Scrum is a framework that focuses on continuous improvement. In particular, the Scrum retrospective is a time for teams to reflect on the opportunities to continually improve.

The Scrum sprint retrospective is a timeboxed meeting that takes place after the sprint review. Its purpose is to:

1. Examine how the just-completed sprint went as far as people, relationships, processes, and tools.
2. Identify and order what went well.
3. Do the same with things that didn’t go well.
4. Identify potential improvements.
5. Create a plan for implementing improvements to the way the Scrum team accomplishes its work.

What is discussed during the Scrum retrospective? Everything that affects how the Scrum team develops the product is open to discussion and improvement. It allows development teams to adapt Scrum to their particular circumstances. This is in line with one of the pillars of the Scrum principle which is articulation.

Scheduling a Scrum retrospective at the end of every sprint ensures that needed changes are understood by all Scrum team members and implemented before they are lost. It helps to identify how they can improve the specific things they contributed to the sprint, asking:

1. What work has been done well in this sprint?
2. What work hasn’t been done well?
3. What should we start doing to improve?

How to run a sprint retrospective:

One of the most common retrospective techniques is using a start-stop-continue approach. Each development team member is asked to identify the things the team should start doing, the ones they should stop doing, and the things they should continue doing.

The Scrum Master can facilitate this process by asking attendees to call out ideas during the Scrum, or they can go around the room and get feedback on what to start, stop, and continue in a more orderly fashion, person by person.

Agenda

While the agendas for sprint retrospective meetings can vary, they generally cover these common steps:

1. Setting the goal—Establish the objectives of the meeting up front, such as aiming to improve daily Scrum stand-ups, enhance communication with stakeholders or product owners, change operating rules, or something else.
2. Gathering essential data—Draw on everyone’s experience and perspective to create a shared body of information.
3. Developing insights—From the amassed data, identify useful patterns and see the big picture, always asking why things happened the way they did.
4. Deciding on the next steps—Identify the issues and challenges the team will tackle, and put in place a concrete plan of how to achieve success for each one.
5. Closing the retrospective—Clarify and summarize the meeting, thank participants, and consider how future retrospectives could be improved.

Some advantages of conducting the Scrum retrospectives are:-

• Increases customer value
• Helps to identify issues early
• Sprint Retrospective creates a collaborative and communicative environment that allows honest, open and transparent conversations
• Pinpoint Process Improvements
• Promotes learning and growth mindset.
• Facilitate Transparency which is a pillar of a Scrum principles, Empirical Process Control.

To learn more about the Scrum retrospective, join our “Online Scrum Master Certification” course. Click on this link to learn more.

By,

Udhay Sharma,

Certified Scrum Trainer,

Scrum Master Certified, Scrum Product Owner Certified, Scrum Developer Certified,

HRD Corp Certified Trainer