🔁 Retrospectives

Learning from each iteration to continuously improve.

Purpose

Retrospectives answer three questions:

1. What went well? — Celebrate and reinforce
2. What didn't go well? — Identify without blaming
3. What will we change? — Commit to specific improvements

Formats

Start / Stop / Continue

• Start doing something new
• Stop doing something harmful
• Continue doing what works

4Ls

• Liked — What did you enjoy?
• Learned — What did you discover?
• Lacked — What was missing?
• Longed for — What do you wish you had?

Sailboat

• Wind (pushing us forward) — What helped?
• Anchor (holding us back) — What slowed us?
• Rocks (risks ahead) — What could hurt us?
• Island (destination) — Where do we want to be?

Running an effective retro

1. Set a safe space — No blame, no judgment
2. Time-box — 45-60 minutes max
3. Everyone contributes — Use silent writing first, then discuss
4. Vote on top items to focus discussion
5. End with 1-3 action items with owners and deadlines

Common mistakes

• Not doing retros at all
• Doing retros but never acting on the outcomes
• Letting one person dominate the conversation
• Focusing only on negatives