How to make retrospective meeting more productive with fun

How to make retrospective meeting more productive with fun

In scrum scheduled retrospective meeting we always talk about three steps

1. what we can stop
2. what we can continue
3. what we can improve

 But after sometime all the above questions become boring, to make this meeting more interactive and interesting
Follow the below method which we have used in a retrospective.



Draw an image on white board as shown above.
Here Car is a symbol of current sprint where
Team have to complete number of stories in current sprint.
Parachute shows that it shoot in between and became impediments for sprint car
Which reduces sprint car speed.

So in this game the each team member has to write two types of sticky notes(with two colours)

One at right side of the car for whatever efforts they have taken to meet sprint goal, so write all positive points at this side.

Second sticky note needs to put on left side and on the parachute. Which means while achieving sprint goal whatever impediments came like parachute which reduced sprint car speed. Also put suggestions to avoid these sort of impediments in future, so team can plan better way in upcoming sprint to boost the car speed.

With this game format team members definitely come with multiple suggestions and they will find it more interesting as compare to earlier boring meeting and it adds 2 to 3 times more comments from team as compare to previous.

Once you get the all points , please discuss with all members and take their views on same and come with action points which will be either with the team or scrum master or PO or management. Make sure as scrum master followup on this point and get it resolved asap and same should get discuss in next retrospective.

This overall meeting will take around hour and half.

Please make sure don't forget to change the image after each two sprints and come with some innovative image on board.
(Ref. Below another example of image for retrospective. This parachute's top past shows team moving in upward direction and the bottom part is impediment as if weight of this box increase it will take parachute down.)











I will also share some more creative ideas in upcoming blogs.

Thanks
KSHITIJ YELKAR
www.yelkar.com