1. Project retrospectives –
more than a lessons learned activity

2. What is a project retrospective?
retrospective (rèt´re-spèk-tîv) -- a ritual held at the end of a
project to learn from the experience and to plan changes for
the next effort.
No one knows the whole story of the
project. Each person has a piece of
the story. The retrospective is the
collective story telling and mining
the experience for wisdom. It is an
extremely productive method for
improving the development
practices.
Look back to the past but learn for the future!

3. What is not a project retrospective?
It’s definitely not about
- finding the guilty one or about
fingerpointing …
- blaming someone else …
- endless discussions …

4. A common structure
Normally, a project retrospective follows the
following steps:
• Analyze the Project. The project is
reviewed from a number of different aspects
to understand the important events that
occurred.
• Generate Insights. The specifics about what
went well and what can be improved on the
next project are captured.
• Create Action Plans. A plan is created
outlining the tasks, deliverables, timelines and
owners for implementing the changes.

5. The variety
Size: from a 1 hour session in a meeting room to a big event on 2
days in a seminar hotel - everything is possible
When: at the end of the project / after reaching milestones / at the
end of certain project phases
How: special event to close the learning loop / integrated part of the
process (like in Scrum)
Method: plenty of facilitation techniques can be used to keep
retrospectives interesting, useful and effective

6. Success factors
• have a contracting with the sponsor: define the goals clearly well
in advance, get to know the project circumstances and specifics
• follow the structure shown above: it gives the project team a tried-
and-true process for the inspection and the learning
• have a facilitator, someone who was not involved in the project
• invite every stakeholder who participated in the project

7. The Single Most Important
Element in Making
Retrospectives Happen is…

8. The Single Most Important
Element in Making
Retrospectives Happen is…
Someone decides to make
retrospectives happen in
their organization

9. Literature:
Norman L. Kerth: Esther Derby /
Project Retrospectives Diana Larsen:
Agile retrospectives – Making
Good Teams Great

10. Contact:
Horváth Ervin
Siemens PSE Kft.
1143 Budapest
Gizella út 51-57.
Telefon: +36 1 471 3128
E-Mail: horvat2@t-email.hu