The art of the retrospective

The Art of the Retrospective

François BachmannKiev, Agile Eastern Europe 2010

AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine

Who’s Talking

François BachmannLean/Agile Coach

• 18 years of Software Development• Principal @ SPRiNT iT• Organisational Development

& Team Efficiency Coach• Helping companies

make the transition to being more agile

• Particular interest :Complex Adaptive Systems

October 9, 2010


What is a Retrospective for?

October 9, 2010


The Retrospective Prime Directive(inspired by Star Trek) “Regardless of what we discover,

we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job he or she could,

given what was known at the time, his or her skills and abilities,

the resources available, and the situation at hand.”

Norman Kerth

October 9, 2010


Workshop Setup

• Tables: active in Workshop– You are a cross-functional Team which has quite

successfully worked together for the last release– The WorkshopMaster will guide your through the

5 phases of a retrospective

• Other people: observers– Please don’t interfere with the tables– You will be asked for observations & comments

October 9, 2010


The Story

• The American Christmas Tale starring:– Santa Claus (ScrumMaster)– Dwarves (Team)– Children (Product Owner)also featuring– Elves (Quality Assurance)– Reindeers (Delivery)– Parents (Management)

October 9, 2010


Santa Claus (ScrumMaster)

• Makes sure the Dwarves (Team) know what to focus on

• Looks after a good working environment where the appropriate tools are available

• Facilitates the Retrospective

Goal: Make as many children as possible HAPPY

October 9, 2010


Dwarves (Team)

• Produce toys according to incoming orders

• Repair defective toys• Load on sledge for delivery

Goal: produce in a smooth & efficient way

October 9, 2010


Children (Product Owners)

• Compile a list of wishes before Christmas (knowing/guessing they won’t get everything)

• In competition with other children

Goal: maximum pleasure within realistic budget

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Elves (Quality Assurance)

• Make sure the right toys are produced

• Help minimize toy recalls and fixtures

• Focus on quality and rework impediments

Goal: make the production process as smooth & efficient as possibleOctober 9, 2010


Reindeer (Deployment)

• Deliver the produced toys, often in record time

• Very diverse delivery environments, often heavily constrained (chimneys)

• Major challenges: planning & efficiency

Goal: deliver without last-minute hickupsOctober 9, 2010


Parents (Management)

• Need to deal with – often contradictory – demands from their children

• Have limited budget• Quite stressed during delivery

time

Goal: fair budget allocation to avoid fighting children

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Wrap-Up: After Action Review(a simple & straightforward retrospective)

1. What was supposed to happen?

2. What really happened?

3. Was there a difference? Why?

4. What can we do differently next time to

improve the outcome?

October 9, 2010


Thank You!

• Cards: 1 pack for each attendee(they cost about 10 US$ /pack to produce)

• If you want another pack, you need to:– give me at least one improvement idea for this

workshop – leave your business card

• Comments, flowers, orders for more cards: [email protected]

October 9, 2010


PS: Why « Agile Alchemists » ?transforms … into … Side effects

Alchemy Lead Gold Knowledge & PowerRetrospective Past

experienceConcrete actions

Continuous ImprovementOrganisational LearningProcess improvement

The ouroboros (dragon eating its own tail) is an alchemist symbol for transformation & renewal, which nicely sums up the retrospective. Can you say « feedback » ?

October 9, 2010

The art of the retrospective

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