This document provides guidance on conducting retrospectives to improve agile processes. It outlines the key elements of retrospectives such as setting the stage, gathering data, generating insights, deciding on actions, and closing the retrospective. It recommends allocating 2-4 hours depending on sprint length and team size. Basic questions to ask include what worked, what didn't work, and what to continue doing. The document also provides examples of iteration planning with constraints, user stories and conditions of satisfaction. It describes activities for each stage of the retrospective process and recommends further reading on the topic.

1. Retrospectives : Moving Forward
by Looking Back

2. Key Elements
• Set the Stage
• Gather Data
• Generate Insights
• Decide What to Do
• Close the Retrospective

3. Time Taken
• 2 hours for a 2 week sprint
• 4 hours for a 4 week sprint
• Add time when there are more people
• Add time when there has been a black swan
event (abnormal termination of sprint, failure
to release a potentially shippable increment)

4. Basic Questions
• What worked?
• What didn’t work?
• What should we continue doing?

5. Iteration 1
• Constraints
– None
• User Story
– Correctly perform at least 1 round of pass the cup
– Note down how many rounds your team successfully
accomplished
• Conditions of Satisfaction
– Cannot pass the cup until you correctly perform the
entire dance
– There are no partial completions allowed

6. The Cup Game
• http://youtu.be/Grb1oa72kmk

7. Setting the Stage
• Activity : Focus On/Focus Off
• Purpose : Help establish a mindset for
productive communication
• Materials
– Flipchart
– Marker
– Index cards
– Pens

8. Iteration 2
• Constraints
– None
• User Story
– Correctly perform at least 1 round of pass the cup
– Note down how many rounds your team successfully
accomplished
• Conditions of Satisfaction
– Cannot pass the cup until you correctly perform the
entire dance
– There are no partial completions allowed

9. Gather Data
• Activity : Mad Sad Glad
• Purpose : Get the feeling facts out on the
table
• Materials
– Colored Index cards or Sticky Notes
– Three flip chart sheets taped to a wall

10. Iteration 3
• Constraints
– Each cup is a 100,000$ Machine. The department that
controls machines will remove machines at random from
your use. You have no choice in this matter.
• User Story
– Correctly perform at least 1 round of pass the cup
– Note down how many rounds your team successfully
accomplished
• Conditions of Satisfaction
– Cannot pass the cup until you correctly perform the entire
dance
– There are no partial completions allowed

11. Generate Insights
• Activity : Patterns and Shifts
• Purpose : Look for links and connections
between facts and feelings
• Materials
– Markers
– Flip chart paper
– Post it Notes of 3 different colors

12. Further Investigation
• Agile Retrospectives Making Good Teams
Great by Esther Darby, Diana Larsen
• Fun Retrospectives
http://leanpub.com/funretrospectives
• Getting Value out of Agile Retrospectives - A
Toolbox of Retrospective Exercises by Luis
Gonçalves and Ben Linders