by The Scrum framework consists of Scrum Teams and their associated accountabilities, artifacts, events and rules as defined in the Scrum Guide.
Scrum events
Sprint Retrospective definition
- Sprint Retrospective is a mandatory Event of Scrum and is a feedback loop that team members can Inspect and Adapt their process to establish continuous improvement.
- It should be conducted at the end of each Sprint.
- The Scrum Team plans ways to increase product quality by improving work processes or adapting the Definition of Done (DoD).
- The Sprint Retrospective has a 3 hours maximum, but can be shorter with Sprints under a month long.
Sprint Retrospective purpose
- The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness.
- The Sprint Retrospective serves the Scrum Team to inspect the past Sprint and plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint.
- In addition, the Sprint Retrospective is also a mandatory event of Scrum and is about the Scrum Team and processes.
- Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint.
- Sprint Retrospective must inspect how the last Sprint went with regards to people, relationships, process, and tools.
- Sprint Retrospective should identify and order the major items that went well and potential improvements to the way the Scrum Team does work.
- The Sprint Retrospective serves the Scrum Team to inspect the past Sprint and plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint.
- Sprint Retrospective should create a plan for implementing improvements to the way the Scrum Team does its work.
Sprint Retrospective improvement
- Simplicity and reflection are core agile practices.
- Simplicity, “the art of maximizing the amount of work not done”, is one of the Agile Manifesto principles.
- Reflection is in the center of iteration retrospectives aimed to improve the team’s process and performance.
- Focusing on reflection and simplicity will most likely help the team improve its process.
Sprint Retrospective participants
- All the Scrum Team.
- The Scrum Master participates as a peer team member in the meeting from the accountability over the Scrum process.
Sprint Retrospective time-box
- It is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one-month Sprint.
- For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.
- The Sprint Retrospective concludes the Sprint.
Sprint Retrospective practice
- The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards to individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done (DoD).
- Inspected elements often vary with the domain of work.
- Assumptions that led them astray are identified and their origins explored.
- The Scrum Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it encountered, and how those problems were (or were not) solved.
- The Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its effectiveness.
- The most impactful improvements are addressed as soon as possible.
- They are added to the Product Backlog, ordered and prioritized by the Product Owner
- They may even be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint during the Sprint Planning
- Scrum Master (SM) ensures that the Sprint Retrospective takes place and is understood.
- Scrum Master must ensure that the Sprint Retrospective remains positive and productive, and that attendants understand the purpose.
- Scrum Master teaches the team to keep the Sprint Retrospective within the time-box.
- The Sprint Retrospective occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning.
- This is at most a three-hour meeting for one-month Sprints or shorter.
Sprint Retrospective impediments
- What should the Scrum Team have identified by the end of the Sprint Retrospective ?
- Improvements that will be implemented for the next Sprint.
- In the precedent Scrum Guide (edition 2017), at least one priority process improvement identified in the Sprint Retrospective is added to the Sprint Backlog.
- Now in the Scrum Guide 2020, the process improvements are added to the Product Backlog and ordered by the Product Owner.
- After the Sprint Retrospective discussion all the improvement items discussed are placed in the Product Backlog.
- To ensure continuous improvement, the next Sprint Backlog (& not the current one) should include at least one high priority process improvement identified in the previous Sprint Retrospective meeting.
More informations for the Scrum PSD certification here.
Updated : 03/09/2021
