What is a Retrospective?
A retrospective is a regular meeting or practice where a team (or individual) reflects on recent work to identify improvements and celebrate successes.
Origin
Part of Agile/Scrum methodology, typically held at end of each sprint.
Core Questions
- What went well? (Continue)
- What didn't go well? (Stop)
- What should we try? (Start)
Frequency
Team Retrospectives:
- Sprint/iteration end (2 weeks)
- Monthly
- After major projects
Personal Retrospectives:
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Annually
Format
Team Retrospective Structure:
1. Set the Stage (5 min)
- Create safe environment
- Review purpose
- Set ground rules
2. Gather Data (10 min)
- What happened?
- Collect observations
- Review metrics
3. Generate Insights (15 min)
- Why did things happen?
- Identify patterns
- Discuss root causes
4. Decide Actions (15 min)
- What will we change?
- Commit to improvements
- Assign owners
5. Close (5 min)
- Summarize
- Appreciate
- Commit to actions
Personal Retrospective Questions
Weekly:
- What did I accomplish?
- What challenged me?
- What did I learn?
- What will I do differently?
- What am I grateful for?
Monthly:
- Did I make progress on goals?
- What habits served me well?
- What habits held me back?
- Where did time go?
- What needs to change?
Quarterly:
- Am I on track with annual goals?
- What major progress did I make?
- What needs course correction?
- What do I want to focus on next?
Benefits
- Continuous improvement
- Team alignment
- Problem solving
- Celebrates wins
- Builds team culture
- Prevents recurring issues
- Increases ownership
Best Practices
Create Psychological Safety
- No blame
- Focus on process, not people
- Confidential discussions
- Equal participation
Focus on Actionable Improvements
- Specific changes
- Assigned owners
- Clear timeline
- Follow up on actions
Mix Up Formats
- Different facilitation techniques
- Various retrospective games
- Change venue
- Keep it fresh
Track and Measure
- Document insights
- Track action items
- Measure improvement
- Close the loop
Common Formats
Start, Stop, Continue
What should we start/stop/continue doing?
Mad, Sad, Glad
What made us mad/sad/glad this sprint?
4 Ls
What did we Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for?
Sailboat
What's the wind (helping)? What's the anchor (holding back)?
Time Tracking Integration
Review in Retrospective:
- How did we spend our time?
- Did time align with priorities?
- Where were we inefficient?
- What should we change?
Use Data:
- Time tracking reports
- Velocity trends
- Estimate accuracy
- Time waster identification
Making It Stick
Schedule It
Make it a recurring, non-negotiable event.
Take Notes
Document insights and actions.
Follow Through
Actually implement improvements.
Review Previous Actions
Start each retrospective reviewing last one's actions.
Who Benefits
- Agile teams
- Any team seeking improvement
- Individuals wanting growth
- Remote teams
- Cross-functional teams
Related Concepts
- Agile/Scrum
- Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)
- Reflection Practice
- Lessons Learned
- After Action Review
