Introduction to Agile Retrospectives

1. Agile Retrospective
Potential For Improvement
Introduction to Agile RetrospectivesIntroduction to Agile Retrospectives

2. The Author
• Consultant for Agile & Process
Improvement
2
Sebastian Schneider
Improvement
• Kugler Maag Cie GmbH
• http://www.sebastian-schneider.eu
• http://de.slideshare.net/schneseb
• http://prezi.com/user/SebastianSchneider/
• http://facebook.com/Sebastian.Schneider.eu
• https://twitter.com/SeSchneider
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3. Agile Retrospective
3
Helping your team
based largely on this book
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Helping your team
inspect and adapt

4. Timeline Information
#1
Set the
stage
#2
Gather
data
#3
Generate
insights
4
#4
Decide what
to do
Close the
retrospective
#5
• Warm welcome
• Invite every one
• Appreciate for
investment
• Time
information
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Hard facts:
• Metrics
• Feature
• Events
• ...
• Why?
• What to change?
• Team based
• Step back, get
the big picture
• Prioritize the
improvements
and / or
experiments
• Pick one or two
for the next
iteration
• Document and
follow-up
• Feedback
• Appreciate for
investment

5. Goals Of AAgile Retrospective
• Find ways to improve the current doing
• Want went well, what doesn‘t?
5
• Understand the reasons of events
• Respond quickly and inspect & adapt
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6. Time & Date
• Set date for retrospective (e.g. at the end
of every iteration)
• Set the logistics
• Invite all team members
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Hint: 1 hour for 1
week, half a day for 4
weeks

7. Overview
Section Time needed
Set the stage ~ 12 minutes
Gather data ~ 80 minutes
Generate insights ~ 50 minutes
Decide what to do ~ 40 minutes
• A good Agile Retrospective needs time
• The time highly depends on the number
of participants and the timing interval
that is being examined
• The overall constraint is the goal
7
Close the
retrospective
~ 25 minutes
Shuffle time ~30 minutes
total ~240 minutes
• The overall constraint is the goal
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Possible example for 4
hour retrospective

8. Preparation
• Set the goal
• Send invitations
• Retrospective Leader prepare the outline
of the Agile Retrospective
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Goal
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9. Choosing Activities
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• Understand the Agile Retrospective as a
kind of framework
• There are different activities and
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• There are different activities and
possibilities to choose from
• In front of the Agile Retrospective choose
at least two activities for each stage

10. Social Factor
• Create the group feeling
• Build the team
Generate Scope
• Working agreements for the retrospective
• What is the scope?
10
Set the Stage: Prepares the team for the work they’ll do on the retrospective
• The success of the Agile Retrospective
based on the behavior between the
participants
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11. 11
Set the Stage: Prepares the team for the work they’ll do on the retrospective
ESVPFocus on / off
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12. Create the same understanding
• All the participants need the same
understanding
• The scope (length of the examined
Share different point of views
• Different participants have different views
on the examined interval
• It is important to get all different views to
12
Gather Data: Create shared picture what happened during the interval
• The scope (length of the examined
interval) is clear to all participants
• It is important to get all different views to
create a common understanding for all
team members
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13. 13
Gather Data
Timeline
Small World Cafe
Write idea5 min
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Timeline

14. Generating insights to data
• Based on the gathered data a deeper look
to the insight take place
• Conditions, Interactions & Patterns
Interprete data
• Why does something happened?
• Where are strengths?
14
Generate Insights: Evaluate data and make information
• Conditions, Interactions & Patterns
• Where is improvement potential?
• Are there risks?
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15. 15
Generate Insights: Evaluate data and make information
Current Reality Tree
Force Field Analyze
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Fishbone

16. Make decision proposals
• Based on the information gathered in the
Agile Retrospective it is time for decisions
• Decisions should be clear to understand
Decide which topics will be worked
• All participants should agree to the
defined action for the next iteration
• The goals of the topics are clear and
16
Decide what to do: Focus to next iteration
• Decisions should be clear to understand
and allow immediately the next steps
• The goals of the topics are clear and
understood
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17. 17
Decide what to do: Focus to next iteration
Specific
Measurable
SMART Requirements
Dot Prioritization
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Measurable
Accepted
Realistic
Time-based
Proposal 2
Proposal 2
Proposal 3
Proposal 4

18. Finish
• Come to an end
• Wrap up
Social Factor
• Thank every participant
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Close the Retrospective
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19. 19
Close the Retrospective
+/Delta
ROTI
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+ ∆