{"id":6497,"date":"2024-05-30T13:35:52","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T12:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thescrumacademy.com\/?p=6497"},"modified":"2025-11-18T11:49:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T11:49:00","slug":"design-your-sprint-retrospectives-and-do-better-scrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thescrumacademy.com\/es\/2024\/05\/30\/design-your-sprint-retrospectives-and-do-better-scrum\/","title":{"rendered":"Design Your Sprint Retrospectives and Do Better Scrum"},"content":{"rendered":"

When teaching <\/span>Certified Scrum Master<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Certified Scrum Product Owner<\/span><\/a> courses, I get the sense that many people struggle with Sprint Retrospectives.\u00a0 While people are aware this event is a core part of the framework, I get the impression people are serving up their version of a <\/span>pastel de nata<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0 Not terrible, but not great\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, many Scrum Teams do not fully embrace their Retrospectives.\u00a0 This is a missed opportunity and why we developed our <\/span>Retrospective Tune-up<\/span><\/a>, to show Scrum Teams what good looks like.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not ready for a tune-up, this article will offer some helpful ideas on how to improve.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits Provided by a Sprint Retrospective<\/span><\/h2>\n

Retrospectives <\/span>offer many benefits<\/span><\/a> to Scrum Teams.\u00a0 \u00a0 Here are two benefits that are often overlooked by other writers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Slow down for a moment:<\/b> The Retrospective is an event designed to give the Scrum Team an opportunity to pause.\u00a0 Instead of rushing to complete the next item on the Product Backlog, the Retrospective offers the Scrum Team a chance to stop and reflect.\u00a0 In a world that constantly asks us to hurry up and be busy, taking a moment to stop and think is very powerful.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Think holistically:<\/b> In order to deliver their Sprint Goal, the Scrum Team has to zoom in and focus on the details.\u00a0 Being detail oriented is important when the Scrum Team is doing technical work.\u00a0 When the Scrum Team is making choices about how they will build high-quality software that can change over time, this requires a different type of thinking.\u00a0 In times like this, the Scrum Team needs to zoom out and see the big picture.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    But to receive any of these benefits, you have to establish a regular cadence of Retrospectives.\u00a0 Unfortunately, many Scrum Teams either give up on the practice or claim \u201cthey don\u2019t need Retrospectives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    Three Reasons Why Many Sprint Retrospectives Fail to Deliver Results<\/span><\/h2>\n

    IME, convening an open discussion to \u201cdiscuss what went well during the Sprint, what problems [the Scrum Team] encountered and how those problems were (or were not) solved\u201d rarely leads to lasting results.\u00a0 Here are my reasons why this occurs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Recency bias:<\/b> An unstructured open discussion often focuses on impediments that have occurred in the recent past (aka <\/span>recency bias<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0 As a result, the Scrum Team\u2019s discussion will drift towards how they plan to alleviate the impediment\u2019s symptoms rather than explore the factors which contributed to the impediment\u2019s root cause(s).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Lack of design: <\/b>When the Scrum Team needs to address a new and unusual impediment, they will have more success to eliminate that impediment when the Retrospective experience is designed.\u00a0 Someone must take ownership to design the experience or the group\u2019s <\/span>return-on-time- invested<\/span><\/a> will be low.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Ignore brain science<\/b>: The human brain craves newness, variety and likes to solve puzzles.\u00a0 However, the brain is easily distracted once it is bored.\u00a0 A stale and monotonous Retrospective format is why many Scrum Team (brains) lose interest in Retrospectives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Five Steps to an Effective Sprint Retrospective<\/span><\/h2>\n

      We all know that Retrospectives are collaborative, problem-solving sessions, but did you know that the best Retrospectives follow a five-step process?\u00a0 In an <\/span>earlier article<\/span><\/a>, I reviewed the classic book, <\/span>Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great<\/span>, that first introduced this design in 2006.\u00a0 Today, we have a <\/span>second edition<\/span><\/a> of this book, which should be required reading for <\/span>ALL<\/b> ScrumMasters.\u00a0 For those who are unfamiliar with this framework, here are the five steps\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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      1. Set the stage<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. Gather data<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. Generate insights\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
      4. Decide what to do<\/span><\/li>\n
      5. Close<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The five-step Retrospective format offers an additional benefit, it helps keep the brain engaged.\u00a0 During an open discussion, ideas are flying around and the brain can become distracted.\u00a0 A five-step Retrospective allows the brain to focus its attention on completing the task of each stage before moving to the next topic, increasing the likelihood that impediment becomes resolved.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Introducing Retromat<\/span><\/h2>\n

