retrospective
/ˌret.rəˈspek.tɪv/noun
A retrospective is a meeting where a team reflects on the past working period and agrees how to improve its collaboration and practices.
During the retrospective, we agreed to discuss technical questions before sprint planning.
A retrospective gives a team a regular opportunity to discuss how its work went. Participants consider collaboration, processes and tools. The aim is to learn from the past period and choose improvements the team can implement itself.
What do you discuss in a retrospective?
A team can start with three questions: what went well, what got in the way and what do we want to change? The discussion is not limited to problems. The team can also deliberately keep using an approach that worked well.
The result should ideally be a small set of concrete actions, such as an extra check before a Glossary · In briefreleaseA release is an identifiable software version prepared to be made available to users. It brings together one or more checked changes.Read more, a clearer time for Glossary · In briefrefinementRefinement is the ongoing clarification, breakdown and estimation of backlog work so the team understands what each item involves.Read more or a different allocation of responsibilities. For each action, the team agrees who will take it on and when progress will be discussed.
An open discussion requires participants to be able to mention mistakes and doubts. Facts and examples help the team discuss its practices without blaming individuals.
Retrospective and sprint review
In Scrum, the Sprint Retrospective takes place at the end of a Glossary · In briefsprintA sprint is a short, fixed period in which a team develops an agreed part of the software. Afterwards, you review the result and decide on the next priorities.Read more. A sprint review concerns the delivered product and next priorities. The retrospective focuses on how the team collaborates and delivers quality.
Teams outside Scrum can also hold retrospectives, for example after a release, project phase or incident. The timing varies, but the principle remains the same: reflecting on past work to improve the next period.