The train is flying fast: learning process design and cross-department communication from games
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The train is flying fast, the train is flying fast, over the mountains, over the streams, I don’t know how many hundreds of miles have been traveled? Almost home, almost home, my mother is so happy to see her…
I have always liked to use the elements and mechanisms of gamification (Gamification) to try to solve common problems in daily life. In addition, I am currently reading “[Gamification Practical Book]” (https://www.books.com.tw/exe p/assp.php/vista/products/0010753821?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-201708)》This book, I would like to have the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and understanding of gamification through practical implementation.
Just by chance, I was lucky enough to register for this “train class”, which many people say is difficult to get a seat, a must-attend and super fun. Before class, I’m really looking forward to hearing the wonderful sharing from the two teachers Joe and Bryan. Although the weather was unfavorable and it was raining heavily in Taipei today, we still couldn’t resist everyone’s determination to learn “Process Design and Cross-department Communication” together. The classroom was full before 9:30.
As the name suggests, the focus of this class is to combine gamification techniques, using games of transporting components by train and assembling weapons for drills, to help everyone simulate and design a feasible process, and understand the core purpose of this course from the game process, as well as how to properly divide labor and cooperate.
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The first painful experience in actual combat
The first actual battle in the morning was quite exciting. Due to the lack of prior communication and cooperation, it is not difficult to imagine that everyone was in a hurry. I was assigned to front line A. My original task was to assemble the aircraft. Unexpectedly, due to an unexpected car crash, I had to wait for nine and a half minutes before the components of the aircraft were delivered.
The so-called “seeing the smallest details” means that just by observing many details that we had no time to take care of at the scene, we can imagine that our first “Operation Garden” ended in failure. Not only is there still a long way to go before reaching the standard, let alone having enough room to win extra points.
During the lunch break, many students were practicing assembling components while eating lunch, or they were discussing the details of cooperation in twos and threes, and almost no one was taking a break. I have taken many courses in the past, but it is really rare to see everyone practicing so seriously and persistently.
After some review, everyone optimized the design of the process, not only adjusted the staffing, but also strengthened cross-department communication. At this moment, we have some confidence in meeting the standards; how to strive for high scores next has become the unanimous goal of the students.
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The second challenge after process optimization
Before the second actual combat, we went through a sandbox simulation and conducted a rehearsal in advance, which really effectively helped everyone see some blind spots and bottlenecks derived from on-site implementation. The twenty minutes passed quickly, and this time the target was successfully met. We also assembled many more weapons and gained a lot of points, but it also created a new bottleneck, that is—everyone was busy with the task at hand, but neglected to take care of the two trains that were about to meet on the track.
Too many crashes can be called the biggest failure of the second actual battle. But also because of the “imperfection” of the game process, we can better understand the six key points of process design mentioned by teachers Joe and Bryan. Process design and cross-department communication may seem simple, but in fact they are “easy to understand but difficult to master”—how to improve overall efficiency must be able to break down organizational barriers and bridge human-management gaps.
After taking this “Process Design and Cross-Department Communication” class, I can say that I gained a lot. In addition to learning professional knowledge such as process design and project management, it also allowed me to participate in on-site implementation with a group of partners through gamification mechanisms and designs. Only by grasping the whole picture from the commanding heights can we see many details that are often overlooked; only in this way can we truly improve the work process and achieve the state of innovation.
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Reflection and application after class
After taking today’s course, on the way back, I re-examined my work process and found that there are many areas that can be improved. Although I currently complete many tasks by myself, this class allowed me to improve my communication and teamwork. E7%81%AB%E8%BB%8A%E7%82%BA%E5%B8%AB%EF%BC%9A%E6%B5%81%E7%A8%8B%E7%B2%BE %E5%AF%A6%E8%88%87%E5%9C%98%E9%9A%8A%E5%90%88%E4%BD%9C) skills have also updated a lot of management thinking.
While humming the tune of “The Train Goes Fast”, looking at the class handouts and the photos I took, I began to reminisce about today’s “train class” and thought about how I could apply this process design to my future work. Although the whole day of class may be a little nerve-wracking, I believe it is all worth it!
