Over There

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Test and refine team coordination and memory retrieval across iterative timed attempts.

Use it when: Use during a process improvement, Agile, or operations workshop to examine handoffs, communication protocols, and iterative adjustments.

Skip it when: Skip when physical space is too tight for safe movement, when ground-level bending is difficult for participants without table modifications, or when the group needs reflective discussion rather than a timed physical challenge.

Group arrangement: Teams of 4 to 8 participants. For groups larger than 8, run 2 or 3 parallel teams with separate card sets and marked perimeters.

Timing: 15 minutes allows for a baseline round, two iterative improvement cycles, and a concise debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 standard deck of 52 playing cards (one 13-card single suit per team of 4 to 8)
• Rope, painter tape, or 4 cones per team to mark a boundary zone roughly 2 by 2 meters
• 1 stopwatch or smartphone timer per team (or one operated by the facilitator)
• 1 flip chart and 1 marker to record round times

Before participants arrive

1. Mark a 2x2 meter perimeter on the floor for each team using rope, tape, or cones.
2. Separate 13 cards of a single suit (Ace through King) for each team. Ace counts as the highest card (sequence: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace).
3. Scatter the 13 cards face down at random inside each perimeter. Ensure cards do not overlap.
4. Place teams outside their assigned boundary.

Say this to open

Inside the perimeter are 13 face-down cards from one suit. Your goal is to retrieve all 13 cards in exact sequence from 2 up through Ace as fast as possible. Only one team member may be inside the boundary line at any time. A runner may inspect one card at a time. If it is the correct next card in sequence, pick it up and keep it. If it is not, place it back down face down in the exact spot you found it, then exit. Teammates outside the boundary may shout instructions, point, or track positions. We will run three timed rounds to test how you adapt your process.

How to run it

1. Set up and baseline attempt 4 minutes

   Read the rules and verify questions. On the start signal, start the timer. Team members decide on the fly who enters. The active runner enters, turns one card face up. Example: if the team needs the 2 and turns up a 7, they must place the 7 back face down where it was and leave the zone before another runner enters. If they turn up the 2, they take it and exit. Stop the clock when the final Ace is retrieved. Record Round 1 time on the chart.

2. Strategy review and second attempt 3 minutes

   Give teams 60 seconds to confer outside the perimeter. Prompt them to agree on runner rotation, memory assignments, or verbal cues. While they talk, reset the 13 cards face down in a new random layout. Run Round 2 using the same rules. Stop the clock when the final Ace is retrieved. Record Round 2 time on the chart.

3. Final iteration 4 minutes

   Give teams 60 seconds to refine their approach based on Round 2 results. Reset cards face down in a new random distribution. Run Round 3. Stop the clock when the final Ace is retrieved. Record Round 3 time.

4. Focused debrief 4 minutes

   Gather the room to compare times across rounds. Take 2 or 3 participant observations on the questions listed in the debrief section. Conclude on time.

Debrief questions

• What specific rule or communication protocol produced the biggest drop in your completion time?
• Where did your system break down under time pressure, and how did you correct it?
• How did role division (for example, spotters versus runners) affect overall flow?

Finished output: A recorded progression of three completion times per team demonstrating the impact of iterative process adjustments.

Remote

Not directly equivalent online because physical spatial memory and footwork define the dynamic. To run a fully digital variation, create a shared digital board (such as Miro or Google Slides) with 13 numbered covered tiles (cards 2 through Ace hidden under numbered sticky notes 1 to 13). Assign one participant as the active cursor mover while others give verbal directions over audio. Run three timed rounds, shuffling the hidden cards between attempts.

Hybrid

Hybrid teams can have on-site members physically retrieve cards while remote members serve as navigators viewing a live overhead camera feed. Remote members hold role assignments such as tracking the needed card, logging seen values, or timing turns via the audio bridge.

Access and participation choices

• Participants who prefer not to run or bend can serve as external strategists, boundary monitors, card loggers, or official timekeepers.
• Cards can be placed face down on an accessible waist-height table surrounded by a taped boundary instead of the floor.
• Any participant may pass on physical entry at any point without explanation by signaling a teammate to take the next rotation.

If the session gets stuck

Multiple participants step inside the perimeter at the same time in the excitement.

Enforce a simple five-second freeze penalty for each double-entry infraction, or require an explicit physical hand-tag at the boundary line before the next person enters.

Participants slide or move cards around the floor instead of leaving them in place.

Clarify that revealed incorrect cards must remain in their original spot. If cards slide, pause the clock and reset the card to its original position.

Terms used here

• Sequence: The fixed collection order: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.