Tips & tricks

Add any simple tips you have for improving retrospectives. Can be generated by running a Retrospective Surgery.

Rob's guide to effective retrospectives

• Split into small groups to narrow down actions (helps with large teams or with quiet members)
• Use a space without a table
• Have a backlog of retrospective actions with done / not done next to them
• Write the output on a flip chart and stick it up in the workspace where all can see
• Location, location, location - find a good spaces and mix it up so not always in same place
• Write up the retrospective output including actions and put on a blog/wiki or send round in an email
• Forward-specting - what can we start doing now
• Do a 'warm up' exercise to break down any tension and get people in the mood
• Food (especially nice food like cakes & biscuits) is an excellent way to make the session more appealing and is a great leveller.
• Use a facilitator from outside the team (e.g. another team's scrum master)
• Swap the facilitation role within the team: don't let it fall to the same person (coach, scrum master) each time
• Plan your retrospectives - don't just turn up and run it the same way each time.
• Throw away everything from the retrospective except the retrospective actions. Focus on outcomes, not problems.