Dungeons, Dragons and Developers

Explore the parallels between Dungeons & Dragons and software development in this engaging conference talk. Discover how lessons from fantasy role-playing games can improve real-world software development teams. Learn to balance team skills and alignment, maintain project focus, leverage past experiences for future improvements, and sustain workflow momentum. Gain insights on team dynamics, decision-making with context, handling successes and failures, and the importance of preparation. Understand how to navigate challenges, manage team exhaustion, and celebrate achievements. Apply these valuable lessons to enhance your software development process and team collaboration.

Intro
Dungeons & Dragons
The dungeon master
Our story begins with you
Your alignment
My alignment?
Wizards
Our party
The quest
Quest requirements
Fight your side
Ok, let's get going!
Hey folks, can I join you?
Losing the path
Crossing the river
Decisions need context
Hey DM, can we try?
Sometimes you roll a natural 20
And sometimes your roll a natural 1
Be prepared
Use past experience
The final hill
Exhaustion
Reaching your goal
Victory, reward & reflection
Summary
Outro