Coin Flip Game (Penny Flow)

Why? If we break down the work into smaller packages, we speed up the overall process and enable much earlier feedback.

Which agile principles are relevant here?

• Batch Size (Reduction): The entire process of this game aims to demonstrate the effect of batch size reduction. A large batch of work (ten coins) moves significantly slower through the system than a reduced amount of work (one or two coins). This realization should be readily apparent to all participants through the game.

• Business Value: In the described variation of the "Value Flow" with different coin values, you can incorporate the topic of "Business Value" well into the debriefing. The importance and effects of prioritizing business value are immediately apparent throughout the game.

• Lean Principles: This game primarily conveys the third Lean principle, "Create Flow," out of all five Lean principles. This flow is generated by the aforementioned reduction in batch size. The less is processed simultaneously, the faster individual work flows through the system. The other four principles ("Identify Value," "Map the Value Stream," "Introduce Pull," and "Continuous Improvement") are only tangentially explained through the Coin Flip Game.

• Work-in-Progress Limit: By reducing the batch size (Batch Size Reduction), participants automatically work with a limitation on simultaneous work (Work-in-Progress Limit). The effects of this are directly evident during the various rounds of the game.