Summer Camp Improvement Cycle
Sample Goals:
 To explore collaboration among team members and between teams
 To examine balancing immediate results with overall learning and capacity
building
 To differentiate between short-term solutions and sustainable approaches
 To assess a team/group’s decision-making process
 To challenge the team to think creatively
 To explore the dynamic of diminishing returns regarding the number of people
on a team
Materials/Equipment:
 1 set of numbered squares (30 total, numbered 1 to 30)
 1 “boundary” rope 50 feet long
 Rope or tape to identify a “start” line
Set-up:
Make a large circle or rectangle on the floor using a 50-100foot rope as a boundary.
Arrange the numbered squares on the floor (inside the circle) randomly so they are a
few feet from each other. Try to avoid having numbers that follow each other near each
other. Using the tape or extra rope, set up a “starting line” far enough away from the
numbers so that the teams cannot see the numbers to determine the specific location of
the numbers.
Sample Framing:
After putting the group into teams of 5-6, announce, “Every summer we go through our
camp cycle and while there are nuances to each one, there are many steps which are
the same. This challenge is about getting more efficient at those recurring tasks.”
Process/Guidelines:
Explain the following criteria for completing the exercise:
Each team will get multiple attempts to “complete a summer camp cycle” while trying to
shorten that cycle each time. The 30 squares represent the 30 critical tasks that must
be completed for every summer camp. Each team must touch the squares in order to
represent completing all the critical tasks, all while following the rules below.
A cycle begins as soon as one member crosses the start line and ends when the
last member crosses back over the line.
Only one person or body part can be in the roped off area at a time.
More than one person in the area represents “duplicate work” and teams are penalized
10 additional seconds for each occurrence of this.
Each square must be touched once, in order, to represent completion of that task.
Teams are also penalized for touching numbers out of order (10 seconds for each
occurrence).
Each team can decide how many people they want to involve in the effort and in which
way as long as they follow the guidelines mentioned.
Each team will have 3-4 attempts or :45 total for all teams, whichever comes first.
You as the facilitator can track their times and infractions if you wish or have each team
track their own.
Each team gets to complete a cycle before starting another round of cycles.
If teams ask…
“ Can we move the squares around?”
“ Can we watch as one of the other
teams is doing it?”
“ Can we join forces with the
other team(s)?”
You can say..
“No, the tasks are not so easily organized”
“That’s up to the other team?”
“That option is available all teams”
Allow the teams a few minutes planning time, then ask which team is ready for their first
attempt. Watch for violations as they go and when they are done, record their cycle time
and ask how many violations they had. If it is less than what you counted, you can
decide whether you want to penalize them or just correct their number. At the end of
:45, call a stop and move onto the debrief portion of the exercise.
Safety Issues: None
Things to Look For/Debrief Questions:
How is the decision making on the team in this activity like those that you make at
work?
How did you balance the need for fast cycle times with the need for team learning?
How were opportunities to collaborate across teams explored?