Do your retrospectives fail to deliver results? Come to this talk to find out how to facilitate truly transformative retrospectives that lead to real change.

2. David Horowitz

3. This talk will be a success
if I learn something
about...

4. Retrospectives*
are the catalyst of true agility
* Well, good ones at least.

5. retrospective noun
ret·​ro·​spec·​tive | ˌre-trə-ˈspek-tiv
An opportunity for your team to reflect on what
has occurred and to construct ways to become
better going forward.
retrospectives 101

6. The Vicious Cycle of
Retrospective Disillusionment

7. RETROSPECTIVE
TRIANGLE OF SUCCESS
People
Follow Through
Process

8. People

9. Rule #1
Retrospectives are
for the team

10. Not your boss.
Not your stakeholders.
Not your agile coach.
The Team!

11. “The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for
the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a
plan for improvements to be enacted during
the next Sprint.”
The Scrum Guide

12. Scrum Master
Product Owner
Development Team

13. Don't want to invite the PO?
Your team has some BO.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aturkus/4342379566

14. Rule #2
Ignore Rule #1

15. Your boss?
Your stakeholders?
Your agile coach?
Maybe ... it's up to The Team!
Use your

16. Rule #3
Facilitate or Participate.
Choose one.

17. https://gumroad.com/l/imYPY

18. Rule #4
If one person is remote
Everyone is remote.

19. https://www.maxpixel.net/Symbolism-Leader-Group-Game-Figure-Exclusion-598036

20. “If Dante rewrote The Inferno,
I’m pretty sure the first circle
would be conference calls.”
Umair Haque

21. So, don't rely on conference calls
(or Zoom) alone

22. General collaboration
Online whiteboards
High flexibility
Lots of tooling options exist
Specific to retrospectives
Pick a retro technique
Low flexibility

23. Rule 1. Retrospectives are for the team
Rule 2. Ignore Rule 1
Rule 3. Facilitate or Participate. Choose One
Rule 4. If one person is remote, everyone is
remote.
To recap...

24. Process

25. Rule #1
Use facilitation techniques!

26. let's run a retrospective on
this conference so far

27. One thing I'd change about
the conference is...

28. Larsen, Diana and Derby, Esther. Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great, 2006. Print.
A better way :)

29. Rule #2
Zoom in on the dog nose

30. https://twitter.com/SNCKPCK/status/835522078367494145

37. Use Team Radar to "zoom in on the dog nose"

38. Rule #3
Facilitate
open discussion

39. Silence is your friend

40. Create invitations.
Don't force anything.

41. If your name is
Joe or Sarah
stand up

42. Now dance!

43. Joe, I haven't heard
from you in a while
...

44. Instead...

45. Who else has an idea?

46. Any comments from
someone who hasn't
spoken in a while?

47. Are there any other
perspectives on this?

48. Ask Powerful Questions!

49. Powerful questions...
• Are truly open
• Are not asked with a "correct" answer in mind
• Invite introspection
• Reveal additional solutions
• Almost always lead to greater creativity and insight
• Send people into a realm of discovery
Source: Coaching Agile Teams. Co-Active Coaching Whitworth, et al.

50. https://www.growingagile.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/PowerfulQuestionCardsSmall.pdf

51. Rule 1. Use facilitation techniques!
Rule 2. Zoom in on the dog nose
Rule 3. Facilitate open discussion
To recap...

52. Follow Through

53. Rule #1
Follow the energy

54. EV(action item) is a function of...
impact

55. EV(action item) is a function of...
impact
effort

56. EV(action item) is a function of...
impact
effort
odds you will actually do it!

61. Rule #2
Focus on one thing
at a time

62. Rule #3
Be
SMART

63. Specific
Meaurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound

65. Rule #4
Small wins are better
than no wins at all

66. “What is your 15 percent?
Where do you have discretion and freedom to act?
What can you do without more resources or authority?"
http://www.liberatingstructures.com/7-15-solutions/
15% Solutions

67. Rule #5
Default to Privacy
Opt-In To Transparency

68. VEGAS
What happens in
Doesn't always stay in Vegas!

69. “Is there anything we discussed today that we want to
intentionally share with <the org, our manager, etc>?
At the end of the retro...

70. The Retrospective Radiator

71. Rule 1. Follow the energy
Rule 2. Focus on one thing at a time
Rule 3. Be SMART
Rule 4. Small wins are better than no wins at all
Rule 5. Default to privacy. Opt-In to transparency
To recap...

72. The Virtuous Cycle of
Retrospective Success

73. One thing I will try in my next
retrospective is...

74. https://academy.retrium.com