## 1. Paper Airplane Assembly Line (Iterative Development)
Set up stations where teams build paper airplanes in 5-minute sprints. Each sprint, they can only add one improvement (better wings, nose weight, tail fins). Test flight distance after each iteration. This shows how incremental improvements work better than trying to perfect everything at once.
## 2. LEGO Aircraft Build (Cross-Functional Teams)
Give mixed teams of "engineers," "designers," and "testers" LEGO pieces to build aircraft. Each role has different perspectives but must collaborate. Engineers focus on structure, designers on aesthetics, testers on functionality. Shows how diverse skills create better outcomes than siloed specialists.
## 3. Airplane Specification Changes (Responding to Change)
Teams start building model planes for "cargo transport." Halfway through, announce the requirement changed to "passenger transport." Agile teams adapt quickly by reconfiguring their designs, whilst waterfall teams struggle because they're locked into their original plan.
## 4. Rapid Prototyping Race (Working Software Over Documentation)
One team spends 20 minutes drawing detailed airplane blueprints. Another team immediately starts building with cardboard and tape. The building team produces multiple flying prototypes whilst the documentation team is still planning. Demonstrates that working models reveal problems faster than perfect plans.
## 5. Customer Feedback Flight Tests (Customer Collaboration)
Teams build paper airplanes, then "customers" (other participants) test them for specific needs like distance, accuracy, or tricks. Builders get immediate feedback and can modify designs. Shows how customer input during development prevents building the wrong thing.
## 6. Daily Standup Assembly (Daily Standups)
During a 30-minute airplane building session, teams stop every 10 minutes for 2-minute standups. Each person shares progress, next steps, and blockers. Watch how quickly teams resolve issues and coordinate work compared to teams that don't communicate.
## 7. Minimum Viable Aircraft (MVP)
Challenge teams to build the simplest possible flying object first, then add features. Start with basic paper airplane, then add landing gear, cargo hold, or decorations. Shows how delivering core functionality first allows for faster learning and iteration.
## 8. Sprint Planning with Constraints (Sprint Planning)
Give teams limited materials (10 paper clips, 2 sheets of paper, 1 metre of tape) and 15 minutes to plan what they'll build. They must estimate effort and prioritise features. Demonstrates how constraints force realistic planning and tough priority decisions.
## 9. Retrospective Improvement (Continuous Improvement)
After each building round, teams spend 5 minutes discussing what worked, what didn't, and what to change. Watch how teams that do retrospectives consistently improve their processes and products, whilst teams that don't repeat the same mistakes.
10. Self-Organising Assembly (Self-Organisation)
Give teams a complex airplane model to build but no assigned roles. Let them naturally organise themselves based on strengths and preferences. Compare their efficiency to teams with rigid, pre-assigned roles. Shows how self-organisation often leads to better task allocation and higher engagement.





