Retrospectives are one of the most important and common Agile ceremonies, but are you and your team bored with them? Do you always use the same, old format, or are they just proving to be ineffective?
The aim of this session is to empower you to change things up within your team or company and bring the Retrospective back to life. You will learn about a number of new and different Retrospective techniques that you can start using immediately back at your company. It's time for Retrospectives to Strike Back!
5. 5
“Agile Retrospectives are special
meetings where a team steps back,
examines the way they work, and
identifies ways they can improve.”
Ester Derby
“Insanity: it’s doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Why do we do Retrospectives? Because we don’t want to be insane and do the same thing over and over again. We want different results!
Talk about Retrospectives // How I want Retrospectives to return to it’s place as a very important Agile ceremony
Story – Working with a team at SEEK 2 years ago. They were very similar to us. Large re-platforming project. Migrating members to the new system. Been together for a while. // Retros same format! Same themes discussed! No eneregy // Minimal continuous improvement
There has to be a better way!
Reminder – What’s the point of Retros – Looking at why we do them
Steps towards better Retros regardless of the format
Introduce lots of new and fun Retro formats
Let’s get straight into it
Or have you seen this image before? Or can you relate to it?
It seems like straight forward things to avoid, so why is it that when we’re working on projects or initiatives, we don’t actively look to improve how we work until the Post Implementation Review when it’s all too late!
Great quote that summarises Retros // Ester Derby – wrote a book with Diana Larsen
READ QUOTE
It’s about meeting regularly (every fortnight / week / whenver) // reflecting // improving
It’s all about Continuous Improvement.
I think we’ve lost sight of this and it has just become a habit.
We got told about this Agile practice that we’re meant to do and so we started doing it…
I think that Retros are the most important Agile practice and it deserves justice!
It deserves purpose, energy, excitement, which all lead to continuous improvement.
I want to now spend some time focusing on how we give Retros their justice.
How we make Retros the most important practice.
Being prepared is a way to go from unproductive Retros to Retros that have a plan / focus
Invest time in preparing – For every hour your workshop is, spend at least half the time planning
Plan how the Retro will work (i.e. agenda, plan A/B)
Have all materials ready (cards, post it notes, market pens)
Facilitating a Retro well can mean that your Retros are no longer unproductive. How do you do this…
Designated facilitator (preferably not a participator)
Be clear and confident with instruction of how to run the technique – State your expectations of people
Have enthusiasm! It’s important to bring energy to the room – Think about how you would normally facilitate or lead a meeting – Now take the energy up a level or two!
Explain and enforce the chosen format
Enforcing the appropriate behaviour within Retros is important to ensures two things: 1. It ensures the Retro is respectful. 2. It does not turn into a blaming session that will not help anyone.
Respectful
Turning up on time – avoid distractions later
Not talking over the top of eachother (VERY important in Distributed Retros)
Including everyone – people in distributed teams & quiet people
Avoid a blaming session
Focus on the positivity – Remember we assume that we all tried our best in the given circumstances. Let’s work out how to improve together.
Focus on the facts. Not personal judgements.
In order to avoid Retro Actions constantly being ignore it’s important to have clear actions:
Should be achievable / have a clear outcome
Needs someone to champion the action
Don’t commit to too much!
It is also important to follow them up
Put them on your Story Wall
During the Iteration/Sprint – Follow up Retro actions
Review actions at the next Retros
Ask whether they lead to a better outcome?
Let’s learn about some new ones!
Ropes and Fuels – A fun and creative way to look @ what’s pushing us forward (fuels) // what’s holding us back (ropes). Similar to what we did last Retro – Speedboat.
Provide instructions – Don’t draw balloon too big
Personal Experience – Ran this 2 weeks ago w/ my team @ REA // Lack of short term planning – caught up in our own success / org. politics // Focused on team // Planning meetings (structure) / highlighted very strongly to Product Manager – zealously worked on backlog
Why is it better than old format? It’s fun! // Focuses on what gives us momentum & holds us back
Appreciative Retro – To focus on the positive side of things and realise that the world is not coming to an end!
Provide instructions
Personal Experience – Just delivered project @ SEEK in Sep ‘13 // Staying together next project // Wanted to appreciate our hard work // Future state – Git – Championed by 1 Dev
Why is it better than old format? Only positive // Looks for opportunities to further improve
Presentation Notes:
Lean Coffee is a great way for people to get their burning topics off their chest. They bring a topic to the Retro to discuss.
Provide instructions. Remember to explain how it starts and how the team is involved
The 5 minute rule is a concept you can use in any situation… not just Lean Coffee!
Personal Experience: I’ve used Lean Coffee for an iteration Retro. It worked OK. Sometimes people will tune out when the issue doesn’t directly impact them.
Next time I’ll try something different – different time (not afternoon), not as many warm up exercises.
Emotional Timeline – To reflect on a period time // Look at both factual & emotional
Provide instructions
Personal Experience – I just joined my team @ REA who had never done a Retro - Mar ‘14 // Had been together for months team of 3 // Emotional pointed out pain point from months ago – CartoDb on Macs
Why is it better than old format? Reflecting over time period (remember that thing?) // engaging factual & emotional
Race car! A new Retro format I haven’t tried, but very similar to a favourite of mine – Speedboat (learnt at LAST Conference last year)
It’s fun! // Great insight into what is and could happen.
Provide instructions
Let’s go back to work and try it out on Monday. I will be!
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Thank you!
Special shout out to Ilya from Ilya Creative who did a great job on the slides. Does all of Elabor8’s design work http://ilyacreative.com/
Tweet my any questions // Connect on LinkedIn // Grab me now or at lunch!