A brief introduction to Retrospectives. From an Agilist perspective. Complete with notes (at the end of the main presentation. Original http://tinyurl.com/5wfs8yy License Robert Burrell Donkin http://robertburrelldonkin.name created “Agile Retrospectives in Ten Slides” in 2011. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

1. – Agile --
Retrospectives
-- in ten slides --
CC-By-3.0
@itstechupnorth
Robert Burrell Donkin

3. – with --
Retrospectives

4. Developers

5. by
for

6. follows
Substance
Form

7. appoint a

8. timebox

10. ----
Thanks
-- for listening --
– Agile --
Retrospectives
-- in ten slides –
CC-By-3.0
Read more @itstechupnorth
http://tinyurl.com/64mohre Robert Burrell Donkin

11. – Agile --
Retrospectives
-- in ten slides --
CC-By-3.0
@itstechupnorth
Robert Burrell Donkin
Briefly introduces retrospectives in an agile context.
The style is an experimental blend of drawing and
text. Judge for yourself whether this is a hit or miss...
First presented as a Lightning Talk at Agile Yorkshire
http://www.agileyorkshire.org in 2011.
Some more on retrospectives
http://tinyurl.com/64mohre
Original http://tinyurl.com/5wfs8yy
License
Robert Burrell Donkin http://robertburrelldonkin.name created “Agile Retrospectives in
Ten Slides” in 2011.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To
view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a
letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California,
94105, USA.

12. Do, reflect, repeat is the classic cyclic rhythm of
iterative development. Iterative methods are
powered by frequent application of this positive
feedback loop.
Millions of words must have been invested by agilists
in the do. A rich palette of tools and techniques are
now well known, and ready to be applied.
By contrast, reflection has been relatively neglected.
But it is a mistake to expect that without effective
reflection, simply doing iterations will continuously
improve performance.
It is now, I think, widely appreciated that investments
in learning tools and techniques for doing
development are repaid quickly by reducing bugs
and increasing productivity. It's time to start
investing in tools and techniques for reflection.

13. – with --
Retrospectives
Retrospectives are a tool often adopted by agilists to
aid reflection. These meetings reflect on the last
iteration aiming to improve team performance for
the next.
By contrast, review meetings (advocated by more
traditional styles) look back to establish what
happened and why, perhaps aiming to prevent
future negative outcomes.
Iterative methods rely on a positive feedback loop,
and so forward looking, positive retrospectives fit
better than negative, backward looking review
styles.

14. Developers
Modern tools automate the mechanical side of the
development process: issues trackers record task
execution; version control track contributions; code
is exercised and assessed at build time; continuous
integration servers collect, collate and correlate
metrics. Agile methods are customer focussed, and
work intimately linked to immediate user need.
So, modern tools and agile methods negate the need
to meet to establish the process aspect of what and
why. This allows an increased focus on human
aspects. These are a strength for retrospectives,
and is another reason why they are a good fit for
agile development.
Retrospectives arise from a tradition which emphases
the importance of the human side of team
performance. Developers have feelings too. It's
time to stop pretending they don't, and time to start
talking.

15. by
for
The class post-mortem review meeting begins with a
senior manager deciding that something must be
done and ends with eliminated esprit de corps and
reinforced failure. The easiest way to destroy the
future effectiveness of reflective meetings is to use
them to play the blame game.
A retrospective is by the team and for the team. The
form and duration should aim to maximise the
benefit to the team. Like any Agile tool or
technique, the team should aim to continuously
improve retrospectives. Expect the form and
content to evolve over time. Keep retrospectives
fresh by mixing in training and coaching, and by
experimenting with new forms and elements.

16. follows
Substance
Form
The form taken by a retrospective should be flexible, and should
follow from the expected substance. Think about the aims of the
retrospective, and consider expectations. Then choose an
appropriate form.
I find stand up retrospectives are surprisingly successful, especially
when learning, building teams, or using short iterations. When
time is short, or when the project is progressing well, I find it
better to use this form than to skip the retrospective.
When the content is expected to be more substantial (for example,
at the end of long sprint), prepare a more structure form. Use
physical exercises to gather data, generate insights and move
forward. But prepare to be flexible, and adapt the form to the
emergent substance.
Regardless of form, a minimal lightweight structure helps a
meeting to flow and the team to focus. A good patten is that the
facilitator to start the retrospective by setting the stage,
establishing the tone and engaging the team; to stand back
(metaphorically and physically) and observe, measuring
interventions carefully; and to close the meeting at the end of the
timebox, bringing everyone together to create a clear collective
memory.

17. appoint a
Separation of concerns is a tactic that should be
familiar to developers. Facilitation separates
process from content concerns.
The facilitator is responsible for process aspects of
the meeting – time keeping, flow, balance and tone,
for example. The participants are collectively
responsible for creating the substantive content. By
stepping back from the group and maintaining a
neutral position, direct control is traded for thinking
time and psychological distance.
A key retrospection anti-pattern is facilitator
participation. Discipline is essential. When the team
is so small that everyone needs to participate, use
a different technique.

18. timebox
The team should be intensely engaged with the
retrospective. Clock watching breaks collective
concentration. The facilitator should be charged
with keeping the meeting to time.
Timeboxing is a planning technique popular with
Agilists. Timeboxing fixes duration and quality but
allows scope to vary. Retrospectives are an
excellent match for this technique. The participants
typically agree the timeboxes but leave the
implementation to the faciliator – allowing them free
to focus on activities and exercises.
A faciliatator should begin by setting the scene –
establishing the tone, breaking the ice and
encouraging everyone to speak – and close the
retrospective – reflect on the shared experience
and reinforce lessons learned.

19. A key influence on the health of a retrospective is the
environment - the space, ongoing physicality and
the location chosen. And this is within the control of
a facilitator. Consider location and choose
appropriately. Prepare the space carefully. Step in
quickly to remove physical impediments.
Observe team physicality during the meeting. Watch
for signs of engagement and disengagement;
energy and fatigue; cliques and bonding.

20. ----
Thanks
-- for listening --
– Agile --
Retrospectives
-- in ten slides –
CC-By-3.0
Read more @itstechupnorth
http://tinyurl.com/64mohre Robert Burrell Donkin
And thanks for reading these notes.
Remember that retrospectives should be fun :-)