Workshop Design with ChatGPT

TL; DR: Workshop Design with ChatGPT

The following article explores whether we can use ChatGPT-4 to create workshops for agile practitioners; for example, Scrum Masters. While Liberating Structures have simplified the task, workshop design with ChatGPT may provide an alternative.

As you will learn, and despite being prone to lapse into project management speak, ChatGPT is remarkably capable of doing so, provided we feed it suitable prompts. Whether this requirement gives ChatGPT an edge over manually creating workshops remains to be seen.

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Prompt Summary for Workshop Design with ChatGPT

This is the sequence of prompts I used for the workshop design with ChatGPT:

1. I want to create a workshop on using ChatGPT as a Scrum Master in real life. I want you to act as a class or workshop designer and apply your knowledge of Scrum, the agile manifesto, the duties of a scrum master, higher educational practices, and the organization of successful workshops to design an outline of how you would teach the application of ChatGPT for scrum practitioners. The workshop comprises lessons of at most 15 minutes each and has an overall length of 2 hours. I want you to create a schedule, name the exercises, and point to sources where I can learn more about the suggested activities.
2. Can you be more specific regarding the exercises for lessons 4 to 7? Please suggest what kind of exercises best advance the respective lesson topic for the students.
3. Please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 4: “ChatGPT Stand-up Simulator.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the exercise as a workshop facilitator.
4. You designed the class around three Daily Scrum questions from the Scrum Guide 2017, which are no longer recommended. Can you rephrase the exercise without building it upon these three Daily Scrum questions?
5. Please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 5: “ChatGPT for Sprint Planning.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the activity as a workshop facilitator.
6. You are using a typical project management approach to planning. First, however, you shall design an exercise for a Scrum team. The Sprint Planning is a core event that defines how your customers’ lives will improve with the new product Increment. This is how Sprint Planning works for a Scrum team: (1) First, the Product Owner points to the team’s Product Goal and introduces the business objective of the upcoming Sprint. (2) The Scrum Team then collaboratively creates a Sprint Goal, considering who is available and the target the team shall accomplish. (3) Next, the Developers forecast the work required to achieve the Sprint Goal by picking the right items from the Product Backlog and transferring them to the Sprint Backlog. (Alternatively, they create new work items.) (4) Also, the Developers need to create a preliminary “plan” on how to accomplish the Sprint Goal. Please redesign the “ChatGPT for Sprint Planning” exercise according to general agile principles and Scrum in particular.
7. Please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 6: “ChatGPT for Sprint Review and Retrospective.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the activity as a workshop facilitator.
8. The suggested time box of 15 minutes will not be sufficient to cover Sprint Review and Retrospective. Also, you should have provided the original Sprint Goal for the Sprint Review part to the work groups while you compare the Sprint outcome to it.
9. Based on what information or data shall each group use ChatGPT to analyze their team’s performance during the Sprint?
10. Reconsider your choices; velocity data or burndown charts without context do not hold any value.
11. Let’s come back to the exercise on the Retrospective. I want you to consider Esther Derby’s and Diana Larsen’s five-stage model for Retrospective practice, comprising (1) setting the stage, (2) gathering data, (3) generating insights, (4) deciding what to do, and (5) closing the Retrospective.
12. Lastly, please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 7: “Improving Scrum Master Communication with ChatGPT.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the activity as a workshop facilitator.

Cannot see the form? Please click here.

Setting up the Workshop Design with ChatGPT Session

I ran the session on ChatGPT on Sunday, April 2, 2023, from 6:10 am CET to 8:15 am CEST on the GPT-4 model after upgrading to ChatGPT Plus. I did not apply Grammarly to ChatGPT’s answers.

Creating a Workshop on Using ChatGPT as a Scrum Master

Basic Workshop Design with ChatGPT

I used the following initial prompt to prime ChatGPT:

Prompt 1: I want to create a workshop on using ChatGPT as a Scrum Master in real life.

I want you to act as a class or workshop designer and apply your knowledge of Scrum, the agile manifesto, the duties of a Scrum Master, higher educational practices, and the organization of successful workshops to design an outline of how you would teach the application of ChatGPT for Scrum practitioners.

