agile software development retrospective secrets

© 2009 BigVisible Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Coaching Solutions

Agile Software DevelopmentRetrospective SecretsDarrin Ladd

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© 2009 BigVisible Solutions, Inc.. All Rights Reserved

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Click to edit Master text stylesSecond levelThird levelFourth levelFifth level

Continuous Improvement


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Retrospectives = No Value!

Same Stuff Every Time!

Only a Few People Talk!

Always so Negative!

Can’t Think of Anything New Every Two Weeks!


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Cancel Them!

Retrospectives


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So Why Do Retrospectives?

► Keep teams improving► Discuss concerns and frustrations► Resolve team and process issues► Positive feedback to each other

“At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.”

Principles behind the Agile Manifesto


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Kumbayah


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What Type?


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How?

Everyone ParticipatesRoot Causes and Behaviors

Patterns, Inconsistencies, and Changes

SMART ExperimentsReview Results and Respond

Make It VisibleDon’t Let It Get Stale

Keys To Success


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Structure

Set the Stage

GatherData

GenerateInsights

Decide What To Do

Close


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Set the Stage


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Working Agreement

Retrospective Working Agreement- Arrive on time- No laptop or smart phone use- Phones on silent- Everyone participates- We are not done until we have at least one time-boxed, actionable, measureable change committed to by the team


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Ice Breaker

Two words to describe…

Name a ______ that describes how you feel…

Appreciations

P.M.A.


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Gather Data & Generate Insights


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Approach 1: Vanilla


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Approach 2: Team Radar


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Approach 3 - Speedboat


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Approach 4 – King for a Day


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Approach 5 – Triple Nickels


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Facilitation Variations

Write down ideas separately

Variations

Groups of 3-5 work together on ideasVS.

General, open topic Focused topicVS.

Group into themes silently

Group into themes with discussionVS.

Discuss each item in detail

Only clarifications, detailed discussion

next phaseVS.


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Facilitation Variations

• No Solutions

Tips• Symptoms/Outcomes Root Causes

/ Behaviors

• Watch for Patterns• Watch for Inconsistencies• Ask, Don’t Tell• ‘Thank You’, Not ‘Good Point’• Write Legibly


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Decide What To Do


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Prioritization

5

3

1

4

7

4

1

2

2


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SMART Experiments

SMART

imple/specific

easurable

chievable

elevant

ime boxed


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How Do We Execute?

►Create a story►Add to definition of done►Add tasks to iteration stories►Identify how to collect the

statistics as part of the current process


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Close the Retrospective


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Confirm Commitment


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Document It!


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Are We Missing Anything?

What are we missing?


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Review Results & Respond


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Retrospective Prime Directive

“Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job he or she could, given what was known at the time, his or her skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand."- Norm Kerth


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Trust Required


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Personality Types

INFJESTJ INFP

ISTPINTPISFJ

ISTJISFP

INTJ

ENTJ

ESFP

ESTP

ENFP

ENTP

ENFJESFJ


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Review Keys

Everyone ParticipatesRoot Causes and Behaviors

Patterns, Inconsistencies, and Changes

SMART ExperimentsReview Results and Respond

Make It VisibleDon’t Let It Get Stale

Keys To Success


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Thank you!Are there any questions?

For more information,please see our site

www.BigVisible.comor email me

[email protected]


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Smells

• It’s boring• Same issues or “good” items over and over again• Quiet• No conflict or debate• Same people always talking• Some people who never talk• Team seems to be “reporting” to someone in attendance (e.g. manager)• No specific actionable, measurable changes come out of it• Team is always late• Always run out of time• The issues being identified are outside of the team• One team member or group hijacks the retro• Facilitator telling as opposed to asking • Team waiting for retro to discuss issues


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Logistics - Location• DEPENDS• Team Area

• Valuable because:• Information radiators and artifacts right there• Visual cues to help remember

• Problematic because:• Unable to step away from day-to-day thoughts – hard to

change perspective• Normal distractions of work (phone calls, instant messages,

people stopping by, etc…)• Conference Room

• Valuable because:• Removed from normal distractions• Easy to bring information radiators and artifacts• Logistics relatively easy

• Problematic because:• Constrains thought if room team uses regularly – hard to

change perspective• Offsite

• Valuable because:• Change perspective so may get more creative thoughts

• Problematic because:• Logistical problems with traveling• Loss of comfort because of strangers


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Logistics – Room Setup

• Surprisingly Important!• Fred Steele – we are all “environmentally incompetent” because we don’t realize how

much our surroundings affect how we feel and act• Don’t be crowded! The room should easily hold every one• Have people sit close to each other though, don’t spread out all over the

room• Circle or semi-circle orientation of chairs• No big, immovable tables• Lots of materials!• People will stop thinking up new ideas when they run out of materials, so make sure

everyone has more than enough stickies, index cards, flip charts, etc…• Flip charts, whiteboards and other information should be easily seen from

all locations• Enough room for everyone around areas of collaboration• Don’t ask everyone to work around a single, small flip chart if there are 12 people


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Logistics – How Long?

► DEPENDS Length of time retrospecting over

• Rachel Davies suggests 30 minutes for each week Size of team Level of conflict or controversy Try it and see what you need!

You can always end the retrospective early if people identify meaningful improvements and finish their plans before the planned end time. There’s no point prolonging the retrospective once the team has achieved the goal. But too much time usually isn’t the problem. If your team produces only superficial insights and shallow plans, it may be that they need more time.

agile software development retrospective secrets

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waste of time

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