The Art of the Retrospective
Chris SmithProject Manager, Red Gate
@cj_smithy
Introductions
Introductions
What is a Retrospective Meeting?
“Special meeting that takes place at the end of a period of work – usually an iteration or software release.In a retrospective, a team steps back, examines the way they work, analyses and identifies ways they can improve” Esther Derby
ContinuousImpro
veme
nt
Inspect and adapt
We will always know more
than we know here
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Sprint Retrospectives
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Retrospectives can be perfunctory
Retrospectives can be ineffective
Habitual thinkingLack of focus
Lack of participationNo end product
So… Retrospectives can be unpopular
So… Retrospectives can be unpopular
My team are literally allergic to the word ‘Retrospective’
So… Retrospectives can be unpopular
My team talk to each other and we fix things when they come up (you idiot)
So… Retrospectives can be unpopular
My team/project is special because [reason], so we don’t do retrospectives
So… Retrospectives can be unpopular
Let’s not botherOr worse
Let’s continue ticking the box
Retrospectives can be awesome
Continuously improveRespond to change
Think creativelyHappier team
I am not a hero
How do you run an effective and engaging Sprint Retrospective?
References
Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great (Derby and Larsen)
Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers (Gray, Brown and Macanufo)
How do you run an effective and engaging Sprint Retrospective?
• Prepare well• Deliberately facilitate• Keep to Retrospective Framework• Vary retrospective activities• Track actions
Be prepared
Invest time• More in = more out• 2x meeting length
Be prepared
Decide• Focus• Duration• Agenda• Plans A & B
Be prepared
Gather• Materials• Snacks• Help• People
Facilitate
Be deliberate…• Clear• Confident• Aware• Don’t contribute (too much)
Retrospective framework
• Set the stage• Gather data• Generate insights• Decide what to do• Close the
retrospective
Structuring a retrospective
Activities (or “Games”)
• Share information• Encourage
participation• Encourage
collaboration • Encourage creative
thinking• Move things forward
Set the stage
Set the stage
Agree a ‘Goldilocks’ goal
Set the stage
Agree a ‘Goldilocks’ goalAgree mind-set
Set the stage
Agree a ‘Goldilocks’ goalAgree mind-set
Hear everyone’s voice
Set the stage: Check-in
Everyone answers a question in one or two words:“How was the sprint for you?”“What is on your mind right now?”“What are your hopes for this retrospective?”
Example Activity
In one or two words…
How has Agile Cambridge 2013 been for you?
Set the stage: Other activities
• Focus On/Focus Off• Explorer, Shopper, Vacationer,
Prisoner
Gather data
Gather data
Generate shared memoryObservations not evaluations
Open up space to explore later
Gather data: Team Poll
Measure Satisfaction with Teamwork, Quality, Engineering, ???
Example Activity
Gather data: Pair Interviews
• Pose a question like “What were the high and low points of this sprint?”
• Pair-up, each person to interview the other• Not a conversation; encourage interviewees to
keep to the role• Report back
Example Activity
Gather data: Other activities
• Timeline• Short Subjects– Mad/Sad/Glad– Stop/Start/Continue
• Learning Matrix• Like to Like card game
Generate insights
Generate insights
Explore, interpret, analyse the dataLook for patterns and themes
Think creatively
Generate insights: Fishbone Diagram
Example Activity
Generate insights: Fishbone Diagram
Example Activity
Generate insights: Challenge Cards
Two Teams• Challenge Team brainstorms
potential problems
• Solution Team brainstorms features and strengths of the team
Example Activity
Generate insights: Challenge Cards
To Play:• Challenge Team plays a card, solution team
picks a card that addresses the challenge• Winner decided and points awarded• If there is no solution, team designs a new
solution card together
Example Activity
Generate insights: Challenge Cards
Example Activity
• Each person has paper divided into ~4 sections• Idea added in 1st section • Paper passed to next person who builds on idea
Generate insights: BrainwritingExample
Activity
Generate insights:Mission Impossible
• Take an existing challenge/goal and change a fundamental aspect that makes it seem impossible– “How do we remove all our technical debt… in a
day?”– “How do we add a feature… without writing code?”
• Brainstorm• Ask “Which of these ideas would be worth
actually trying?”
Example Activity
Gather data & Generate insights: Mission Impossible
Example Activity
Generate Insights: Other activities
• Five Whys• Force Field Analysis• Flip it• De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats• Anti-problem• Speedboat• Pre-Mortem
Decide what to do
Decide what to do
Move toward conclusionsFocus on improvement
Identify 2-5 actions
Decide what to do: Prioritize
Activities to prioritize:• Dot voting• £100 Test• Absolute order
Decide what to do: Create actions
Actions are return on investment
Ask:• “Can ‘we’ achieve this?”• “What does success look like?”• “What’s the first step?”• “Who is going to own this?”
Decide what to do: Create actions
Not sure exactly what to tackle?Arrange an experiment
Decide what to do: Create actions
Team seems unsure or noncommittal?Measure with ‘Five-Fingered Consensus’
Close the retrospective
Close the retrospective
Find out how the meeting wentWhat worked?What didn’t?
Close the retrospective: Feedback wall
Example Activity
Structuring a retrospective
Tracking actions
• Recorded• In your face• Reviewed• Celebrated• Disposable
How do you run an effective and engaging Sprint Retrospective?
• Prepare well• Deliberately facilitate• Keep to Retrospective Framework• Vary retrospective activities• Track actions
ReferencesAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great (Derby and Larsen)
Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers (Gray, Brown and Macanufo)
Agile Retrospective Resource Wiki@cj_smithy
