What is a Retrospective? - Definition & Meaning
A retrospective is a Scrum ceremony where the team reflects on the past sprint to improve their process. Learn how retrospectives work.
Definition
A retrospective (retro) is a ceremony held at the end of each sprint where the team reflects on what went well, what could be improved, and what concrete actions to take to improve their work process. It is a core component of continuous improvement within agile frameworks like Scrum.
Technical Explanation
Retrospectives typically follow a structured format. Popular methods include Start-Stop-Continue, the starfish (more of, less of, keep doing, start doing, stop doing), and the 4L's (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for). The Scrum master facilitates the session and ensures a safe environment where all team members can speak openly. Action items are documented and assigned to owners. In the next retrospective, the team evaluates whether previously defined action items were executed. Anti-patterns like skipping the retro or not following up on action items undermine the value of this ceremony.
How Refront Uses This
Refront supports retrospectives by automatically summarizing sprint data, including velocity, cycle times, and ticket statistics. Teams can use the AI assistant to recognize patterns in their sprint data and suggest improvement areas. Action items from the retro are captured as tickets in the next sprint.
Examples
- •During the retro, the team discusses that code reviews take too long and decides to implement a 24-hour review policy.
- •The team uses the Start-Stop-Continue format to define three concrete improvement actions for the next sprint.
- •The Scrum master uses anonymous input collection to guarantee honest feedback from all team members.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a retrospective last?
For a two-week sprint, 60 to 90 minutes is typically reserved. Shorter sprints have shorter retrospectives. The key is having enough time for reflection and formulating concrete action items.
Who participates in a retrospective?
The entire Scrum team participates: the development team, the Scrum master, and optionally the product owner. The Scrum master facilitates the session and ensures an open and safe atmosphere.
How do you ensure action items from the retro are followed up?
Make action items specific and measurable, assign an owner, and include them as tasks in the next sprint. Evaluate in the following retrospective whether the action items were executed and had the desired effect.
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