VR COLLABORATION
SCRUM MANAGEMENT FOR THREE VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCES

Left image created by Devin Gregg, Eric Yang, Ryan Wien

Middle image created by Kaitria “Stevie” Robinette

Right image created by Troy Xia

PROJECT TYPE
Three brief virtual reality experiences developed with the Scrum Agile project management methodology

DURATION
16 Weeks | Fall 2022 - Spring 2023

DELIVERABLES
3 short virtual reality experiences

3 accompanying trailers

5 portfolio pieces per project

TEAM
Erinn Gilmore: Scrum Master
Ana Carolina Pereira: Product Owner
Devin Gregg: Gismo Power VR Developer

Ryan Wien: Gismo Power VR Developer

Eric Yang: Gismo Power VR Developer

Kaitria "Stevie" Robinette: AVRY Developer

Troy Xia: Windmill Developer

COMPONENTS

Scrum methodology, user experience understanding and development, playtesting

THE COLLABORATION
The VR Collaboration was a multi-semester, multi-project collaboration between the Virtual Reality department and the Business of Art and Design department at Ringling College of Art and Design that encompassed the development of three distinctive, short virtual reality experiences developed by three groups of developers. The projects operated within the Agile project management framework "Scrum" and spanned four milestones.

THE GOAL

The goal of the collaboration was to develop three high-quality and thorough short virtual reality experiences across two academic semesters and deliver the projects on time by the specified deadline.

THE PROCESS

The Opportunity

To strengthen my skills and understanding of project management, I was given the opportunity to collaborate with the Ringling College of Art and Design Virtual Reality department as a Scrum Master for the virtual reality experiences in development.

Yard created by Devin Gregg, Eric Yang, Ryan Wien

AVRY

Developed by Kaitria "Stevie" Robinette, this virtual reality experience showcases the conservation of macaws within a bird sanctuary. The experience follows the day-to-day care, rehabilitation, and release of a macaw through virtual reality interactions.

Bird created by Kaitria “Stevie” Robinette

Gismo Power VR

Developed by Devin Gregg, Ryan Wien, and Eric Yang, this virtual reality experience showcases the new Gismo Power product, the MEGA, and its use as a portable solar panel appliance for consumers. The interactive experience features a tutorial on virtual reality controls, selection of house size, and instructions on how to set up the MEGA for home use.

Bird created by Kaitria “Stevie” Robinette

Windmill

Developed by Troy Xia, this virtual reality experience is an animated, interactive short story following an elderly man and a young boy. Beginning in a grayscale world, the young boy shows the man how to embrace life through the use of color.

Landscape created by Troy Xia

Using Scrum

The projects followed the Scrum framework and divided development into milestones and sprints. Playtesters, both experienced with virtual reality and new to the medium, were frequently invited to provide feedback to the projects.

Plants created by Kaitria “Stevie” Robinette

Man created by Troy Xia

Scrum Duties

As the Scrum Master, I conducted the various Scrum ceremonies, and these included the "Daily Scrum," "Sprint Review," and "Sprint Retrospective." The three projects conducted these ceremonies concurrently. I initiated discussion, prompted questions for group consideration, and served as the note taker for the three projects and developers.

Soft Skill Management

As the Scrum Master, it was my responsibility to ensure that the product and sprint backlogs were clear, understandable, and organized. I advised developers on organizational strategies and insight for task delegation between team members. I also assisted in time-boxing and deadline management.

The Three Reflection Questions

"What went right?"

"What went wrong?"

"What can be improved?"

Gismo Power VR created by Devin Gregg, Eric Yang, Ryan Wien

AVRY created by Kaitria “Stevie” Robinette

Windmill created by Troy Xia

THE TAKEAWAYS

A Learning Curve

While Scrum is a simple framework, the complexity of the methodology lies within learning how to be both efficient and effective within the Scrum roles. Much of Scrum revolves around understanding the unique work and collaboration styles of the team and its members.

Scrum is Forgiving

Scrum is designed to minimize risk in product development. Because of this, the methodology also minimizes risk for those learning the framework as well. Newcomers can explore the methodology and get feedback quickly without the fear of major consequential impacts.

Self Sprints

Due to the nature of the Scrum framework, I realized that I could improve my own skills little-by-little with each sprint. The repetition of the process allowed me to test the effectiveness of new tools and strategies for self-improvement.