The workshop comprises lessons of at most 15 minutes each and has an overall length of 2 hours.

I want you to create a schedule, name the exercises, and point to sources where I can learn more about the suggested activities.

ChatGPT:

• Title: Leveraging ChatGPT for Effective Scrum Mastery.
• Duration: 2 hours.
• Total Lessons: 8 Lesson; duration: 15 minutes each.
• Schedule:
  1. Introduction and Icebreaker (15 min)
  2. Understanding ChatGPT (15 min)
  3. Agile Manifesto and Scrum Overview (15 min)
  4. ChatGPT for Daily Stand-ups (15 min)
  5. ChatGPT for Sprint Planning (15 min)
  6. ChatGPT for Sprint Review and Retrospective (15 min)
  7. Improving Scrum Master Communication with ChatGPT (15 min)
  8. Wrap-up and Q&A (15 min).
• Lessons:
  1. Lesson 1: Introduction and Icebreaker:
     • Brief introductions
     • “Scrum Master Bingo” icebreaker activity. Source: https://www.agilesparks.com/resources/scrum-master-bingo-ice-breaker/.
  2. Lesson 2: Understanding ChatGPT:
  • Overview of ChatGPT and its capabilities
  • Key considerations for using ChatGPT as a Scrum Master. Source: https://openai.com/research/.
  3. Lesson 3: Agile Manifesto and Scrum Overview:
  • Review of Agile Manifesto principles. Source: https://agilemanifesto.org/
  • Scrum framework and Scrum Master responsibilities Source: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-scrum.
  4. Lesson 4: ChatGPT for Daily Stand-ups:
  • Automating stand-up updates with ChatGPT
  • Analyzing team progress with ChatGPT-generated insights
  • Exercise: “ChatGPT Stand-up Simulator”
  5. Lesson 5: ChatGPT for Sprint Planning:
  • Using ChatGPT to help with backlog refinement
  • Assisting in sprint goal formulation with ChatGPT
  • Exercise: “Backlog Refinement with ChatGPT.”
  6. Lesson 6: ChatGPT for Sprint Review and Retrospective:
  • Generating sprint review summaries with ChatGPT
  • Facilitating retrospective discussions using ChatGPT Exercise: “Retrospective Facilitation with ChatGPT.”
  7. Lesson 7: Improving Scrum Master Communication with ChatGPT:
  • Crafting effective communication using ChatGPT
  • Utilizing ChatGPT for conflict resolution and coaching Exercise: “Coaching Conversations with ChatGPT.”
  8. Lesson 8: Wrap-up and Q&A:
  • Recap of workshop content
  • Open Q&A session
  • Closing remarks.

Considerations: Remember that while ChatGPT is a powerful tool, it should be used to complement and enhance the Scrum Master’s role rather than replace human judgment and interaction. Encourage participants to use the workshop as an opportunity to explore how ChatGPT can improve their Scrum practice and facilitate more effective collaboration within their teams.

Comment: I appreciate ChatGPT’s thoughtfulness regarding the human component of the challenge. Also, it summarized the purpose of the workshop design with ChatGPT session well.

Adding Depth to Lessons 4-7 of the Workshop Design with ChatGPT

Prompt 2: Can you be more specific regarding the exercises for lessons 4 to 7? Please suggest what kind of exercises best advance the respective lesson topic for the students.

ChatGPT:

• Lesson 4: ChatGPT for Daily Stand-ups.
• Exercise : “ChatGPT Stand-up Simulator.”
• Goal: Participants learn how to use ChatGPT to automate stand-up updates and analyze team progress:
  1. Divide participants into small groups, each representing a fictional project team.
  2. Provide each group with a set of predefined stand-up updates (e. g., tasks completed, tasks in progress, blockers).
  3. Ask each group to input their updates into ChatGPT and generate a synthesized stand-up summary.
  4. Have groups share their summaries and discuss how ChatGPT helped identify patterns or trends in the updates.

