Dating : Product Teams Should Play D&D

After many days trudging through the forests, the adventurers arrived at the idyllic little village of Phandalin.

The whole settlement had sprung up around the mines of Phandelver, which were rumored to have precious metals and great treasures buried deep within them. But a giant monster had recently appeared inside the mines, preventing anyone from entering. Since all the villagers depended on the mines for their work, the entire village was facing the risk of total economic collapse!

The Product Team had several stakeholders that they relied on for work. Most of them were fairly easy to work with, but there was one in particular who was very difficult. Every time they brought him a suggestion for improving the process, he would reject it as being too complicated. They would ask for him to write down his requests so that there was no confusion, but he would get frustrated that they were bogging him down with meaningless processes. As work progressed, questions would arise and they would ask him clarifications, but he would get annoyed that they were not taking the time upfront to ask all of their questions at once. It was a monstrous challenge!

As the adventurers made their way deeper into the mines, they saw abandoned carts filled with ore and mining equipment that had been haphazardly deserted. Raw pockets of metal ore reflected brightly in their torchlight. There were enough riches here to sustain the town for the next several generations! That was when they heard the thundering footsteps of the monster.

Its eyes were glowing like red hot charcoals. Its bluish skin and dark blue horns glistened in the pale torchlight. Its guttural roars blasted through the caverns like frozen arctic winds. This was a foe beyond any of them.

Swallowing his fear, the young druid engaged the monster in conversation. He asked the monster was it was doing there and discovered that it was tasked with protecting the mine from intruders. It had been recruited by the mine’s former owners and was summoned in specific circumstances and would be dispelled if certain conditions were fulfilled.

The assassin stepped forward and assured the monster that they were still working for the mine’s former owner and that everything was under control. The monster sighed in relief, glad that its contract was fulfilled so quickly, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Taking inspiration from their monster encounter, the Product Team engaged their stakeholder in discussion. This time, they tried to understand what the purpose of the existing rules and processes were, and clarified the goals behind their suggestions of new processes. By understanding the blockers better, they were able to successfully challenge the status quo. By challenging the status quo, they were able to adapt the processes to their advantage. By adapting the processes to their advantage, they were able to work much more effectively with this one stakeholder whom everyone else still feared.

But this set them thinking. Was a monster just a person whom they couldn’t understand? Who was the real enemy here?