The document describes how to conduct effective retrospectives to improve team performance. It outlines a 5-step process for retrospectives: 1) set the stage, 2) gather data, 3) generate insights, 4) decide what to do, and 5) close the retrospective. Various activities are presented for each step, such as using "prime directive" in step 1, reviewing charts and brainstorming in step 2, and silent voting in step 4. The goal is to have a structured yet engaging retrospective process that leads to actionable outcomes for enhancing the team.

1. Retrospectives:
From Whatever to Wow
#SDEC15

3. Credits: Dan Pink: Drive by RSA Animate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

4. Annual performance reviews & project
closeouts = Late learning strategies

5. Retrospectives are a
performance review for your
system

7. Retrospectives:
From Whatever to Wow
#SDEC15

8. 1
2
4
Think about the
retrospectives or
project closeouts
you’ve attended.
What has
frustrated you
about those
retrospectives or
closeouts?
1-2-4-All

9. Credits:
- Agile Retrospectives:: Esther Derby and Diana Larsen http://www.amazon.ca/Agile-Retrospectives-Making-
Teams-Great/dp/0977616649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443039464&sr=8-1&keywords=agile+retrospectives
5 Steps

10. Step 0: Review the action
items from the last retro
Q. Did we do them?
Q. Are we a better team because of them?

11. Step 1: Set the stage
“Regardless of what we discover, we
understand and truly believe that everyone
did the best job they could, given what they
knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the
resources available, and the situation at
hand.”
- Norm Kerth – Prime Directive

12. Step 1: Set the stage
Other options:
- Review the goal of the retrospective
- “One word”
- Kudos “I’m thankful for…”

13. “Draw a car that represents our team”

14. Step 2: Gather Data

15. Review your charts

16. Work Piling Up
A healthy flow
Review
your
board
Completed
items

17. Silent Brainstorming:
“It was great because…”
“What have we learned?”
“I’m puzzled by…“

18. Speedboat

19. Spider Web

20. Step 3: Generate Insights

21. Silent Brainstorming:
“Do Differently…”
“An experiment I’d like to try…”
“What will we have done?”

22. Step 4: Decide what to do
What is the most important?
What do we have energy for?
What do we think will have the biggest
impact?

23. (please don’t do all of them)

24. Some activities combine
multiple stages

25. Starfish

26. 1. Prompt for things to
talk about
2. Write Post-its (silence)
3. Vote to prioritize
4. Discuss in timeboxes
5. Track “To Dos”
Lean Coffee

27. Step 5: Close the retrospective

29. Credits:
- Agile Retrospectives:: Esther Derby and Diana Larsen http://www.amazon.ca/Agile-Retrospectives-Making-
Teams-Great/dp/0977616649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443039464&sr=8-1&keywords=agile+retrospectives
5 Steps

30. Sample Script #1
Stage Activities
1. Set the Stage Prime Directive
2. Generate Data Review charts + It was
great because…
3. Generate Insights Do Differently…
4. Decide what to do Silent Voting
5. Close the retro Who will do it? + How
will we follow up?

31. Sample Script #2
Stage Activities
1. Set the Stage Today’s goal: Improve
teamwork
2. Generate Data Spiderweb on 5
dysfunctions of a team
3. Generate Insights An experiment I’d like to
try…
4. Decide what to do Silent Voting
5. Close the retro Who will do it? + How
will we follow up? + ROTI

32. Think about this
presentation.
What are some ideas you’ve
heard that you want to try in
your retrospectives?

33. Credits:
- Agile Retrospectives:: Esther Derby and Diana Larsen http://www.amazon.ca/Agile-Retrospectives-Making-
Teams-Great/dp/0977616649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443039464&sr=8-1&keywords=agile+retrospectives
Summary
1-5
1-2-4-All
Silent
Brainstorming
Silent
Voting
ROTI

34. @SRogalsky
WinnipegAgilist@blogspot.com
Steve Rogalsky
Thanks!
Questions?
http://www.slideshare.net/SteveRogalsky/retrospectives-from-whatever-to-wow

35. Credits / Resources
• Books:
– Agile Retrospectives by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen:
http://www.amazon.ca/Agile-Retrospectives-Making-Teams-
Great/dp/0977616649
• Getting value out of retrospectives by Luis Goncalves and Ben Linders
https://leanpub.com/gettingvalueoutofagileretrospectives
• Drive by Dan Pink (RSA Animate):
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
• NUMMI story:
– http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-change-a-culture-lessons-
from-nummi/
• Silent brainstorming:
– http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.ca/2012/01/silent-
brainstorming.html
– http://www.slideshare.net/SteveRogalsky/silent-brainstorming-
a-guide-to-using-postits
– http://www.slideshare.net/SteveRogalsky/the-silence-of-agile

36. Credits / Resources
• Other retrospective sources:
– http://www.plans-for-retrospectives.com/
– http://retrospectivewiki.org/
– Prime Directive:
http://www.retrospectives.com/pages/retroPrimeDirective.html
– 1-2-4-All: http://www.liberatingstructures.com/1-1-2-4-all/
– Lean Coffee: http://www.slideshare.net/SteveRogalsky/a-
guide-to-lean-coffee
– Speedboat: http://www.innovationgames.com/2011/08/game-
spotlight-transforming-speed-boat/
– Spiderweb: http://www.innovationgames.com/spider-web/
– Starfish http://lmsgoncalves.com/2013/08/07/getting-value-out-of-
agile-retrospectives-starfish/

37. Credits / Resources
• Pictures:
– http://media1.popsugar-
assets.com/files/2011/03/13/3/192/1922283/4f76092b7d2ed96c_reeve-
superman/i/Christopher-Reeve-Clark-KentSuperman.jpg
– http://Memegenerator.net
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
– http://talentmanagement360.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/interview-
performance-appraisal.jpg
– http://news.3yen.com/wp-content/images/NUMMI_This-American-Life.jpg
– http://leadingagileteams.com/2014/07/13/5-steps-to-an-effective-sprint-retrospective/
– https://thejourneyofdawn.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/2008-316-retrospective-
hybrid-car.gif
– http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipeimages/country-chicken-casserole-large-
24569.jpg
– https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/3/005/08e/051/243077f.jpg
– http://files.meetup.com/1479426/The%20Retrospective%20Games.pdf