• Lesson 5: ChatGPT for Sprint Planning.
• Exercise : “Backlog Refinement with ChatGPT.”
• Goal: Participants learn how to use ChatGPT to assist in backlog refinement and sprint goal formulation:
  1. Provide each group with a sample product backlog containing user stories, bugs, and technical tasks.
  2. Ask groups to use ChatGPT to prioritize the backlog items, taking into account dependencies and team capacity.
  3. Have participants generate sprint goals using ChatGPT based on the refined backlog.
  4. Invite groups to share their sprint goals and discuss the role of ChatGPT in the planning process.

• Lesson 6: ChatGPT for Sprint Review and Retrospective.
• Exercise : “Retrospective Facilitation with ChatGPT.”
• Goal: Participants learn to use ChatGPT for generating sprint review summaries and facilitating retrospective discussions:
  1. Provide each group with a fictional sprint review report containing completed work, sprint metrics, and stakeholder feedback.
  2. Ask groups to use ChatGPT to prioritize the backlog items, taking into account dependencies and team capacity.
  3. For the retrospective, provide each group with a set of fictional team member inputs (e.g., what went well, what didn’t, and suggested improvements).
  4. Instruct groups to use ChatGPT to identify common themes and generate retrospective discussion questions.
  5. Have groups share their summaries and retrospective questions, discussing how ChatGPT aided in the process.

• Lesson 7: Improving Scrum Master Communication with ChatGPT.
• Exercise : “Coaching Conversations with ChatGPT.”
• Goal: Participants learn to use ChatGPT for crafting effective communication, conflict resolution, and coaching:
  1. Present participants with a set of common Scrum Master communication scenarios (e.g., addressing a team conflict, coaching a team member on Agile principles, or explaining a complex concept).
  2. Ask participants to use ChatGPT to craft responses or talking points for each scenario.
  3. In their groups, have participants role-play the scenarios using the ChatGPT-generated responses.
  4. Bring the groups together for a debrief to discuss the effectiveness of ChatGPT in facilitating clear and impactful communication.

Comment: The answer comprises much project management speak, false assumptions (“automate stand-up updates”), and words not used in a Scrum context, like “stand-up.” Nevertheless, it is a start. So let’s dig deeper into lessons four to seven to move the workshop design with ChatGPT beyond a bullet point-style draft.

Elaborating on Lesson 4

Prompt 3: Please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 4: “ChatGPT Stand-up Simulator.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the exercise as a workshop facilitator.

ChatGPT:

• Exercise Title: ChatGPT Stand-up Simulator.
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to automate daily stand-up updates, analyze team progress, and identify trends or potential issues within their Scrum team. The desired outcome is for participants to gain practical experience in using ChatGPT to streamline stand-ups and improve team communication.
• Duration: 15 minutes.
• Materials:
  • Predefined stand-up updates for each group (include tasks completed, tasks in progress, and blockers)
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • Projector or screen for sharing results
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people, each representing a fictional project team.
  2. Provide each group with a set of predefined stand-up updates for each team member. These updates should include the following information for each member:
     • Tasks completed since the last stand-up
     • Tasks currently in progress
     • Any blockers or impediments
  3. Instruct each group to input their updates into ChatGPT, using a specific format or template for consistency. For example: “Yesterday, I completed Task A and started Task B. Today, I will continue working on Task B and aim to finish it. I have no blockers.”
  4. Ask each group to use ChatGPT to generate a synthesized stand-up summary based on the team members’ updates. This summary should identify patterns or trends in the updates, such as common blockers, progress toward sprint goals, and potential risks.
  5. Once the groups have generated their stand-up summaries, invite them to share their results with the rest of the workshop participants. Encourage discussion around how ChatGPT helped identify patterns or trends in the updates and how this could benefit their Scrum teams.
  6. As a facilitator, guide the discussion and address any questions or concerns participants may have about using ChatGPT in their daily stand-ups. Provide examples of how ChatGPT can save time, improve communication, and uncover hidden issues within the team.

Takeaways:

• Participants should understand the benefits of using ChatGPT to automate and analyze stand-up updates, such as improved efficiency, communication, and issue detection.
• Participants should gain hands-on experience in using ChatGPT for stand-ups, giving them confidence to integrate it into their Scrum teams’ practices.
• Participants should learn how to format stand-up updates consistently for optimal results with ChatGPT and how to interpret the generated summaries for actionable insights.

