Continuous Improvement and Retrospectives
2
Formats
Retrospectives in agile, Lessons Learned in predictive
PDCA
Cycle
Plan, Do, Check, Act — the Deming cycle
0
Blame Games
Retros are blameless by design
improvement is a loop · you never stop turning the wheel
PDCA Cycle · Deming Wheel
how to read this
- › PLAN a small change and predict what it will do.
- › DO the change at small scale — one sprint, one team, one feature.
- › CHECK the result against your prediction. Did it work?
- › ACT on what you learned. If yes, standardize. If no, discard and plan something else.
- › Then start the cycle again. Improvement is never finished.
Retrospective Formats
▶ ■ ↻
Start · Stop · Continue
Three columns. Simplest, fastest retro format.
♥ 💡 ⚠ ✦
4 Ls
Liked · Learned · Lacked · Longed for
⛵
Sailboat
Wind (helping) · Anchors (blocking) · Rocks (risks) · Island (goal)
Exam Traps
Retrospective is process, review is product
Sprint Retrospective inspects the team and process. Sprint Review inspects the increment with stakeholders. The exam swaps these constantly.
Lessons learned are captured throughout, not only at the end
Waiting until project close to document lessons is wrong. Capture as you go, then formalize at phase or project close.
Action items must be implemented
A retrospective that produces a list but no follow-through is useless. The exam rewards execution on agreed improvements.
Blameless but not toothless
Retros avoid personal blame but do name systemic problems. Soft-focus answers that avoid real issues are wrong.
Capture lessons as you go
Not just at the end. Capture during the project while context is fresh.
Retro ≠ review
Retro = process. Review = product. Mixing them up is a common exam trap.
The band nails the chorus of the new song. Name what worked so you can repeat it.
The bridge keeps falling apart. Name it without blaming the bassist. Find the root cause.
Decide on one or two specific improvements to try next week. Not a list of fifty.
Actually try the change. Retros without follow-through are just venting.
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