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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
What is a Retrospective for?
October 9, 2010
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
October 9, 2010
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
October 9, 2010
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
AgileEE 2010 - Kyiv, Ukraine
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
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