1 00:00:00,410 --> 00:00:02,640 After wrapping up a sprint, it's important for 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,990 the team to reflect on its successes and failures. 3 00:00:05,990 --> 00:00:08,550 Then the team commits to something they can change 4 00:00:08,550 --> 00:00:11,140 about how they carry out the next sprint. 5 00:00:11,140 --> 00:00:15,250 Just as the development of software is an iterative process, 6 00:00:15,250 --> 00:00:20,060 developing an effective team involves practice, reflection, and iteration. 7 00:00:20,060 --> 00:00:23,540 The retrospective should be facilitated by someone outside the team 8 00:00:23,540 --> 00:00:25,380 who everyone can trust. 9 00:00:25,380 --> 00:00:29,540 It shouldn't be a manager or someone whose presence might be intimidating. 10 00:00:29,540 --> 00:00:33,900 The retrospective must be a place where everyone can be open and honest without 11 00:00:33,900 --> 00:00:38,930 fear that they might be evaluated poorly, or otherwise run into consequences. 12 00:00:38,930 --> 00:00:42,380 A common tool of the retrospective is a stack of sticky notes for 13 00:00:42,380 --> 00:00:43,210 each team member. 14 00:00:44,250 --> 00:00:49,370 Typically the facilitator starts by asking the team to construct a sprint timeline. 15 00:00:49,370 --> 00:00:53,670 This grounds the team's reflection in the sprint that has just concluded. 16 00:00:53,670 --> 00:00:57,760 The team is given a few minutes during which each team member recalls key events 17 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:02,620 in the sprint, writes them on stickies, and adds them to the timeline. 18 00:01:02,620 --> 00:01:05,370 Then the facilitator reviews the timeline with the whole team. 19 00:01:06,750 --> 00:01:10,140 Whole books have been written on the sprint retrospective alone. 20 00:01:10,140 --> 00:01:14,210 And there are many ways to facilitate the group's reflection on their work. 21 00:01:14,210 --> 00:01:17,550 To avoid fatigue, the facilitator should mix it up, 22 00:01:17,550 --> 00:01:21,610 using different retrospective games to illicit the team's learnings. 23 00:01:21,610 --> 00:01:26,410 A typical, if often overused retrospective technique, is for 24 00:01:26,410 --> 00:01:28,980 team members to write the answers to three questions. 25 00:01:30,060 --> 00:01:31,410 What went well? 26 00:01:31,410 --> 00:01:33,030 What could have gone better? 27 00:01:33,030 --> 00:01:34,300 And, what can we change? 28 00:01:35,310 --> 00:01:38,880 There are many excellent guides written on the sprint retrospective, 29 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,490 with various activities to facilitate team reflection. 30 00:01:42,490 --> 00:01:45,000 The goal of any exercise is the same, for 31 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,020 the team to reflect on their practice and choose one measurable goal 32 00:01:49,020 --> 00:01:52,340 they can work on to improve their practice in the next sprint. 33 00:01:52,340 --> 00:01:55,800 Here's a simple example using a sailboat analogy. 34 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:00,780 In this analogy, we have this really great sailboat that gets us where we wanna go. 35 00:02:00,780 --> 00:02:04,370 Team members are asked to think of and write down things that are helping move 36 00:02:04,370 --> 00:02:09,890 the boat, things that we should bring with us, and things that slow us down. 37 00:02:09,890 --> 00:02:13,230 Next, everyone on the team gets a few minutes to reflect and 38 00:02:13,230 --> 00:02:15,770 write their ideas, each on a separate sticky. 39 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:21,320 After time is up, team members take turns reading their item aloud. 40 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,180 Other team members may ask clarifying questions and 41 00:02:24,180 --> 00:02:26,300 the author places the sticky on the sailboat. 42 00:02:27,490 --> 00:02:31,430 If it's something that helps the team it's placed on the sails. 43 00:02:31,430 --> 00:02:34,180 Things the team values go in the boat. 44 00:02:34,180 --> 00:02:37,480 Things that slow the team down go on the anchor. 45 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,950 If an item is red, and another team member has a similar item, they can place their 46 00:02:41,950 --> 00:02:45,980 sticky next to the first item on the board with a brief explanation. 47 00:02:45,980 --> 00:02:48,120 This moves things along quickly. 48 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:51,320 Once all the items are placed, team members get to vote for 49 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,580 the item that deserves attention in the next sprint. 50 00:02:54,580 --> 00:02:56,560 Team members use a pen, marker, or 51 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,610 sticker to place a dot on the item they would like to vote for. 52 00:03:00,610 --> 00:03:04,890 Each team member is allotted three dots they can distribute as they wish. 53 00:03:04,890 --> 00:03:08,320 For example, if I feel really strongly about a particular item, 54 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:10,930 I can place all three of my dots on a single item. 55 00:03:10,930 --> 00:03:15,350 When all votes are cast, the team reviews a few of the highest vote getters, and 56 00:03:15,350 --> 00:03:20,210 discusses how to craft one of those items as a specific and measurable goal. 57 00:03:20,210 --> 00:03:24,960 An example might be, we will keep the stand up meetings to 15 minutes. 58 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,720 This is specific because it refers to one area of practice and 59 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,850 it is measurable because the team can track the time of each stand up meeting 60 00:03:32,850 --> 00:03:35,690 and note whether they concluded within 15 minutes. 61 00:03:35,690 --> 00:03:39,240 The team may also discuss tactics for meeting the goal. 62 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:44,100 Like posting the three stand up questions on the wall, bringing a visible timer 63 00:03:44,100 --> 00:03:47,630 to the stand up meeting, or even time boxing each check in.