ENGR301EngineeringProjectManagement

Retrospectives

CraigAnslow,AaronChen,JamesQuilty,JamesNoble

Sprints• Weeks8-9– Sprint1• Weeks10-11- Sprint2• Week12– termstest• TermbreakSprint3

(optional)• Week1-2– Sprint3or4• Week3-4– Sprint4or5• ….

• Week8preparingforSpint• Weeks9-10– Sprint1• Weeks11-12- Sprint2• TermbreakSprint3

(optional)• Week1-2– Sprint3or4• Week3-4– Sprint4or5• ….

2

Retrospective- OED• 1.a.Directedto,contemplativeof,pasttime.• 1664:AFaithfulTestimony..

oraRetrospectiveGlassfortheLegislators• Etymology:– [SeeRETROSPECTn.and-IVE.SoF.rétrospectif,-ive,It.retrospettivo,Pg.retrospectivo.]

– RETROSPECT:[ad.L.type*retrõspect-us,f.retrõspect-,vbl.stemofretrõspicêre tolookback:cf.prospect.]

TypicallyPost-mortem• Oftenfailbecausethey:

- Theyoccurwithnoplanningandlittlepreparation

- Areviewedasforumsforexactingretributionandventingfrustration

- Areleadbysomeonewhomaynothavegoodmeetingfacilitationskills

- Mayonlytakeonehourortwoatmost

- Oftenresultinnochangetobehavior

- Asaresult:ROIisverylowsincelittleislearnedandnothingchanges

WhatisaRetrospective?• Retrospectivesheldattheendofa

project;multi-dayeventsheldoff-site• Retrospectivesshouldincludethe

entirecommunity,sothatwecan:– Lookatourmistakesandlearnfrom

them– Shareoursuccesses– Honorourheroes,and– Collectrealnumbersthatcanbeused

forfutureprojects• - NormKerth.AHandbookforTeamReviews.2001

AnAgileRetrospective?• “Aspecialmeetingwherethe

teamgathersaftercompletingan incrementofwork toinspectandadapttheirmethodsandteamwork.

• Retrospectivesenablewhole-teamlearning,actascatalystsforchange,andgenerateaction.”

• —Derby,Larsen.AgileRetrospectives:MakingGoodTeamsGreat.ThePragmaticProgrammers,2006.P.xv

AgileManifestoPrinciple• “At regular intervals, the team reflects on

how to become more effective and then tunes and adjusts its behavior

accordingly”

WhyRetrospectives?• Learningfromourexperience• Learningfromourinteraction• Learningfromeachother• Learningabouteachother• Learningtogetherbuildscohesion

Retrospectives:When?• Kerth’s Vision:

• AfteraMajorproject• Duration:3Days

• AgileVision:– AfteranIteration(e.g.insprintreview)– AfteraRelease(i.e.tangibledelivery)– WhenNeeded(i.e.whenoneemerges)– AfteraSurprise(e.g.!!!)

Retrospective:Basics• Aneutralfacilitatorisstronglyrecommended• Preparation(facilitator|team|project community)iskey• Who:Developers,Customer/ProductOwner,Testers/QA,

TechnicalSpecialists(DBA,UI,HW),ProjectManager• Decidegoalofretrospective(withteam|community).Goal

shouldbepositiveratherthanseekingblame.– ExampleGoal:Learnfrommishapsonpreviousiteration,

uncoverrootcausesoftheseproblems.

Retrospective:Agenda• SetStage• GatherData• GenerateInsight• Decidewhattodo• Close• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hnD43Gs_ys• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvh7JU0VW1I

Retrospective:Activities• Rememberthisisagrouplearningexperience• Activitiesencourageequalparticipation• Activitiesfocustheconversation• Activitiesencouragenewperspectives• Furtherreading:– KerthandDerby/Larsen’sbooksprovideanumberofpracticalactivitiesspecificforretrospectives

Retrospective:Safety• Noprojection:expressourselves,notothers• Nointerruptions:respectspeople,process• Nocompulsion:weneedtochoose• Nodivisions:weneedtoworktogether• Nopunishment:itdoesnotwork• Nowitchhunts:weareallwitches• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJezcyKno5k

PrimeDirective• “Regardlessofwhatwediscover,wemustunderstandandtrulybelievethateveryonedidthebestjobheorshecould,givenwhatwasknownatthetime,hisorherskillsandabilities,theresourcesavailable,andthesituationathand.”

— Kerth,N.ProjectRetrospectives:AHandbookforTeamReviews,DorsetHousePublishing,2000.P.7

SocialPsychologyResearch• Howpeople'sthoughts,feelings,behaviorsareinfluencedbythepresenceofothers.Forexample:

• Groupthink(Janis)goingalongwithyourpeers

• Authority(Migram)doingwhatyouaretoldbyrespected

• RoleFollowing(Zimbardo)doingwhatyourroleinvolves

• SocialLoafing(Ringelmann)workinglesshardingroups

• Attributionerror(Ross)attributingmalice,notreasons

• TheIronCage(Barker)stressfromgroupexpectations

Retrospective:3Questions•Whatworkedwell?

•Whatcanwedobetter?•Whatstillpuzzlesus?

• Properties:– Concrete– External– Emergent

• Examples:– Stories– Trajectories– Maps– Graphs

DerbyandLarsen

Hassan

ReflectionActivities

ScrumRetrospective

• https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-sprint-retrospective

AgileRetrospectiveWiki• https://retrospectivewiki.org/index.php?title=Retrospective_Plans

DialogueSheets

https://www.allankellyassociates.co.uk/dialogue-sheets/https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhE6PVDdZ3dI-

kVPZwtY5FQvGtSqqI6Mj&v=3dOnKu30opc