Comment: “Streamline,” “automate,” and the three questions from the Scrum Guide 2017: This suggestion for lesson #4 mimics a classic report status. Let’s address one of the issues: three Daily Scrum questions from the Scrum Guide 2017 for the next workshop design with ChatGPT prompt.

Eliminating Scrum Guide 2017 Practices

Prompt 4: You designed the class around three Daily Scrum questions from the Scrum Guide 2017, which are no longer recommended. Can you rephrase the exercise without building it upon these three Daily Scrum questions?

ChatGPT:

• Exercise Title: ChatGPT Stand-up Enhancer.
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to facilitate daily stand-ups and improve team communication. Participants will learn how to extract valuable insights from team updates, identify trends or potential issues, and streamline the stand-up process. The desired outcome is for participants to gain practical experience in using ChatGPT to enhance their Scrum team’s daily stand-ups.
• Duration: 15 minutes.
• Materials:
  • Predefined stand-up updates for each group (include various aspects of ongoing work and potential challenges)
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • Projector or screen for sharing results
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people, each representing a fictional project team.
  2. Provide each group with a set of predefined stand-up updates for each team member. These updates should cover various aspects of their ongoing work, such as progress on tasks, collaboration with other team members, and any challenges or concerns they might be facing.
  3. Instruct each group to input their updates into ChatGPT, using a concise and clear format that captures the essence of each team member’s progress and challenges. Encourage participants to focus on the most important and relevant information for the stand-up.
  4. Ask each group to use ChatGPT to generate a synthesized stand-up summary based on the team members’ updates. This summary should identify patterns, trends, or potential issues within the team, such as recurring challenges, dependencies between tasks, or areas where the team may need additional support.
  5. Once the groups have generated their stand-up summaries, invite them to share their results with the rest of the workshop participants. Encourage discussion around how ChatGPT helped identify patterns, trends, or issues in the updates and how this could benefit their Scrum teams.
  6. As a facilitator, guide the discussion and address any questions or concerns participants may have about using ChatGPT in their daily stand-ups. Provide examples of how ChatGPT can save time, improve communication, and uncover hidden issues within the team.

Takeaways:

• Participants should understand the benefits of using ChatGPT to automate and analyze stand-up updates, such as improved efficiency, communication, and issue detection.
• Participants should gain hands-on experience in using ChatGPT for stand-ups, giving them confidence to integrate it into their Scrum teams’ practices.
• Participants should learn how to present stand-up updates effectively for ChatGPT processing and how to interpret the generated summaries for actionable insights.

Comment: While I am still uncomfortable with the idea of “using ChatGPT to automate and analyze stand-up updates,” ChatGPT’s suggestion will help to understand how ChatGPT might be helpful to Scrum practitioners.

Elaborating on Lesson 5 of the Workshop Design with ChatGPT

Prompt 5: Please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 5: “ChatGPT for Sprint Planning.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the activity as a workshop facilitator.

ChatGPT:

• Exercise Title: ChatGPT for Sprint Planning.
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to assist with sprint planning by generating task breakdowns, estimating effort, and identifying dependencies or potential risks. The desired outcome is for participants to gain practical experience in using ChatGPT to enhance the sprint planning process and improve overall team efficiency.
• Duration: 15 minutes.
• Materials:
  • Predefined project goals or user stories for each group
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • Projector or screen for sharing results
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people, each representing a fictional project team.
  2. Provide each group with a set of predefined project goals or user stories that they will be working on during the sprint.
  3. Instruct each group to input their project goals or user stories into ChatGPT, asking it to generate a list of tasks or subtasks necessary to achieve the goal or complete the user story.
  4. Next, have each group use ChatGPT to estimate the effort required for each task or subtask, either in terms of story points or hours. Encourage participants to compare ChatGPT’s estimations with their own to evaluate its accuracy and usefulness.
  5. Ask each group to use ChatGPT to identify any dependencies or potential risks associated with the tasks. This could include dependencies between tasks, potential bottlenecks, or external factors that might impact the sprint’s progress.
  6. Once the groups have completed their sprint planning with the help of ChatGPT, invite them to share their results with the rest of the workshop participants. Encourage discussion around how ChatGPT contributed to the planning process, and whether it helped the team make more informed decisions.
  7. As a facilitator, guide the discussion and address any questions or concerns participants may have about using ChatGPT in their sprint planning. Provide examples of how ChatGPT can save time, improve planning accuracy, and help the team uncover hidden dependencies or risks.

