One of the most difficult aspects of team work is getting everyone in
the room to work on equal footing. Both organizational differences
(jobs, position, etc.) and personality can quickly and inadvertently
lead to a core of speakers and a core of listeners. Moreover, the fact
that the listeners are not talking does not mean they are not thinking
or that they are in agreement. The best way to avoid this dynamic is to
use a round robin technique to solicit suggestions.
Motivation:
Students in CS programs often have a difficult time applying group
interaction techniques. This is because typical instruction, even that
which uses group projects, does not simulate many industry meeting
situations. Role Playing techniques based upon social psychological
research have been proven effective when applied in a specific fashion
by OO analysts in refining the preliminary classes in a new system from
a candidate list to a core list of classes.
Applicability:
The Role Playing pattern introduces a key technique used in CRC Card
Analysis, after a team brainstorms and creates a list of candidate
classes. Assumes knowledge of CRC cards and scenarios.
Structure:
For example, if you are trying to develop a list of possible classes for
a system, go around the table. As each member of the team contributes an
idea, write it down on the board. The facilitator should do the writing
since the other members of the team should be watching and thinking. If
there is a team member who does not have enough information on a
particular problem to contribute to the brainstorming, that person can
act as scribe as a way to keep them involved, but, if a team is chosen
well, every member should be an important source of possible classes.
The goal of the round robin is to allow the group to move ahead at an
even tempo but to give people enough time to think. Short pauses are
fine, but breaks of more than 60 seconds can interrupt the momentum and
ideas may be lost. To keep things going you can establish a "pass"
policy. If someone is really stumped, they can "pass" for that round,
but they should take their regular turn the next time around. The
facilitator needs to be sensitive here. If someone is slower to speak,
don't cut off their turn too soon. At the same time, keep things moving
so that other people do not forget what they want to say. The
brainstorming is complete when everyone in the group has to pass.
Consequences:
provides a method for early refinement of core classes
encourages students to recognize the importance of group interaction
in early analysis stages
lets instructors make the class discovery process tangible
may be resisted by technology oriented students who view people skills
as peripheral or time consuming
Implementation:
instructors with industry experience are likely to have more success
with this pattern
small groups facilitate pattern utility (6 persons ideal)
Related Patterns:
Brainstorming Pattern (to create candidate class list)
Twelve Bears Pattern (to free group to explore new ideas when
stuck)
Role Playing Pattern (for refining core class interactions)