What is a retrospective?
A retrospective is a key part of the Agile methodology, which involves breaking a project down into smaller tasks or phases called sprints. Teams continuously collaborate and improve by following a cycle of planning, executing and evaluating their work for each sprint.
At the end of each sprint, the team reviews what was completed, what may still need to be done and the next priorities. A retrospective is held after the review to inspect what went well during the last sprint and what can be improved for further effectiveness.
Retrospectives often focus on addressing problems that occurred, how they were solved, and how they may be avoided or tackled differently in future. However, the sprint retrospective will also assess what went well to see if further efficiencies can be made or applied to other tasks. It will also reveal what went better than expected.
The retrospective will look at the performance of individuals involved, interactions between individuals and/or departments and the tools they used as well as the project’s processes.
Why is a retrospective important?
Continuous improvement is important to ensure a business operates at its best. Reviewing performance and finding new ways of working during a project, rather than waiting until completion, ensures that any common issues that may arise are tackled early and immediately, preventing future delays. Highlighting experiences that worked well can help ensure processes and behaviours are not adjusted unnecessarily, which may cause problems later.
Including employees who are involved in the project in the retrospective is essential to gain first-hand experience and insight into new ways of working. It also can increase motivation and engagement when everyone’s point of view is valued, good performance is recognised and problems are not left to fester.
It is important to communicate to employees that improvements to performance and processes can be made at any time during the sprint. However, the retrospective provides an official platform or opportunity for employees to make their suggestions and be heard by decision-makers or all those involved. As it is scheduled as a meeting into the participants’ calendars, it ensures time is taken to reflect on what has occurred to date, rather than end up as a task that never seems to get checked off the to-do list.
How does a retrospective work?
The number and types of attendees depend on the project size, team or organisation. All employees involved in the sprint may be invited to attend the retrospective to provide their perspectives, or only key team leaders might participate.
For a month-long sprint, a retrospective typically takes less than half a day to complete. Use this timeframe as a guide when scheduling a retrospective for shorter or longer sprints.
The facilitator – such as the project manager or scrum leader – may want to create a template to itemise the discussion to ensure the required questions are asked and points are covered at every retrospective. These are some example topics that can be discussed:
- What worked well?
- What could have worked better?
- What needs improvement?
- What was puzzling?
- What was better than expected?
- What action/s can be taken in future to address these issues?
To improve inclusivity and encourage all participants to contribute, try to encourage them to reflect on each other positively by asking questions such as:
- What is something you admire about a colleague’s work during this sprint?
- Who made a contribution that you were impressed with?
These questions can also help to inspire all employees to undertake similar behaviours in the next sprint.
When analysing individual performances, consider outside factors as well that may have played a part in their outcomes, by asking questions such as:
- How was the work/life balance during this sprint?
- What additional support would have been useful to access during this sprint?
- Is there anything that could be removed from your workload that would help improve quality or efficiency during the next sprint?
A time limit for each question or discussion topic may need to be introduced and listed on the retrospective’s schedule to ensure all points are discussed, and useful outcomes are achieved on the day.
The next steps after a retrospective
Determining actions during the retrospective is important, but it may also be useful to assign specific employees to implement them, even if they did not raise the issue or devise the action. This leaves no doubt as to who will lead the actions and ensures they are acted upon.
How actions are implemented may be discussed during the retrospective, depending on their complexity. The retrospective group may also decide to leave it up to the employee/s to implement the action themselves, using SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based) goals.
Distributing a summary of the retrospective afterwards helps all employees remain clear on their focus, goals and responsibilities for the next sprint. If they wish, facilitators can follow up with employees one-on-one in the following weeks to ensure that actions are being attempted or enacted.
How to improve the success of a retrospective
It is essential that all employees feel they can speak openly about issues and have the time to do so. This often comes down to the business having an inclusive work culture. However, the organiser or facilitator can also encourage employees who are not forthcoming during the meeting to share their views and feedback. The facilitator can guide the discussion back on track if it goes off course or over time, ensuring a positive trajectory.
Attendees can be called upon before the retrospective to add items to the agenda to ensure that the item is not forgotten or overlooked. They do not need to outline the scenario in length on the agenda, but simply recommend the topic be a point of discussion.
Also, beware of focusing too much time on laying blame for mistakes or dissecting minor problems in detail. If a problem is a once-off or unlikely to arise again, it can be acknowledged without extensive analysis. The meeting can focus on positive steps and forward actions. Any issues that may require blame to be laid or a penalty issued, such as an official warning or reprimand, can be addressed by appropriate leaders outside the retrospective.
It may take some time for employees to get used to the concept of a retrospective or the flow of the meeting, but once they are well-practised, they will see it as a positive way to provide their feedback and review performance. It will soon become an essential and productive habit to review business performance and gain employee feedback that will make you wonder how you ever operated effectively without it.