Takeaways:

• Participants should understand the benefits of using ChatGPT to assist with sprint planning, such as increased efficiency, better-informed decisions, and improved risk management.
• Participants should gain hands-on experience in using ChatGPT for sprint planning, giving them confidence to integrate it into their Scrum teams’ practices.
• Participants should learn how to effectively use ChatGPT to generate task breakdowns, estimate effort, and identify dependencies or risks within their sprint planning process.

Comment: Once again, ChatGPT is falling for a project management approach to a Scrum event. Consequently, the LLM does not “recall” what it learned about Sprint Planning. That will require providing a more detailed follow-up prompt.

Overcoming the Project Management Approach to Sprint Planning

Prompt 6: You are using a typical project management approach to planning. First, however, you shall design an exercise for a Scrum team. The Sprint Planning is a core event that defines how your customers’ lives will improve with the new product Increment. This is how Sprint Planning works for a Scrum team:

1. First, the Product Owner points to the team’s Product Goal and introduces the business objective of the upcoming Sprint.
2. The Scrum Team then collaboratively creates a Sprint Goal, considering who is available and the target the team shall accomplish.
3. Next, the Developers forecast the work required to achieve the Sprint Goal by picking the right items from the Product Backlog and transferring them to the Sprint Backlog. (Alternatively, they create new work items.)
4. Also, the Developers need to create a preliminary “plan” on how to accomplish the Sprint Goal. Please redesign the “ChatGPT for Sprint Planning” exercise according to general agile principles and Scrum in particular.

ChatGPT:

• Exercise Title: ChatGPT-Assisted Sprint Planning.
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to facilitate the Sprint Planning process in Scrum, enhancing collaboration, refining the Sprint Goal, and supporting the creation of the Sprint Backlog. The desired outcome is for participants to gain practical experience in using ChatGPT to improve the Sprint Planning process and strengthen the alignment between the Product Goal, Sprint Goal, and Sprint Backlog.
• Duration: 15 minutes.
• Materials:
  • Predefined Product Goal and business objective for each group
  • Predefined Product Backlog items for each group
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • Projector or screen for sharing results
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people, each representing a fictional Scrum Team.
  2. Provide each group with a predefined Product Goal and a business objective for the upcoming Sprint.
  3. Instruct each group to use ChatGPT to brainstorm and refine a Sprint Goal based on the provided Product Goal and business objective. Encourage participants to explore various options and consider the availability of team members and the target they want to accomplish.
  4. Once the groups have established their Sprint Goals, have them use ChatGPT to help forecast the work required to achieve the Sprint Goal. The Developers in each group should select the most relevant Product Backlog items or create new ones, forming a Sprint Backlog.
  5. Ask each group to use ChatGPT to generate a preliminary plan on how to accomplish the Sprint Goal. This plan should outline the proposed sequence of tasks and any dependencies or risks that might affect the Sprint’s progress.
  6. After the groups have completed their ChatGPT-assisted Sprint Planning, invite them to share their results with the rest of the workshop participants. Encourage discussion around how ChatGPT contributed to the process and whether it helped the teams establish better-aligned Sprint Goals and Sprint Backlogs.
  7. As a facilitator, guide the discussion and address any questions or concerns participants may have about using ChatGPT in their Sprint Planning. Provide examples of how ChatGPT can foster collaboration, improve alignment with the Product Goal, and support the development of realistic and actionable plans.

