages participants to tackle chaos head-on and find innovative solutions through teamwork, iteration, and rapid adaptation.
Whether you’re a seasoned agilist or new to agile practices, this session will equip you with fresh insights and energizing ideas to apply to your daily work. Expect fun, surprises, and a whole new perspective on agile design!
This session is perfect for designers, product teams, and anyone looking to strengthen their approach to agility through innovative and interactive learning.
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アジャイルデザインの速いペースの世界では、チームはしばしば、初期採用を超えて長期的なアジリティを維持することにカオスを感じる。
「カウトピア： ミッション・トゥ・マーズ 」は、複雑さを乗り越え、コラボレーションを育み、継続的な改善の文化を築きながら、チームがアジャイルの重要な原則を理解できるようにデザインされた体験型の没入型シリアスゲームです。
この100分間のセッションに参加すると、参加者は予期せぬ変更、時間的制約、制約と価値のバランスといった現実世界の課題に直面しながら、ロケットの設計や火星への牛の打ち上げといったカウトピアの世界を遊びながら旅することになります！
この魅力的な体験は、参加者がカオスに正面から取り組み、チームワーク、反復、迅速な適応を通じて革新的な解決策を見出すことを促します。
経験豊富なアジャイリストも、アジャイルという方法に慣れていない方も、このセッションで新鮮な洞察と活気あるアイデアを得て、日々の仕事に活かしてください。
楽しさと驚き、そしてアジャイルデザインに対する全く新しい視点を期待してください！
このセッションは、デザイナー、プロダクトチーム、あとはイノベーティブでインタラクティブな学習を通してアジリティへのアプローチを強化したいすべての人に最適です。
Outline/Structure of the Workshop
Cowtopia: Mission to Mars is a fun, hands-on game inspired by open-source tools like Lego4Scrum and Liberating Structures. The game focuses on learning through collaboration, using origami instead of products or services to explore agile principles. Just like Lego4Scrum, it encourages creativity and teamwork, and with Liberating Structures, everyone gets a chance to share their ideas and learn together. The goal is to help participants experience agility and problem-solving in a playful way, without any promotional focus—just learning, experimenting, and having fun!
- Introduction and Icebreaker
- Team Formation and Working Agreements
- Let’s Play COWTOPIA : Mission to Mars!
- Reflection and Debrief
- Key Takeaways and Wrap-Up
Learning Outcome
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
- Experience the Cynefin Framework: Understand how different problem domains (Simple, Complicated, Complex, Chaos) require different approaches to design and agility.
- Improve Team Collaboration: Practice both verbal and non-verbal communication, fostering trust and collaboration within teams.
- Navigate Uncertainty and Complexity: Develop skills to adapt to unpredictable scenarios through iterative design and playful experimentation.
- Apply Agile Practices through Play: Use origami and game-based learning to reinforce key agile principles like iteration, retrospectives, and rapid adaptation.
- Enhance Communication: Leverage tools like the Johari Window and Satir Temperature Reading to improve self-awareness, team dynamics, and open communication.
Target Audience
Designers: UI/UX designers, product designers, or creative teams looking to enhance their agile mindset and problem-solving approaches. Product Teams: Agile product owners, product managers, and team members involved in creating and delivering customer-focused solutions. Agile Coaches and Facilitators: Agile practitioners who are keen to explore experiential learning methods to foster sustainable agility within teams. Creative Problem-Solvers: Individuals looking to improve their ability to navigate complexity, adapt to change, and collaborate in team environments.
Prerequisites for Attendees
- Basic Understanding of Agile: Participants should have a foundational knowledge of agile principles and methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban).
- Openness to Learning Through Play: Participants should come with an open mind, ready to engage in hands-on activities and game-based learning.
- Willingness to Collaborate: This workshop involves teamwork, so participants should be ready to communicate and work closely with others.
- No Origami Experience Required: All origami activities will be guided with instructions, and no prior experience is necessary.
Slides
https://drive.google.com/file/d/119M90L2NJE4sQbrtDpyUvumQCAefJHE4/view
Videos
Links
Learn more about Cowtopia at https://cowtopia.space/
https://cowtopia.space/2022/05/09/cowtopia-live-in-singapore-20-april-2062/
This game has been played since 2018 with over 542 players across Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and online reaching Australia, India & Romania.
Recent public events
– Oct 2024 – Agile Tour Bangkok – Cowtopia
– Oct 2024 – Fusecon KL – Cowtopia
– Nov 2023 – Ground-Up Initiative Singapore – Cowtopia II
– Nov 2022 – Ground-Up Initiative Singapore – Cowtopia
– Jun 2022 – Bali – Cowtopia
– Oct 2021 – Miro – Cowtopia
– Jun 2021 – Agile Tour Sydney – Cowtopia
– 2021-2023 – Cowtopia Online
Private Events
– Jenius, BRI, Capitaland, OVO, Astra, Carousell, IndegoX, Studio Dojo, TikTok
COWTOPIA 