What’s a retrospective meeting?
A retrospective meeting is a meeting that takes place at the end of a sprint. The goal of a retrospective meeting is to discuss what worked, what did not, and what can be done better.
Why is a retrospective meeting important?
A great retrospective meeting template helps you improve collaboration within the team. It’s a good way for a company to review what worked well for them and what didn’t.
How does a retrospective meeting work…
Step #1: Discuss the goal of the sprint (15 mins)
List down all the tasks that were finished and the metrics that moved. You can also use this time to invite team members to give a quick demo of completed projects.
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: Encourage participation from everyone by nudging for their inputs. Ensure that you moderate healthy discussions without letting people hijack the meeting.
Step #2: Discuss what worked (10 mins)
What worked for your team? Were any special milestones accomplished? Let each team member contribute to this discussion.
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: Remember to celebrate wins. Even if they were small milestones, put them on the agenda!
Step #3: Address the biggest failures (20 mins)
What went wrong? Were there any obstacles along the way? Identify the root cause for each of them. Allow each team member to contribute. Remember that this isn't a blame game - focus on continued improvement!
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: Don’t make it personal. This is not about giving performance reviews to people. When discussing failures, only use this meeting as a learning curve.You can give negative feedback in a separate 1-on-1 meeting.
Step #4: Create a summary with action items (05 mins)
Summarise the main takeaways from the meeting. Include key decisions, plans, and any opportunities that should be shared with stakeholders. Clarify the next steps and assign action items to everyone.