Takeaways:

• Participants should understand the benefits of using ChatGPT to facilitate Sprint Planning in Scrum, such as enhanced collaboration, improved alignment with Product and Sprint Goals, and more effective Sprint Backlog creation.
• Participants should gain hands-on experience in using ChatGPT for Sprint Planning, giving them confidence to integrate it into their Scrum teams’ practices.
• Participants should learn how to effectively use ChatGPT to refine Sprint Goals, forecast work, and create actionable plans for achieving their Sprint Goals.

Comment: Garbage in, garbage out applies to workshop design with ChatGPT, too. The specific second prompt delivered a much better-suited exercise on how to use ChatGPT for Sprint Planning. (PS: An estimation of the workload using ChatGPT? I’m curious about that!)

Elaborating on Lesson 6

Prompt 7: Please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 6: “ChatGPT for Sprint Review and Retrospective.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the activity as a workshop facilitator.

ChatGPT:

• Exercise Title: ChatGPT for Sprint Review and Retrospective.
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to facilitate Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives, enabling them to efficiently analyze team performance, identify areas for improvement, and gather insights for future sprints. The desired outcome is for participants to gain practical experience in using ChatGPT to improve these Scrum events and support continuous improvement within their teams.
• Duration: 15 minutes.
• Materials:
  • Predefined Sprint data (completed and incomplete Product Backlog items, feedback from stakeholders, etc.)
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • Projector or screen for sharing results
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people, each representing a fictional Scrum Team.
  2. Provide each group with predefined Sprint data, including completed and incomplete Product Backlog items, feedback from stakeholders, and any other relevant information.
  3. Sprint Review:
     • Instruct each group to use ChatGPT to generate a summary of the Sprint’s outcomes, including the completed Product Backlog items and their impact on the Product Goal. Encourage participants to consider stakeholder feedback and evaluate the team’s overall progress.
     • Have each group use ChatGPT to identify areas where the team can improve their product and process, based on the Sprint outcomes and stakeholder feedback.
  4. Sprint Retrospective:
     • Ask each group to use ChatGPT to analyze their team’s performance during the Sprint. Encourage participants to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement in their teamwork and processes.
     • With ChatGPT’s help, have each group brainstorm potential action items to address the identified improvement areas. Encourage participants to prioritize the action items based on their potential impact on the […]

Comment: Here, ChatGPT stopped generating the answer; regenerating the response did not help either. Anyway, the suggested time boxes are insufficient, so let’s move on with a follow-up prompt to address this issue. (Granted, ChatGPT sticks to the original prompt.)

Adjusting Time Boxes

Prompt 8: The suggested time box of 15 minutes will not be sufficient to cover Sprint Review and Retrospective. Also, you should have provided the original Sprint Goal for the Sprint Review part to the work groups while you compare the Sprint outcome to it.

ChatGPT:

You’re right, it would be more appropriate to allocate more time for this exercise and provide the original Sprint Goal. Here’s an updated version of the exercise:

• Exercise Title: ChatGPT for Sprint Review and Retrospective.
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to facilitate Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives, enabling them to efficiently analyze team performance, identify areas for improvement, and gather insights for future sprints. The desired outcome is for participants to gain practical experience in using ChatGPT to improve these Scrum events and support continuous improvement within their teams.
• Duration: 30 minutes.
• Materials:
  • Predefined Sprint data (completed and incomplete Product Backlog items, feedback from stakeholders, original Sprint Goal, etc.)
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • Projector or screen for sharing results
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people, each representing a fictional Scrum Team.
  2. Provide each group with predefined Sprint data, including completed and incomplete Product Backlog items, feedback from stakeholders, the original Sprint Goal, and any other relevant information.
  3. Sprint Review (15 minutes):
     • Instruct each group to use ChatGPT to generate a summary of the Sprint’s outcomes, comparing the completed Product Backlog items to the original Sprint Goal. Encourage participants to consider stakeholder feedback and evaluate the team’s overall progress.
     • Have each group use ChatGPT to identify areas where the team can improve their product and process, based on the Sprint outcomes and stakeholder feedback.
  4. Sprint Retrospective (15 minutes):
     • Ask each group to use ChatGPT to analyze their team’s performance during the Sprint. Encourage participants to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement in their teamwork and processes.
     • With ChatGPT’s help, have each group brainstorm potential action items to address the identified improvement areas. Encourage participants to prioritize the action items based on their potential impact on the team’s performance and effectiveness.

