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![Retrospectives can be unpopular
My team/project is special
because [reason], so we
don’t do retrospectives
But if you are special, you
have special problems that
you need to talk about](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whatswrongwithsprintretrospectivesandhowtofixthem-agile2014workshop-140725063713-phpapp01/75/What-s-wrong-with-sprint-retrospectives-and-how-to-fix-them-14-2048.jpg)
Uploaded byChris Smith
What's wrong with sprint retrospectives and how to fix them
The document discusses common problems with sprint retrospectives and how to fix them. It begins by outlining issues like retrospectives being perfunctory, unpopular activities that teams want to avoid. To address this, the document recommends preparing well for retrospectives, deliberately facilitating engaging activities, keeping to a retrospective framework, varying the types of activities used, and creating specific actions teams commit to implementing. Example activities are provided for each part of running an effective retrospective.
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What's wrong with sprint retrospectives and how to fix them
- 1. What’s wrong with sprintretrospectives and how to fix them Chris Smith and Michael Upton @cj_smithy @MuppoMike
- 3. In no morethan two words, state your feelings about sprint retrospectives in your place of work Instructions 20 seconds to think what you’re going to say Go round the group in order No discussion
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- 5. What is asprint retrospective?
- 6. How we roll… Wewill always know more than we know here Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt
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- 8. Pair interviews What’s wrongwith retrospectives? Instructions Pair up, each person to interview the other Interviewers, ask questions like: Do you have sprint retrospectives? If so, what’s unsatisfactory about yours? If not, why don’t you? Three minutes to interview, then we swap
- 9. Pair interviews What’s wrongwith retrospectives? What’s wrong with retrospectives?
- 10. Retrospectives can beperfunctory
- 11. Retrospectives can beunpopular I wonder what the score is? How can I get out of this? I could be coding! Nothing ever changes... What’s the point?
- 12. Retrospectives can beunpopular My team are literally allergic to the word ‘Retrospective’ So call it ‘Let’s get together and improve things’
- 13. Retrospectives can beunpopular My team talk to each other and we fix things when they come up Great… but sounds like fire-fighting. It’s worth looking for root causes
- 14. Retrospectives can beunpopular My team/project is special because [reason], so we don’t do retrospectives But if you are special, you have special problems that you need to talk about
- 15. So… do wecontinue ticking the box?
- 16. How we roll… Wewill always know more than we know here Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt Inspect & adapt
- 17. Retrospectives can betransformative
- 18. ? How do yourun an effective and engaging sprint retrospective?
- 19. References Agile Retrospectives: Making GoodTeams Great Derby and Larsen Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers Gray, Brown and Macanufo
- 20. How do yourun an effective and engaging sprint retrospective? Prepare well Deliberately facilitate Use the retrospective framework Vary activities Create good actions
- 21. Prepare well Invest time Workout what the team needs Decide agenda Gather people, help, snacks
- 22. Deliberately facilitate What doesgood facilitation look like?
- 23. Deliberately facilitate Set thetone Be clear and confident Be aware Don’t contribute (too much)
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- 28. Choose a ‘Goldilocks’goal Too closed Too open Just right
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- 30. Other activities toset the stage Check-in variations Focus On/Focus Off Explorer, Shopper, Vacationer, Prisoner Icebreakers – like ‘Desert Island’
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- 32. Gather data < 1/2> 1/2
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- 34. Other activities togather data Team Poll Timeline Short Subjects Mad/Sad/Glad Stop/Start/Continue Learning Matrix Like to Like card game
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- 36. Example activity Mission Impossible Howdo we remove all our technical debt… in a day? How do we add our new features… without writing any code?
- 37. Mission Impossible that setsa new world record for number of participants? How could we run an effective and engaging retrospective tomorrow…
- 38. How could werun an effective and engaging retrospective tomorrow… Instructions In your groups, use sticky notes to share ideas Call them out as you write them Explicitly think about: people, goals, process and logistics that sets a new world record for number of participants? Explicitly think about: people, goals, process and logistics Explicitly think about: people, goals, process and logistics Explicitly think about: people, goals, process and logistics Explicitly think about: people, goals, process and logistics Explicitly think about: people, goals, process and logistics
- 39. What happened whenwe tried it? How do we deliver everything on our plan… in a week?
- 40. Other activities togenerate insights Fishbone diagram Force Field Analysis Challenge Cards De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats Flip it Anti-problem Pre-Mortem
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- 42. Brain-writing Given what youhave heard and seen today, what should you do? Instructions Each person has paper divided into four sections Idea written in first section Paper passed to next person who builds on idea
- 43. What happened whenwe tried it?
- 44. Other activities todecide what to do Learning Matrix Tree of actions Circle of questions Prioritize Dot voting £100 Test Absolute order Personal commitment
- 45. Create good actions “Easiersaid than done” Yeah, it’s kind of a ‘black art’. Sorry
- 46. Action creation tactics Notsure exactly what to tackle? Gather more data
- 47. Action creation tactics Notsure how to make a mind-set or direction change actually happen? Introduce an artefact or activity
- 48. Action creation tactics Teamseems unsure or noncommittal? Measure with ‘Five-Fingered Consensus’
- 49. Action creation tactics Minoritydisagree? Ask them to “try” for a sprint
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- 51. Get some feedbackon the session
- 52. Get some feedbackon the session
- 53. ? What havewe covered?
- 54. What’s wrong withsprint retrospectives? Perfunctory Box-ticking Unpopular
- 55. How do youfix sprint retrospectives? Prepare well Deliberately facilitate Keep to retrospective framework Vary activities Create good actions
- 56. References Agile Retrospectives: MakingGood Teams Great Derby and Larsen Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers Gray, Brown and Macanufo http://www.plans-for-retrospectives.com/ http://retrospectivewiki.org/
- 57. Questions Chris Smith andMichael Upton @cj_smithy @MuppoMike chris.smith@red-gate.com michael.upton@red-gate.com ?