Retrospec)ves – Tips, Tricks and Traps May 20, 2015 Louisville Agile Forum
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Retrospec)ves – Tips, Tricks and Traps
May 20, 2015
Louisville Agile Forum
Earl Evere(
• Enterprise Agile Coach with Improving Enterprises
• Developer, Tester, Manager, Director – 1st professional so=ware experience in 1971
– 1st agile experience in 1974 – Have rolled out Scrum and/or Kanban in eight companies, and rebooted in two. (all achieved a hyper-‐producMve state)
Recovering PMI Member
End of Sprint Deliverables
End of Sprint Deliverables
Have you ever been part of a RetrospecMve that was:
• Boring? • RepeMMve? • That perhaps lacked
buy-‐in? focus? parMcipaMon? meaningful insight? follow-‐up or follow-‐through?
• That was depressing, demoralizing, or possibly even a (gasp!) waste of Mme?
Retrospec)ve (rĕtˌrə-‐spĕkˈYv) (from the LaMn retrospectare, “to look back")
During the retrospecMve, the Team ‘looks back’, inspects how they work, considers, analyzes, and idenMfies ways they can improve both their work, and how they work.
The thinking that got us here isn’t the thinking that’s going to get us where we need to be. -‐-‐ a(ributed to Albert Einstein
RetrospecMves are not
• The place for individual performance feedback
• An answer for inadequate technical or collaboraMon skills
The RetrospecMve Prime DirecMve
Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the Mme, their skills and abiliMes, the resources available, and the situaMon at hand.
-‐-‐ Norman L. Kerth
A RetrospecMve Template 1. Set the stage / establish safety 2. Gather data 3. Generate insights 4. Consolidate and prioriMze the ideas 5. Decide what to do 6. Close the retrospecMve
The Pyramid
CreaMng safety • Much of creaMng safety is about not doing things:
• Not using velocity as an assessment mechanism
• Not adding pressure by blaming the team if they miss sprint targets
• Not fostering a culture of compeMMon within a team
• Not rewarding individual achievement over collaboraMon
Seing the stage / establishing safety
• Establish safety as needed • Review the facts • Establish a focus for the retrospecMve
• Share the plan for the retrospecMve
Safety Check
5 I feel comfortable bringing up any topic, asking any quesMon, and fully parMcipaMng in any discussions.
4 I can ask most quesMons and offer most opinions, but someMmes hesitate to speak or parMcipate.
3 I'll contribute non-‐controversial opinions if someone else brings up a topic
2 I would hesitate to bring up or offer opinions on some topics or discussions
1 I would hesitate to bring up or offer opinions on almost all topics or discussions
0 I won't ask quesMons, won't add my opinion, don’t want to parMcipate, and would like to leave the room.
Level DescripMon Comment Example Results
4 Secure Everything is discussable without filtering
XXXX YY ZZZZZZ A
3 Safe Almost everything is discussable without filtering
XXXXXXXX YYYYYY ZZZZZZZZZ AAAAA
2 Neutral Most things are discussable without filtering
XX YYYYY ZZ AAAA
1 Dangerous Many of my best ideas are not discussable
YY A
0 Treacherous Most of my best ideas are not discussable
AppreciaMons
“A simple thank you can make a difference; apprecia)on builds good will, and reminds people that they are valued as human beings, not just as CPUs (Code Producing Units) or FTEs (Full Time Equivalents).”
-‐-‐ Esther Derby
Gather data
§ Record a shared set of data
§ Consider objecMve and subjecMve data
² Separate facts / feelings / opinions
§ The retrospecMve focus guides what data is relevant for the retrospecMve.
AddiMonal RetrospecMve Exercises
• Start, Stop, ConMnue • Working, Not Working, Things To Try, Things to Escalate
• Mad, Sad, Glad
• Sail Boat / Hot Air Balloon / Jet / Rocket • Triple Nickel • 4 L’s ( Liked / Learned / Lacked / Longed for )
Generate insights
• Move beyond habitual thinking
• Observe pa(erns
• Understand root causes and influences
• Develop a shared awareness
• Observe / understand systemic effects
Consolidate and prioriMze the ideas
• Affinity Group / Silent Grouping
• Dot VoMng
• Timebox discussions
Decide What to Try • Determine one or two acMons or experiments.
• Don’t necessarily focus on what is “most important” to someone outside the team (mgmt., business, etc.)
• Focus on what the team can accomplish.
Action Ideas! Effort! Impact! Energy! Commit!
M!S!M!L!S!S!
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Close the retrospecMve
• Recap agreed-‐upon acMons, actors (if needed), and follow-‐up
• IdenMfy ways to improve the next retrospecMve (retrospect the retrospecMve)
Return on Time Invested
Every retrospecMve should be unique
• Choose a focus that represents what’s going on for the team
• IdenMfy data that will help the team sort through things
• Select acMviMes that will enable all members of the team to parMcipate, and think, learn, and decide together
• Learn from mistakes – regroup and forge ahead • Don’t get in a rut – switch things up • Provide sufficient Mme to think and innovate • Don’t forget the team building
Some ineffecMve retrospecMves start in the middle, asking the group what they did well, and what they should do differently. ”What did we do … “
“ … well?” and “ … poorly?” asks for insights without shared data.
“ … differently?” asks for conclusions without either shared data or analysis.
Summary
• Plan the retrospecMve. Have a Plan A, and backup plans. Prepare and organize materials and space.
• Create the condiMons for: 1. Safety zone for open and honest communicaMon. 2. A shared Team understanding developed
through discovery. 3. Team commi(ed Executable AcMon Items, which
are posted in a big visible way in the Team area (and on the Team Wiki, if you have one.)
• Have fun!
?
What will you do differently tomorrow?
Resources BOOKS: • Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great
by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen (Pragmatic Programmers, 2006) • Getting Value out of Agile Retrospectives - A Toolbox of Retrospective Exercises
by Luis Gonçalves and Ben Linders (InfoQ, 2014) • Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews
by Norman Kerth (Dorset House, 2001) • Agile Software Development by Alstair Cockburn (Addison-Wesley, 2001)
(“Reflection workshops” are a top-level practice in Crystal Clear) • The Retrospective Handbook: A guide for agile teams by Patrick Kua (CreateSpace, 2013) • Software for Your Head: Core Protocols for Creating and Maintaining Shared Vision
by Jim and Michele McCarthy (Addison-Wesley, 2001. • Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making by Sam Kaner, et al. New Society
Publishers, 1996. WEBSITES:
www.tastycupcakes.org www.retrospectivewiki.org www.thiagi.com
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