Takeaways:

• Participants should understand the benefits of using ChatGPT to facilitate Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives, such as streamlining the evaluation of the team’s performance, identifying improvement areas, and generating actionable insights for continuous improvement.
• Participants should gain hands-on experience in using ChatGPT for Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives, giving them confidence to integrate it into their Scrum teams’ practices.
• Participants should learn how to effectively use ChatGPT to analyze Sprint outcomes, gather stakeholder feedback, and generate data-driven action items for team improvement during the Sprint Retrospective.

Comment: Let’s delve into the topic of team performance with a follow-up prompt.

The Team Performance Issue

Prompt 9: Based on what information or data shall each group use ChatGPT to analyze their team’s performance during the Sprint?

ChatGPT:

Apologies for the oversight. To provide a more realistic context for the exercise, you can supply the groups with predefined Sprint performance data. Here’s an updated version of the instruction step for the Sprint Retrospective part:

4. Provide each group with predefined Sprint performance data, including metrics such as team velocity, burndown charts, lead time, cycle time, and any notable incidents or challenges that arose during the Sprint. Ask each group to use ChatGPT to analyze their team’s performance during the Sprint, inputting the provided data. Encourage participants to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement in their teamwork and processes based on the analysis.

This additional information will give participants a more comprehensive understanding of their fictional team’s performance during the Sprint, helping them to better utilize ChatGPT for the Sprint Retrospective exercise.

Comment: While lead time and cycle time are helpful team metrics, velocity and burndown charts may be useless.

Velocity, Burndown Charts?

Prompt 10: Reconsider your choices; velocity data or burndown charts without context do not hold any value.

ChatGPT:

You are right. I apologize for the confusion. Instead of providing velocity data or burndown charts, we can supply qualitative data that is more relevant to the Sprint Retrospective. Here’s an updated version of the instruction step for the Sprint Retrospective part:

4. Provide each group with qualitative Sprint performance data, including anecdotal feedback from team members about their experiences during the Sprint, any challenges or obstacles they faced, successful practices they employed, and examples of collaboration or communication issues. Ask each group to use ChatGPT to analyze their team’s performance during the Sprint, inputting the provided qualitative data. Encourage participants to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement in their teamwork and processes based on the analysis.

By providing qualitative data, participants can engage in a more meaningful analysis of their fictional team’s performance during the Sprint, which will better support their use of ChatGPT for the Sprint Retrospective exercise.

Comment: Much better! Now let’s address the format of the Retrospective exercise.

Applying Esther Derby’s and Diana Larsen’s Five-Stage Model

Prompt 11: Let’s come back to the exercise on the Retrospective. I want you to consider Esther Derby’s and Diana Larsen’s five-stage model for Retrospective practice, comprising (1) setting the stage, (2) gathering data, (3) generating insights, (4) deciding what to do, and (5) closing the Retrospective.

ChatGPT:

• Exercise Title: ChatGPT for Sprint Retrospective
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to facilitate the five-stage model of Retrospectives, ultimately enabling more effective and efficient reflection and continuous improvement within their Scrum teams.
• Duration: 15 minutes
• Materials:
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • A fictional Sprint scenario with qualitative data (e.g., team experiences, challenges faced, successes, and collaboration or communication issues)
  • Flipcharts or whiteboards for each group
  • Sticky notes and markers
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people.
  2. Provide each group with a fictional Sprint scenario and qualitative data related to the team’s performance during the Sprint.
  3. Instruct each group to use ChatGPT to facilitate the five-stage Retrospective process:
     1. Stage 1: Setting the stage: Have each group use ChatGPT to generate an icebreaker or a focus question to set the stage for the Retrospective and create a safe space for open discussion.
     2. Stage 2: Gathering data: Ask each group to review the provided qualitative data and use ChatGPT to help categorize and visualize the information in a meaningful way.
     3. Stage 3: Generating insights: Encourage each group to use ChatGPT to analyze the categorized data and generate insights on potential patterns, strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
     4. Stage 4: Deciding what to do: Have each group use ChatGPT to generate a list of possible actions or improvements based on the insights gathered. They should then prioritize and select the most impactful and feasible actions.
     5. Stage 5: Closing the Retrospective: Instruct each group to use ChatGPT to create a summary of their Retrospective, including the selected actions and any follow-up steps.
  4. Have each group share their Retrospective outcomes and experiences using ChatGPT with the rest of the workshop participants. Encourage a discussion around the effectiveness of using ChatGPT in facilitating the Retrospective process.

