How Looking Back Helps Teams Move Forward: Team Retrospectives
Written By: Rebecca Rosenthal
With one sprint flowing seamlessly into the next and each new feature deployed opening a path to work on the next, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of “good enough.” Taking a pause to zoom out and identify what is and isn’t working can break the monotony and give your team a chance to refine its processes. Team retrospectives are that break, and taking regular advantage of retros is a great way to keep your team moving towards constant improvement and away from the trap of “just good enough.” Too often, we get caught up in the day to day and don’t set aside that time to reflect on the work we’re doing, and how we’re working towards our objectives as a team. Regular retrospectives are a key part of Agile and help teams to do just that: reflect on the last iteration of work.
On each team I’ve been a part of at srcLogic, team retro has been an important part of the group’s process. Retro is a chance to look back on a particular time period for your team and identify what worked well, what didn’t work, and new ideas to try. With the amount of independent work our consultants do, it’s also an opportunity for the wider team to come together and get insight into each other’s processes, and what’s been working well for them. It’s also a nice pause to bookend each retrospective cycle, be it a sprint, week, or month, and concentrate the team’s feedback in one place. That way, the entire team can bring up and discuss potential risks, new developments, and give kudos to individuals for their contributions, culminating in a set of action items to take into the next iteration of work.
On most teams at srcLogic, we use a virtual whiteboarding tool, such as Figma or MS Whiteboard, to organize our retrospectives, and various templates to help the team organize their thoughts. One of my personal favorites is the sailboat template, which frames the team as a crew guiding a ship to shore. As a team, we move around the sailboat identifying potential risks (reef ahead!), what went well (sun shining, wind in our sails), and what slowed us down. There are plenty of other great templates available for inspiration as well.
No matter the template you choose, or how frequently your team meets for a retrospective, I’ve found that the keys to success are fostering a fruitful discussion and ensuring that there are concrete takeaways and action items to implement after the meeting. I like to start with a check-in or icebreaker activity to get everyone engaged and ready to contribute on the template. When moving through the retro, I also try to split up the discussion so everyone can have their say. And to close out, my team always takes a few minutes to write out individual shout-outs to their fellow teammates. This is my favorite part of retro, and it helps end the meeting on a positive note.
As hard as it can be to take a step back from day-to-day project work, team retrospectives are an important tool for srcLogic consultants, and all agile teams, in our quest to continue iterating on our team processes and ensure success for our clients and projects.