The goal of a retrospective is to improve team performance by studying experiences, identifying any barriers, and creating a plan to address them.
- iteration retrospective (sprint, cadence, quarter, year);
- result-oriented retrospective (feature implementation, initiative, project, OKR plan, etc.);
- team development retrospective (updating team values, principles, and agreements);
- motivational retrospective (identifying and developing individual and team energy);
- supportive retrospective (team storming, team stress, frequent conflicts);
- Resolving a complex conflict.
- by default, a retrospective is an intra-team event. In specific cases, external participants may be invited with the approval of ALL team members;
- for result-oriented or conflict resolution retrospectives involving other teams, representatives from those teams gather (e.g., for a cross-functional project or conflict in cross-functional interaction).
- Check-in (~5-10 min): conduct a brief warm-up to engage all participants and set the tone for the retrospective. This could include mood check exercises, energy level assessments, or reflections on the past sprint.
- Gather data (~15-20 min): Identify issues for discussion. Problems can be identified through participant surveys, a review of sprint/cadence/project process metrics, and other sources. If the problem is already identified, synchronize understanding of why it's a problem, for whom, and what impact it has.
- Generate ideas (~20-40 min):
- group and prioritize identified issues;
- have the team propose solutions / improvements on sticky notes. For larger teams, split into small groups, each addressing a specific problem;
- discuss solutions, group, and prioritize considering implementation simplicity and potential impact on the problem. Ask questions like "Does the chosen solution really solve the problem?" and "How will we know we've solved the problem?".
- Create an action plan (~10-20 min):
- compile a specific action plan from the chosen ideas: who-what-when.Sometimes, selected solutions are formulated as a permanent team rule and need to be documented on the team's agreement board.
- Check-out (~5-10 min): close the meeting with words of gratitude, feedback to the facilitator, or an assessment of the likelihood of action plan completion.