Facilitating retrospectives
A retro has worked if something is different afterwards. What you can prepare and watch for in the room.
Choose the right template
| Template | Fits when … |
|---|---|
| Classic | you want to start quickly and without preparation. |
| Start-Stop-Continue | you are looking for concrete changes in behaviour. |
| Mad-Sad-Glad | it is about mood and emotions in the team. |
| 4Ls | you look back on a longer period (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for). |
| Sailboat | you want to talk about goal, tailwind, headwind and risks. |
| Starfish | you want finer distinctions: more, less, start, stop, keep. |
| Rose, Bud, Thorn | you want to separate good things, opportunities and problems. |
| Lean Coffee | the topics should only arise in the room. |
Allocate time
For a team of five to eight people and one hour: check-in 5 minutes, writing 10, reveal and group 10, vote 5, discuss 20, actions 7, check-out 3. Set the time limits per page in the builder; the timer runs the same for everyone.
Create safety
- For delicate topics switch anonymous notes on. Whoever need not fear being recognised writes the uncomfortable thing.
- Blind writing keeps the first people from setting the direction.
- Start with the good: a retro made only of problems costs energy that is then missing for the actions.
- Talk about processes, not people. The reports deliberately have no individual evaluation.
Good actions
- Concrete: "No meetings after 2 pm on Fridays" instead of "Fewer meetings".
- One owner, not "the team".
- A date by which it is done or deliberately postponed.
- Few: two or three actions that really happen beat ten that stay on the shelf.
- At the start of the next retro go through the open actions first – they can be carried over.
The close
With the ROTI rating you ask whether the time invested was worth it – the answer teaches you how to make the next retro better. The team health check shows over several retros how topics such as collaboration or pace develop.