Agile Retrospectives

Agile Retrospectives
Most Things Work, Until They Don’t
www.allisonpollard.com

Allison Pollard
 Agile coach and consultant
 Firm believer in continuous
improvement
 DFW Scrum user group leader
and Dallas Agile Leadership
Network board member
 Glasses wearer

What is a Retrospective?
Hint: it’s not a lessons learned or a post-mortem…

Why have a Retrospective?
“At regular intervals, the team reflects on how
to become more effective, then tunes and
adjusts its behavior accordingly.”
--Agile Manifesto

Are your retrospectives missing
something?
Lack of participation

Retrospective Format

1. Set the Stage
 Establish the focus
for the retrospective
 Establish or re-
purpose working
agreements
 Set other concerns
aside [for now]
 Engage team
members early so
they participate
Photo by Alan Dayley

Providing a Safe Place for Sharing
“Regardless of what we
discover, we understand
and truly believe that
everyone did the best job
they could, given what they
knew at the time, their skills
and abilities, the resources
available, and the situation
at hand.”
--Norm Kerth
“No identification of self or mission.
No interference with the social
development of said planet. No
references to space or the fact that
there are other worlds or civilizations.”
HELPFUL:
Retrospective Prime Directive
NOT HELPFUL:
Star Trek Prime Directive
Image by James Vaughn

2. Gather Data
 Created a shared pool
of data
 Consider objective and
subjective experience
 Value all perspectives
Photo by David Laing
Use different kinds of data
to get the team thinking
differently!

A Variation of What Worked/What Didn’t
Work
Photo by Wayne D. Grant
 Let team members organize ideas and speak to their
meaning.
 Ask open-ended questions to increase shared
understanding.

3. Generate Insights
 Understand
systemic influences
and root causes
 Observe patterns
 See system effects
Photo by Jessica Austin
Move beyond habitual
thinking and solving
symptoms!

Based on the data, what are the trends?
You can only resolve a
problem if you first
recognize it.
Photo by Matthew Badgley

4. Decide What to Do
 Move from
discussion to action
 Resolve on actions
or experiments
What does the team have
the energy to try in the next
sprint?
Photo from funretrospectives.com

Focus on what the team can do
Photo by FutureWorks Consulting

What is the outcome of a retrospective?
 Change in Definition
of Done
Photo by Rachel Davies

 Change in Working
Agreements
Photo by Cátia Oliveira

 List of Action Items
Photo by Jean Claude Grosjean

5. Close the Retrospective
 Reiterate actions and
follow-up
 Appreciate contributors
 Identify ways to make
the next retrospective
better
Remember to thank team
members for their time.
Photo by Karen Greaves

 How did the team feel
about the last sprint?
 How do they feel about
the upcoming sprint?
Photo by FutureWorks Consulting

What should the facilitator do?
 Read the room
 Swing the pendulum
 Make sure everyone
contributes
 Make sure a plan is
created
 Don’t solve the
team’s problems

What is the Scrum Master’s role?
 Reflect the team’s
behavior back to
them so they can
reason out how to
improve
 Help team members
hold themselves
accountable to their
commitments

What should team members do?
 Focus on the content
of the retrospective
 Discuss openly, which
means sometimes
disagreeing with
others (though not
disagreeably)
 Make decisions

References
 http://www.scrumshortcuts.com/blog/retrospectives-
reviews/sprint-retrospective-irrespective/
 http://www.estherderby.com/
 http://www.coachingagileteams.com/2012/02/23/agil
e/most-things-work-until-they-dont
 http://www.innovationgames.com
 Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great by
Esther Derby and Diana Larsen

Contact
Email: allison@allisonpollard.com
Twitter: @allison_pollard
Blog: www.allisonpollard.com

Agile Retrospectives

In this document