Sprint Retrospective Flashcards
What is the Sprint Retrospective?
The Sprint Retrospective is the last of the 5 Scrum events.
It is held at the end of each Sprint after the Sprint Review. It is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness
How long is the Sprint Retrospective?
The Sprint Retrospective is timeboxed to 3 hours. For shorter Sprints, it is common to proportionally shorten this timebox.
What does the Scrum Team do in Sprint Retros?
In the Sprint Retrospective, The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards to
- individuals
- interactions
- processes
- tools
- Definition of Done.
Inspected elements often vary with the domain of work.
Assumptions that led them astray are identified and their origins explored. The Scrum Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it encountered, and how those problems were (or were not) solved.
What should happen by the end of the Sprint Retro?
By the end of the Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team should have identified and planned improvements to increase its effectiveness.
The most impactful improvements are addressed as soon as possible and perhaps as early as the next Sprint. Improvement identified may span more than the next Sprint and they will be revisited in the later Sprint Retrospectives.
What should the attitude be at Sprint Retros?
The Sprint Retrospective should be a positive and productive event. Things will have gone wrong or could have been carried out differently and better. We don’t want to dwell on these. Instead we accept we acted as best we could under the constraints and circumstances we found ourselves in. The next Sprint is a chance to improve and do things better, so we focus on how we can make this happen.
What concept is at the heart of Sprint Retro?
At the heart of the Sprint Retrospective is the concept of continuous improvement. The Scrum Team takes ownership of the process they use and regularly makes improvements to its ability to develop the product.
The complex environment around the Scrum Team is changing constantly, so it is vital the Scrum Team builds the capability to adapt to these changing conditions and that this change becomes a continuous part of their process. Change is the only constant and the Scrum Team needs to learn how to constantly adapt to change.
How is Sprint Retro implemented in Scrum?
Scrum does not describe the techniques used to conduct a Sprint Retrospective. There are many ways to do it and entire books have been written on the subject. A common good practice that many Scrum Team implement initially is:
- Identify Issues – The current situation is revealed and understood by the whole Scrum Team. The output of these discussions may then be ordered so that attention can be focussed on the most important, impactful or urgent issues.
- Explore Options – Potential solutions for the highly ordered issues are explored.
- Plan & Actions – Identify a small number of actionable improvements that the team will put into practice as early as possible.
Where should most of the time be spent in the Sprint Retro? What should be the outcome of Sprint Retro?
Most of the available time should typically be spent on the Plan & Actions section. The Sprint Retrospective should result in an actionable plan that the Scrum Team will implement in future Sprints which will help them to continuously improve their ability to develop the product.
