Retrospectives and Scrum Values

Photo Mike Warot

Weak retrospectives bother me.  The ones where the team members don't speak honestly and fully or the ones where actions are not identified--the ones that feel like a waste of time because no changes are coming out of them.  The facilitator has a responsibility to guide the team to reflect upon itself and identify ways to improve.  As a result of my enthusiasm for effective retrospective meetings, my coworker Ty has nicknamed me the "Retrospective Diva."  According to the Scrum Guide, the purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to:

  • Inspect how the last Sprint went with regards to people, relationships, process, and tools;
  • Identify and order the major items that went well and potential improvements; and,
  • Create a plan for implementing improvements to the way the Scrum Team does its work. 

I shared with Ty some of the activities I use when facilitating a retrospective (which I learned from Agile Retrospectives by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen), and he too sings praises of the Team Radar activity.  Teams can be hesitant to open up, but the rewards can be huge.  I like to have team members individually and anonymously rate the team on a scale of 1 to 10 on the 5 scrum values: communication, courage, focus, openness, and respect.  The results often provide for interesting discussion within the team since they are plotted on a chart for everyone to see, and the debriefing is key.  I find it beneficial to change the activities in each retrospective so the team does not fall into a thinking rut, but the Team Radar is a good one to revisit with the team periodically.

Allison Pollard

Allison Pollard helps overwhelmed technical leaders debug their management approach. She teaches them how to manage up, support people through change, and make time for strategic work. Her education in computer science, mathematics, and English from Southern Methodist University helps her connect technical work with people management. As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Allison focuses on improving product delivery and leadership culture. Her experience includes work in energy, retail, financial, real estate, and transportation industries. Allison regularly speaks at global conferences like Scrum Gatherings and Agile Alliance's Agile20xx. She promotes women's leadership as the program director for Women in Agile's Mentorship program. When she's not working, Allison likes to drink lattes and listen to Broadway musicals. Allison is a proud glasses wearer and co-owner of Middlegame Partners.

http://www.allisonpollard.com
Previous
Previous

Team Terminology - Self-Organizing or Self-Managing?

Next
Next

Changing the World