A retrospective is a meeting held at the end of an iteration in agile software development where the team inspects their process and work to improve. Retrospectives aim to build better products faster by raising happiness and satisfaction. They have a structured format including setting the stage, gathering data on what went well and poorly, generating insights, deciding on actions, and closing. Common data gathering techniques are having everyone share perspectives, constructing a puzzle of notes, and using a boat or value stream mapping format. The team then prioritizes actions, assigns owners, and sets deadlines to solve issues. Regular retrospectives help teams continuously improve their processes.

1. Agile Retrospectives
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2. What is a retrospective?

3. What is a retrospective?
● Latin - Retrospectare
● Software development: Inspect the last iteration
in order to improve the work process and
teamwork

4. Why do we do retrospectives?

5. Agile Retrospectives – Why?
● Build better-faster-cheaper products
● Raise happiness and satisfaction at work

6. But first, who am I to speak about
retrospectives?

7. What are the prerequisites of a
successful retrospective?

8. Agile retrospectives - Prerequisites
Team culture – what people in a team do when
nobody is looking at them.
Alex Bolboacă

9. Agile retrospectives – Healthy Team
Culture
● Safe space
● Continuous improvement mind set

10. Agile Retrospectives – My Team's
agreements

11. What is the structure of a
retrospective?

12. Agile Retrospectives - structure
● Set the stage
● Gather data
● Generate insights
● Decide what to do
● Close

13. Set the stage

14. Agile Retrospectives – Set the
stage
● Goal
● Time
● Check in
● Team values
● Check last retrospective actions
● Norm Kerth's Retrospective Prime Directive

15. Agile Retrospectives –
Retrospective Prime Directive
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.

16. Gather data

17. Agile Retrospectives – Gather data
● Everyone shares their perspective
● Construct the puzzle

18. Gather Data -
The Good/Bad on Split Areas

19. Agile Retrospectives – Gather Data
Separate Areas

20. Gather Data -
The Boat

21. Agile Retrospectives -Gather Data
Boat format

22. Gather Data -
The VSM

23. Agile Retrospectives – Gather Data
VSM Format

24. Generate insights

25. Agile Retrospectives – Generate
Insights
● Why did this happen?
● Identify patterns
● Brainstorming
● Dot voting
● Five Whys

26. Decide what to do

27. Agile Retrospectives – Decide what
to do
● Prioritize
● Pick next actions
● Smallest step to solving the problem
● Name the person owner
● Agree on a deadline
● Shared responsibility

28. Agile Retrospectives – Decide what
to do
● Prioritize
● Pick next actions
● GTD - Smallest step
● Name the person responsible
● Shared responsibility

29. Closing

30. Agile Retrospectives – Closing
● How do we follow up?
● Retro of the retro
● Well done team!

31. My team's experiments &
improvements

32. Agile retrospective – My team's
experiments & improvements
● Code review column on board
● Process guardian
● Move next to technical lead every other week
● Code smells practice
● Brutal refactoring game

33. Resources
● Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great by Esther
Derby and Liana Larsen
● Brutal refactoring game:
http://blog.adrianbolboaca.ro/2013/07/brutal-refactoring-game/
● VSM:
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/10/how
andwhytocreatevaluestreammapsforswengineerprojects/
http://mozaicworks.com/public-trainings-and-
workshops/improving-business-process-with-value-stream-
mapping/
● http://www.funretrospectives.com/

34. Thank You!