Watermelon
(#142)
A disconnect between the actual state of a project and a too positive external view on it, can be dangerous. The longer the disconnect lasts and the wider the gap, the harder it becomes to address: Let’s look for gaps.
In this activity you compare internal and external view on progress and project state. Prepare a flipchart with a large watermelon cut through, red with seeds on the inside, yellow and green rings on the outside. Write “How does our project look internally?” inside the melon and “How does it appear on the outside?” outside of the green ring.
Prepare a second flip chart with some seeds above and caption them “Which bothersome seeds would we like to get rid of?”. Then draw a seedling captioned “What potential can we spot?” lower on the flipchart.
During the retro present the first flipchart and ask the questions. Let participants write their take on sticky notes – 1 comment per note. Then go around with each person reading out their note and posting in the appropriate spot. Have a short discussion on your observations.
Repeat this with the second flipchart and set of questions. In this round, allow more time for more in-depth discussion. If necessary, provide structure with Lean Coffee (#51).
