Session Brief: Sprint Retrospective

Goal

Artifact: Improvement actions

Working Question

Which one change to process or system will improve the next sprint most, and who will implement it bindingly?

Context

Sprint burndown, velocity, completed and uncompleted items; major incidents in sprint; status of previous action items; shared initial mood (pulse check).

Setup

• Format: Method session
• Duration: 60-90 min per 2-week sprint
• Mode: Workshop
• Participants: One facilitator (rotating or Scrum Master); all development team members; optionally Product Owner; no external stakeholder without invitation.
• Owner: One facilitator (rotating or Scrum Master)
• Participation mode: Team round, shared work and alignment
• Outcome logic: Finish artifact

Participation Logic

Use the session for shared understanding. Contributions are collected visibly, assumptions are aligned, and open differences remain traceable in the artifact.

Outcome Logic

The session works directly toward Improvement actions. After the session, the artifact should be shareable, reviewable, or reusable.

Input

Miro or FigJam board with template (for example Mad-Sad-Glad, Sailboat, Start-Stop-Continue); timer; action board for measures with owner and deadline; list of action items from previous retro.

Preparation

Vary format per retro to avoid routine. Make previous action items visible. State rules: Vegas rule (what is said here stays here), focus on system instead of people, one action beats ten.

Agenda

1. Phase 1: Set the Stage (5-10 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Name purpose of retro, repeat rules, pulse check (thumbs or 1-5). Briefly review previous action items: done, open, dropped. Hint: If the same action items are unresolved across three retros, that is the only meaningful topic for this retro. Output: Improvement actions

2. Phase 2: Gather Data (15-20 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Format-specific collection: Mad-Sad-Glad, what went well/badly, 4Ls, Sailboat. Silent writing first, then cluster. Include metrics (velocity, bug count, incident count). Hint: If everyone repeats the same phrase in a format, topic breadth is too narrow. Change format or reframe question, otherwise retro becomes obligation exercise. Output: Team agreements

3. Phase 3: Generate Insights (15-20 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Vote top topics (dot voting, 2-3 points per person). Use 5 Whys or Fishbone on top topic to find cause. Work deeply on maximum two topics. Hint: One topic with depth beats five superficial ones. If everything is important, nothing changes. Output: Improvement actions

4. Phase 4: Decide What to Do (15-20 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: One action per top topic: SMART wording, with owner, deadline and success indicator. Maximum two to three action items per retro. Hint: Action item without owner is a wish. Owner must be present and say yes, otherwise it does not go on the list. Success indicator must be checkable in next retro. Output: Team agreements

5. Phase 5: Close the Retro (5 min) Owner: Owner Action: Plus-Delta or round robin: what was helpful in this retro, what should differ next time. Summarize action items, confirm responsibility. Hint: Closing is not "bye". If retro value is unclear, next engagement drops. Plus-Delta provides improvement loop for the retro itself. Output: Improvement actions

6. Publish artifact (10 min) Owner: Owner Action: Check the artifact for completeness, define location, set version or status, and name review recipients. Output: Improvement actions

Closeout

• Update result artifact: Improvement actions
• Define location, version, and review recipients.
• Define owner, next step, and review date.

Improvement actions: Sprint Retrospective

Working Question

Which one change to process or system will improve the next sprint most, and who will implement it bindingly?

Context

Sprint burndown, velocity, completed and uncompleted items; major incidents in sprint; status of previous action items; shared initial mood (pulse check).

Participants

• Owner: One facilitator (rotating or Scrum Master)
• Participants: One facilitator (rotating or Scrum Master); all development team members; optionally Product Owner; no external stakeholder without invitation.

Input

Miro or FigJam board with template (for example Mad-Sad-Glad, Sailboat, Start-Stop-Continue); timer; action board for measures with owner and deadline; list of action items from previous retro.

Template

Sprint Retrospective Working Template

Goal

A Scrum event to inspect and adapt collaboration, quality, and process.

Context

When and for what do we use this method?

Input

Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?

Execution

Short notes along the runsheet.

Output artifacts

• Improvement Actions:
• Team Agreements:

Assumptions and open questions

• ...

Decision / Next step

Owner, date, and success signal.

Completion Check

• Improvement actions is complete enough for review:
• Location:
• Version / status:
• Review by:
• Next step:

Next Step

• Review result
• Mark open questions
• Schedule review or decision