Takeaways:

• Participants should understand the potential of ChatGPT in facilitating the five-stage Retrospective process for more effective and efficient reflection and continuous improvement.
• Participants should gain hands-on experience in using ChatGPT throughout the different stages of the Retrospective process.
• Participants should recognize the importance of integrating AI tools like ChatGPT in their Scrum practices to enhance collaboration and decision-making.

Comment: The revised Retrospective exercise is my favorite from this workshop design with ChatGPT session.

Elaborating on Lesson 7

Prompt 12: Please elaborate on the exercise of lesson 7: “Improving Scrum Master Communication with ChatGPT.” Prepare a detailed description of the exercise, its purpose, the desired outcome, what lessons students will learn, and how to practice the activity as a workshop facilitator.

ChatGPT:

• Exercise Title: Improving Scrum Master Communication with ChatGPT.
• Objective: The purpose of this exercise is to teach participants how to use ChatGPT to enhance their communication skills as Scrum Masters, enabling them to more effectively convey information, address challenges, and facilitate team collaboration. The desired outcome is for participants to gain practical experience in using ChatGPT to improve their communication abilities, equipping them to better support their Scrum teams.
• Duration: 15 minutes.
• Materials:
  • Predefined communication scenarios (e.g., addressing team conflicts, providing feedback, updating stakeholders, etc.)
  • Access to ChatGPT (laptops or tablets for each group)
  • Projector or screen for sharing results
• Instructions:
  1. Divide participants into small groups of 3-4 people.
  2. Provide each group with a set of predefined communication scenarios that a Scrum Master might encounter. Examples include addressing team conflicts, providing feedback to team members, updating stakeholders on Sprint progress, and facilitating collaborative decision-making.
  3. Instruct each group to choose one or more communication scenarios and use ChatGPT to generate sample messages, emails, or conversation starters that address the selected scenarios. Encourage participants to explore different communication styles and tones while focusing on clarity, empathy, and effectiveness.
  4. Have each group share their generated communication samples with the rest of the workshop participants. Encourage discussion around the effectiveness of the ChatGPT-generated content and how it might impact team dynamics and collaboration.
  5. As a facilitator, guide the discussion and address any questions or concerns participants may have about using ChatGPT in their Scrum Master communications. Share best practices and tips for crafting effective messages with ChatGPT, and encourage participants to consider how they can apply these learnings in their own Scrum Master roles.

Takeaways:

• Participants should recognize the potential of ChatGPT to support their communication as Scrum Masters, helping them convey information more effectively, address challenges, and foster collaboration within their teams.
• Participants should gain hands-on experience in using ChatGPT for various communication scenarios, enabling them to feel more confident in leveraging the tool for their Scrum Master responsibilities.
• Participants should learn to critically evaluate the effectiveness of ChatGPT-generated content and how it might influence team dynamics, allowing them to refine their communication strategies for improved outcomes in their Scrum teams.

Comment: This one is to complete all four original workshop design with ChatGPT lessons. Given that ChatGPT is good at dealing with communication-related tasks, see previous articles below, I leave it to you to go deeper on this one. My respect for staying with me until now!

Conclusion

A workshop design with ChatGPT can be an alternative to other practices; for example, Liberating Structures. As always with LLMs, prompt engineering requires most of the workshop creator’s attention. The question if this is a time-saving investment needs to be answered individually. On the positive side, ChatGPT also can deliver new perspectives on how to create workshops.

What is your experience with workshop design with ChatGPT? Please share it with us in the comments.

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