6 Thinking Hatsfor Retrospectives

Rafael Rosa@rafaelrosafu

Why?

● Retrospectives are important● They usually take too much time● People get bored and loose focus● Some discussions go on forever needlessly● Glib people can highjack the discussion● It's hard to summarize what was discussed

and the takeaways from it

How can we improve this?

6 Thinking Hats● Created by Edward de Bono in

1985● Adapted for agile retrospectives

around 2009● I first heard about it on a Bluesoft

Podcast in 2010● I read the book, it's kind of boring

and the original technique lacks timeboxing

What are the benefits?

● Increased focus, keep the discussion on track

● Fixed duration, no more endeless meetings● Avoid discussion highjacking by glib people● Clear and concise takeaways and actions

How?

● Choose a facilitator● The retrospective is split into phases● Each phase is represented by a hat● Each hat represent a focus/point of view● that frames the discussion● Each hat is timeboxed, the facilitator● keeps track of time and enforces time limits● The facilitator writes down what's ● discussed as bullet-points

The Hats

White HatFacts and figures only● No emotions allowed● No judgments● No positives or negatives

Examples:● 5 stories were finished● 2 stories are unfinished● each deployment took 2 hours● 2 people on vacation

Usually 10 minutes

Black HatCritical thinking● "Negative" thinking● Keep it civil, control people's emotions● Don't discuss solutions

Guiding questions:● What went wrong?● Were there communication issues?● What pissed people off?

Usually 15 minutes

Yellow HatPositive thinking● Highlight the good things● Celebrate small victories

Guiding questions:● What did you like the most?● What did you learn?● What was easier than you expected?

Usually 10 minutes

Emotions and feelings● Each participant has time to say how he/she feels

about the object of the retrospective● NO notes on this hat, what's shared is for the

participants ears only● NO debate is allowed● NO judgment is allowed● NO interruptions● Thank every participant for sharing and move on

2 minutes per person max

Red Hat

Constructive problem solving● Creative, out of the box thinking● How to improve things in the future● Plan actions

Guiding questions:● How can we improve X?● How can we avoid Y?● What if we could start W from scratch?

Usually 15 minutes

Green Hat

Meta hat● Manage the meeting● In the beginning

○ set the goal and object of the retrospective○ organize and explain the rules

● In the end○ read the actions and make sure they have

an owner and a deadline○ Ask for feedback on the retrospective○ Share the notes with the team (e-mail, wiki,

etc)

Usually 5 minutes each

Blue Hat

~1 hour retro meeting

Tips● Write down the hats and their timeboxes on a shared

document and share it with the team, specially if they are remote

● Copy and paste previous retrospectives to use as template, keep the previous timeboxes if possible

● Incentivize the team to add items to the hats before the retrospective, during the sprint, so they won't forget important points during the retrospective

Tips● Use the points raised during the White Hat to find hooks to

discuss on Black and Yellow hats● If nobody moves try to poke them gently asking the guiding

questions● If everybody is silent for a long time it's a sign to close the hat

and move on● If someone remembers something that should go in a previous

hat, it's ok to add it, as long as this don't monopolizes the discussion, go over the timebox or change the subject of the hat

Caveats● Avoid the urge of extending the timeboxes. Use an audible

timer (cellphone or kitchen timer) to signal "time's up"● Hats that finish sooner don't pass "time credits" for the other

hats● Usually the opening Blue Hat is super quick after the first

session● The facilitator must keep things civil, especially during the

Black Hat● Make sure people feel safe to share during the Red Hat

Happy HattingRafael Rosa

@rafaelrosafuhttp://enovance.com

http://mindthecloud.comhttp://grokpodcast.com