        Another way to capture the brain\u2019s attention is to vary the activities in each Retrospective.\u00a0 Because each Retrospective experience is new, the brain has to pay attention.\u00a0 When I was doing ScrumMaster work, the <\/span>Agile Retrospectives<\/span> book was my main resource for selecting Retrospective activities.\u00a0 Today, I use <\/span>Retromat<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        Retromat is a free, online tool created by <\/span>Corinna Baldauf<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 In 2012, Corinna wanted to create and design interesting Retrospectives for her Scrum Team.\u00a0 Apart from the <\/span>Agile Retrospectives<\/span> book and a few other websites, there was not much out there and this frustrated her.\u00a0 To fix this gap in the market, she published the <\/span>Retromat book<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Today, the online version of Retromat offers lightweight instructions on how to facilitate over 140 Retrospective activities.\u00a0 Each activity is assigned to one of the five Retrospective steps and many activities have pictures that help with facilitating the activity.\u00a0 In addition, the site has been translated into nine languages.\u00a0 The best ScrumMasters use Retromat.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Introducing a Sprint Retrospective Theme<\/span><\/h2>\n

        A Sprint Retrospective theme is a unifying topic, or collective problem, the group wants to resolve by conducting a Retrospective.\u00a0 When the <\/span>Scrum Guide<\/span><\/a> recommends a discussion about \u201cwhat went well during the Sprint, what problems [the Scrum Team] encountered and how those problems were (or were not) solved,\u201d it suggests the default Sprint Retrospective theme is improving team performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

        But as I noted earlier, the brain wants newness and variety.\u00a0 Constantly returning to the same theme of improving team performance drives the brain to boredom.\u00a0 In scenarios where the theme is repetitive, the brain anticipates what is expected of it and goes on autopilot.\u00a0 And because it’s a brain, it thinks about something more interesting as the group recites the same blah blah blah about \u201cwhat went well, what didn\u2019t go well\u2026\u201d every Sprint.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        To sustain the brain\u2019s interest, the Retrospective theme also has to change.\u00a0 There are many, many themes to choose from and the Scrum Guide suggests a few: \u201cindividuals, interactions, processes, tools and\u2026 Definition of Done\u201d.\u00a0 If you cannot think of a theme, I recommend that you ask your Scrum Team.\u00a0 They will have <\/span>plenty<\/i><\/b> of ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Putting it All Together with Retromat<\/span><\/h2>\n

        For example, many Scrum Teams complain about their user stories<\/span>1<\/span>.\u00a0 If I were asked to design a five-step Retrospective to improve a Scrum Team\u2019s user stories, here are <\/span>the activities<\/span> I would select from Retromat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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        1. Set the stage: Three words (#82)<\/span><\/li>\n
        2. Gather data: Analyze stories (#5)<\/span><\/li>\n
        3. Generate insights: Perfection game (#20)<\/span><\/li>\n
        4. Decide what to do: Three by three (#125)<\/span><\/li>\n
        5. Close: Pleased & surprised (#45)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          When reviewing this design please keep in mind two ideas.\u00a0 One, when the instructions refer to iterations (or Sprints), we would talk about the team\u2019s user stories.\u00a0 Two, these are not the only activities we could use for this Retrospective.\u00a0 For instance, in step #2 (generate data), I could have easily selected Story Oscars (#45).<\/span><\/p>\n

          Taking time to improve your Sprint Retrospectives can enhance your Scrum Team’s effectiveness.\u00a0 Small changes, like incorporating a five-step Retrospective and tools like Retromat into your design, will help keep the Scrum Team engaged.\u00a0 Remember, the goal of Retrospective is to create a habit of continuous improvement through the process of inspect-and-adapt.\u00a0 Good luck!<\/span><\/p>\n

          60-Second Summary: Why Most Retrospectives Struggle to Get Results<\/span><\/h2>\n