Essential Agile Retrospective
An Agile retrospective is a meeting held by a team at the end of a sprint to reflect on the recent work done and identify areas of improvement for the next sprint.
A retrospective focuses on the team's performance as a whole rather than individual contributions. Everyone gathers together to discuss both positive and negative aspects of the sprint and identifies what to do next.
Objectives
- Focus on the team's performance as a whole
- Discuss both positive and negative aspects of the sprint
- Celebrate achievements
- Identify next steps and areas of improvement
- Foster an atmosphere of continuous team growth
Instructions
This workshop is designed to be held at the end of an Agile sprint. It’s best to schedule it shortly after the project’s close, so that the process is still fresh in the team’s mind and at a time that is suitable for everyone.
Before a retrospective, a good tip is to share the project brief and achievements. Invite people to reflect in preparation for the retrospective. This workshop is effective in both live and remote formats, and can work as a hybrid lesson as well. Teams can use online whiteboards or TeamRetro to reflect, capture feedback and identify next steps.
Remember, Agile retrospectives are not a one-time event. They are an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement. By leveraging collective wisdom, creativity, and commitment, teams gather insights and actions to shape future sprints, allowing greater value to be delivered in their next projects.
Who can facilitate this Agile retrospective?
As with most Agile workshops, don’t be put-off by the terminology. Agile is a flexible and human-centred way to manage projects and most facilitators could guide a retrospective using the instructions provided.
A good idea is to rotate the responsibility of facilitating a retrospective amongst team members to build facilitation skills within the team and ensure that different perspectives and approaches are brought to each session. Whenever a team member “wears their facilitator hat” should remember to remain impartial, and separate their “facilitator” self from their role in the project.
In certain situations, an external facilitator may be brought in to provide a fresh perspective and facilitate unbiased discussions. An Agile coach can also facilitate retrospectives, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and facilitation skills to help teams navigate the process.
Who facilitates a retrospective depends on factors such as team dynamics and expertise.
Of course, it’s helpful to have knowledge of the project and Agile principles, but the key point is to create a safe and open space where team members can freely share their thoughts and ideas.
Author
James Smart is Head of Content at SessionLab. He’s facilitated workshops and designed elearning experiences for places including the University of East Anglia and the National Centre for Writing. At SessionLab, we are passionate about facilitation. We believe good workshop design leads to better collaboration, enabling people to achieve great things. SessionLab is the go-to platform for session design, with an agenda planning tool, library of facilitation resources and vibrant community for facilitators. It enables facilitators to streamline workshop design through drag-and-drop scheduling, automatic timing and seamless sharing with clients and colleagues.
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