Scrum Training

In November of this year, three of our team mates, CEO John, COO June, and CTO Mancio went to Manila to have themselves trained and certified for Scrum. Held at the swanky Hotel Intercontinental in Makati, it was administered by international Agile coach and certified Scrum Trainer Adam Weisbart. Adam (below, in plaid shirt) is based in California, USA and helps organizations deliver high quality software through Agile/Scrum training, coaching, and consulting.

L-R: Mancio, June, Adam, John, and friend

Needless to say, our 3 boys successfully passed all exams and received their certification with flying colors.

Last Saturday, these now Scrum masters administered the same training to the Ingenuity Team to update the workflow processes and project handling and needless to say, it was a great success. Everyone came full force on a sunny Saturday morning, ready and eager to learn from the masters.

The activity started with a group game, just to get the blood flowing. It's called the "Self-organizing Ball Game" and it was facilitated by Mancio. To get a point, the ball should be passed around to all group members, but never to someone next to the passer. And the ball should also have a hang time of a few seconds in the air before being caught by the next person. The goal is to amass as much points as they can.

The participants were given just a few minutes to finish the game. Afterwards, they were made to understand the point of the activity by answering the question: "which is better, one try of 8 minutes or 4 tries of 2 minutes per try?"

All of the participants said that indeed, the 4 tries with 2 minutes time frame yielded better results because as they went forward with the game, they were able to plan how to optimize the time given and they were able to amend the incorrect strategies from previous tries.

This served as the first illustration of how Scrum is a great management tool - whether it be for projects or for personal use. In a nutshell, this also made it very clear to the participants what Scrum was all about.

John handled the introduction to Scrum, Mancio is the activity facilitator, June talked about Scrum roles and articles, and Dan talked about Scrum meetings.

The participants gamely did all the activities for the training as well as listened very intently during the lecture parts. Even the IngeNoobs, our latest team additions, were there in full force and were readily soaking up all the new information they are getting from this training. Aside from learning Scrum, the IngeNoobs actually felt thankful to have taken part in the exercise as it became an avenue for them to get to know other team mates they have yet to work with.

in the zone and taking it seriously

The Ingen Team doing the "Myth or Fact, Thumbs up or Thumbs down Exercise"

Chanly, one of the IngeNoobs, doing a report as her co-Noobs take note

Of course, this being Ingenuity, any activity would not be complete without fun games in between serious learning activities. So, the HR led an impromptu Trivia ice breaker Game after lunch to keep the interest and enthusiasm going for the afternoon session.

Congratulations to the winners, Group 2!

And then it was time for the participants to actually apply what they had learned from the morning session by making their own Scrum charts and reporting it to the team to see if they came up with something airtight and practical.

After the activities were done, the participants then had an exam to measure what they had learned about Scrum from the training. After completing the test, the results were instantaneous as June used a very helpful online app that checks exams using a camera.

Resident Trivia nut Jefford got the highest score out of everyone, while all the rest fared well beyond expectations. So bright, these Ingenuity kids!

All in all, this Scrum training is successful! And this is only Part 1. Everyone on the team is eager to follow it up with the second part, slated for sometime this coming weekend. Our December schedule is becoming quite hectic, but we are taking everything in stride because we are having fun (lots of it!) and also learning at the same time. And if there is one thing we all learned from the Scrum philosophy - it is that as one, we can work through anything together to achieve our common goal.

KUDOS to the trainers and trainees! You have done a very good job, indeed!

The Ingenuity HQ

A nice work space does more than just maximize productivity. A great office space nourishes the mind and makes one feel good about coming to work.

Here, at Ingenuity HQ, we try to provide a workplace where relaxation, collaboration and fun are included in the office equation. The Ingenuity team gets awesome work done in an equally awesome office environment.

Located at the heart of the city, the office is easily accessible to the employees coming from both the southern and northern parts of Davao. With different modes of transportation just outside the office building, getting to the workplace is not a problem to the "Ingeneers".

Ingenuity is not your usual formal type of office. The avatars on the wall, colourful beanbags, and the pingpong table in the training room are just some of the things that create a light and playful atmosphere in the working space.

The office has large windows that let in a lot of natural light. In general, brighter lights facilitate better reading and create a more cheerful mood. With large windows surrounding the office, we rarely get to use the fluorescent bulbs during the daytime. 

For those, however, who do not like the glare of the afternoon sun, the training room  is the best spot. With the curtains drawn in most of the time, it provides dim lighting for those who prefer the “darker side”.

There are plenty of places to hang out at Ingenuity. The office provides a casual atmosphere that promotes movement and interaction.  

Office posters hang in strategic locations in the office. They are not there simply to add color to the room, but also to inspire and motivate the team to strive for excellence. 

One of the favorite places to relax in the office is the lounge area. It has comfortable couches for people to stretch, recline, or lie down. It also doubles as an entertainment room, depending on the time of the day. It is equipped with cable TV and X-box that give employees a chance to decompress and not focus on work for a little while.    

The "Ingeneers" are hardworking people. We work hard to deliver quality products on time. It is our goal to keep our clients happy and be instruments to their success. Work, though, is not the only thing we do in the office. We know how to loosen up, play, and enjoy each other's company.

Ingenuity has also sponsored some events in Davao City. The training room has been used several times as a venue to hold seminars and workshops for the Davao IT crowd. The training room is large enough to accommodate up to 40 people comfortably. At least once a month, we also hold learning sessions for our own team. We constantly stir up employees’ creative juices and discuss technological updates.    

Free meals and snacks are served daily in the office pantry.  We also celebrate birthdays, major milestones and even small wins. With food aplenty, no wonder it’s difficult not to gain weight once you join the Ingenuity team :)     

Good health, though, is still very important us, thus, health and wellness programs are also provided to keep everyone in tip-top shape. 

The office ambience changes with the change of season. Last November, in celebration of Halloween, we had a giant spider waiting by the door and lots of bat figures hanging from the ceiling . This Christmas season, we have a lovely Christmas tree in the centre of the  room plus some holiday decors to really bring out the festive spirit in the office    

A company’s office space is clearly a reflection of its culture. A cool group of people need an equally cool office to work in. At Ingenuity though, our HQ is not simply a workroom. It is a place where people code and collaborate, relax and play. As our tagline suggests, it is here where we “engineer awesome”.