The first step in the Cycle is the Champ welcoming the team and presents the Briefing

• The Team Members can ask questions.

• The questions are answered, the Briefing might be adjusted.

If everything is clear and Champ and team are comfortable with the Briefing, the team commits as a team to reach the minimum scope during the cycle.

• The team can only commit if everyone agrees and is convinced that it is possible to reach the minimum scope during the cycle with the fixed resources in the fixed time frame.

• Maybe the team needs some time to discuss whether a commitment is possible.

• The team is free to ask the champ questions.

• Once the team has committed to the cycle, the briefing is frozen and will not be changed anymore. No additional tasks can be added during a cycle. The team works without the champ.

Now the team finds the Facilitator (role).

• There is only one Facilitator.

• Nobody can be forced to take the Facilitator role.

• The Facilitator is a team member. He can step down at any time and If this happens the team finds another Facilitator.

The Facilitator now opens the Cycle Board.

All Team Members can place items in the pipeline section of the Cycle Board.

The Facilitator - and only the Facilitator - can pull items from the pipeline and place them in the open.

Obviously it makes sense if the Facilitator supports the team in filling the pipeline and also consults the team on what to pull from the pipeline and place in the open.
Anyone within the team can pull items from the open and place them in the doing.

Once the item is done the items is pulled from the open and placed in the done.

The Facilitator has multiple ways to make working in the team easier.

• By managing how much is in the open.

• By inviting the team to a meeting

• Be suggesting breaks

• By helping to break down big items on the Cycle board into smaller items

• By encouraging Team Members to open Cycles within Cycles.

• By inviting Team Members to a brainstorming, e.g. how to expand scope.

• By organizing pizza

• By suggesting to ask questions to the Champ, the Customer or external experts.

• The Facilitator too, can pull items from the open. This should however happen cautiously, if the Facilitator gets too involved with his item, he might no longer be able to support the team to work easy together.

• The process of value creation should be documented in the cycle report with the results.

• The Champ arrives for the presentation.

• The team presents the results and the Champ receives the results document.

• The Champ may ask questions.

• The Champ should not comment the results (neither praise nor destructive comments)

• The Champ thanks the team.

• The Champ leaves the room.

The Champ now has the results of the Cycles and the findings of the Review and can now reflect on the feedback.

Ideally the Champ looks at the Briefing once more, looks at the minimal scope and prepares the feedback.

1) Did the team complete minimum scope?

2) What did the Champ like, what could be better the next time?

Important: the feedback should also reflection on the Champ's own performance.

E.g. composition of the team, quality of the Briefing, motivation factors.

The Champ then provides the feedback to the team.

Shipment of the results

The Champ ships the results to the Customer.

Champs are free to use the results as basis for a next cycle, to refine them himself or to ship only part of the results.

That is the champ’s privilege.

After the presentation of the results the team meets for the cycle review.

The Facilitator collects the team's feedback.

• What went well?

• What could we do better the next time.

• The Facilitator shares the findings with the Champ, in form of the review document.

• Whatever is left on the Cycle Board - and is relevant - can be placed on the Champ's Backlog Board.

• The Cycle now is over.

• The team celebrates success - or failure.