Retrospective Directions to Run Retrospective

Hot Air Balloon Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the sticky that reads Fire & Hot Air - ask your team to write sticky notes responding to the following:

- What helped us go higher this sprint? - What are the things that push us forward?

For the sticky note that reads Forces Pulling Down - ask your team to write sticky notes responding to the following:

- What are the forces that are pulling us down?

Agile Christmas Carol Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the Christmas Past section, have the team write sticky notes responding to the following:

- What are your greatest regrets from the last sprint?

- What do you wish you could change?

For the Christmas Present section, have the team write sticky notes responding to the following:

- Share appreciations for people and events.- What do you want to celebrate?

For the Christmas Future section, have the team write sticky notes responding to the following:

- Tell Santa your wish for the team to receive in the future, and how that wish should be granted.

Planned vs Success Quadrants Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

Have the team write sticky notes responding to the following quadrants:

- Upper left quadrant: What story or situation was planned for the sprint and successful?

- Upper right quadrant: What story or situation wasn’t planned for the sprint, but was still successful?

- Lower left quadrant: What story or situation was planned for the sprint but failed?

- Lower right quadrant: What story or situation wasn’t planned for the sprint, had to be worked on and failed?

Team Rocket Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the top, left side of the rocket, have the team write sticky notes responding to the following:

- What were the enablers to the team having a good sprint?

For the top, right side of the rocket, have the team write sticky notes responding to the following:

- What were the driving forces to the team’s success during sprint?

For the bottom, left side of the rocket, have the team write sticky notes responding to the following:

- What were the blockers/challenges that threatened the team during sprint?

For the bottom, right side of the rocket, have the team write sticky notes responding to the following:

- What were the impediments that kept the team from finishing one or more stories during sprint?

Did it Work Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the left column titled, “Worked Well,” have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Write one thing per sticky that worked really well during sprint.

For the middle column titled, “Kind of Worked,” have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Write down one things per sticky that kind of worked, but you might tweak a bit. Be prepared to share how it could be tweaked.

For the right column titled, “Didn’t Work,” have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Write down one thing per sticky that didn’t work well and what you might do to change it.

The Three Little Pigs Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the House of Straw section, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What do we do that hangs together but could topple at any moment? (Example: a manual deployment script that is prone to error.)

For the House of Sticks section, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What do we do that is pretty solid, but could be improved? (Example: out automated tests are good but sometimes fail for no reason.)

For the House of Bricks, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What do we do that is rock solid? (Example: our automated deployment never fails.)

The 4 L’s Retropective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the upper left quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What I liked about this sprint.

For the upper right quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What I learned during this sprint.

For the lower left quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What I lacked this sprint.

For the lower right quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What I longed for during this sprint.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Retro Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the upper left quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What was thumbs up about this sprint?

For the upper right quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What was thumbs down during this sprint?

For the lower left quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What new ideas did I have this sprint?

For the lower right quadrant, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Who should be recognized from this sprint?

The Sailboat Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

The sailboat is a visual metaphor for the team itself.

For the area near the sails, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What were the things, situations or people that propelled our team forward like wind hitting the sails on a sailboat?

For the area near the anchor, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What were the things, situations or people that slowed our team down like an anchor weighs the boat down and keeps it from moving forward, or conversely, steadies the ship?

A Trip to the Mountains RetroDirections: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the mountain tops, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story or situation had you feeling like you were on top of the mountain (good).

For the lake area, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story or situation had you feeling confused or murky on how to complete it?

For the sun, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story or situation left you feeling burned?

For the clouds, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story or situation distracted you during the sprint? (Example: a head in the clouds mindset).

A Visit to the Future Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

Start by introducing the goal of the retrospective. This is the WiiFM. Next set the stage by having the team close their eyes.

You will need colored sticky notes for this exercise. If you don’t have green/blue/purple sticky notes, just swap out the colors.

- Use 1 color sticky note to describe the future successes of the team.

- Use a 2nd color of sticky note to describe the strengths of the team seen during the future sprint.

- Use a 3rd color of sticky note to describe a good event that took place during the future sprint.

Give the team a few minutes for each category.

Once they are done writing sticky notes, look for themes to talk about.

Talk about the successes noted in the future sprint and why such a success would be important to the team. Talk about why they feel they haven’t had that success yet (if they haven’t).

Talk about the strengths noted in the future sprint and ask if those strengths are visible now? If not, what can we do to elicit those strengths?

Talk about the good event noted in the future sprint. This is usually when a team will tell you what they want in a team building activity. Listen to their requests and ask them what can be done to plan such an activity.

Fun in the Sun Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

For the person in the ocean, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story/situation had you feeling like you were floating aimlessly in the sea?

For the island under the tree, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story/situation had you feeling like you were having fun in the sun or were at ease/resting…maybe it was comfortable for you?

For the shark, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story/situation had you feeling like you were in danger (not finishing, attacked, hopeless)?

For the life preserver, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Who threw you a life preserver during the sprint?

For the sun, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story/situation left you feeling burned?

For the anchor, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- What story/situation had you feeling like you were being pulled under?

Gather/group each section of the picture, and talk about each group in depth. Guide the team member(s) with Powerful Questions to a destination that helps them solve the issue.

If a new Team Agreement is born document it.

If action items are born, identify when and who will work on them, being careful not to take on too much in one single sprint.

Cool Wall Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

There are four facets of the Cool Wall retrospective.Sub Zero, Cool, Uncool, and Totally Uncool.

For the Sub Zero section, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Write one sticky for each of the things the team does very well; wouldn’t really change how they do this

For the Cool section, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Write one sticky for each of the things the team does well

For the Uncool section, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Write one sticky for each of the things the team should probably take a look at improving. (Example: They may do them okay from time to time, but they know they need to get better.)

For the Totally Uncool section, have the team write the sticky notes responding to the following:

- Write one sticky note for each of the things the team doesn’t do at all and knows or thinks they should do.

Results: The Sub Zero wall becomes things you want to tell the world about; things you want to keep up in your team area to remind the team why they rock!

- The Cool wall is also something to tell people about. Same concept as the Sub Zero wall, but they are pretty good at these things.

- The Uncool wall can identify action items; things that a team may take into sprint in order to improve upon.

- The Totally Uncool wall can identify training needs for the team or areas of learning through spike or research stories.

Red Card/Green Card Retrospective Directions: Always encourage your team to write one topic/item per sticky note; not to make a list on a sticky note. This allows you the Scrum Master to identify themes.

Hand out 2-3 green cards and 2-3 red cards to each person mid-sprint. Instruct the team that when something noteworthy happens in sprint to make a note of it.

- Red cards – write down something that went wrong in sprint

- Green cards – write down something that went well in sprint

Remind the team a couple of days ahead of the retrospective to complete their cards and ask them to come prepared.

During the retrospective ask that each person take one of their red cards and pass it once to the left. Take one of their green cards and pass it once to the right. Everyone should have passed a card.

- One at a time, team members should read a green card and interpret the meaning. After the card has been discussed, move to the right to the next team member.

- After a round of green cards, change to red cards.

- One at a time, team members should read a red card and the reader should attempt to solutionize or improve the issue. When the team agrees to a given solution, action items are born.

- Ask for a volunteer to work an action item.

There may be more than one action item born. You may need to prioritize the items. If there are enough action items, you may need to create a retrospective action backlog. This is done on paper (giant sticky note serves well).