Instructor Notes
Timing and Schedule
This lesson is designed to fit a 2-hour slot taught in two parts:
- Session 1 — 75 min
- Break — 15 min
- Session 2 — 45 min
The two LEGO ™️ exercises (house in Waterfall, car in Scrumban) are the heart of the lesson and need uninterrupted time. The schedule is built around them: the Waterfall build sits early in Session 1, and the Scrumban build opens Session 2 (right after the break) so attendees tackle it while fresh.
Session 1 (75 min)
| Time | Segment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ~10 min | Introduction | Definition, who needs PM, SDLC phases, “When do you need it?” brainstorm |
| ~30 min | The Waterfall Model | ~5 min theory + the Build a House exercise (22 min) |
| ~10 min | The Agile Methodology | Manifesto + four values (no exercise) |
| ~20 min | Agile Development (theory only) | Scrum, roles, estimation, Kanban, MoSCoW — stop before the Scrumban exercise |
| — BREAK (15 min) — | Break here, at the marked point before the Scrumban exercise |
Session 2 (45 min)
| Time | Segment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ~35 min | Scrumban exercise | The Build a Car exercise: vision + backlog + three ~8-min sprints |
| ~5 min | Choosing a Methodology | Comparison table, hybrids, quick discussion |
| ~5 min | GenAI in Project Management | Wrap-up discussion; light if time is short |
Running tight on time?
- The GenAI episode is discussion-based and the easiest to compress or assign as a follow-up.
- In the Choosing episode, the “Which fits your project?” discussion can be shortened to a single show-of-hands question.
- Do not cut time from the two LEGO builds — they are the point of the session. If you must trim, take it from the Waterfall build step (the failure reveal, not a polished house, is what teaches) before touching the Scrumban sprint loop.
Exercise Timing Details
Build a House (Waterfall): 6 min requirements + 4 min design + 10 min build + 3 min review = 23 min. Customers describe their house without showing the picture; attendees may not talk to the customer once building begins.
Build a Car (Scrumban): 4 min vision + 4 min backlog, then three sprints of ~8 min each (2 min plan / 4 min build / 2 min review) = 32 min. The deliberately longer planning step is where the methodology lives — prioritizing and re-planning between sprints is the skill being practiced, more than the building itself. Customers stay available between sprints for feedback.
Both exercises use two customers with different target images (assign two groups each) so attendees see how identical requirements lead to different results.