3 agile methods that every manager should know (part 3): retrospectives
In the last two articles we have you with Pre-mortems and Job Crafting two exciting methods were presented. To round off the series, today we present retrospectives (or “retros” for short), a method that has immense potential for continuously improving collaboration in teams - if you use it correctly .
Retrospectives: the stage for continuous feedback
If you already know retros, there’s a high probability that you come from agile software development – right? ;-) Retros are already widespread there (even if they certainly still have potential for improvement there, see right here). They are carried out after each Scrum Sprint to reflect on the collaboration. You collect approaches on how to work together even more successfully in the next Scrum Sprint.
Retrospectives are the stage on which the feedback comes on the table in order to improve teamwork.
Why retrospectives are relevant for everyone
Before the impression arises that all non-software developers can stop reading here: We want to make it clear why retros are relevant for everyone who wants to continuously improve themselves and their teamwork.
Almost all methods for continuous improvement are based on a cycle - the so-called DMAIC cycle, These methods sometimes have more, sometimes fewer steps. At the core, however, are always measurement, analysis and implementation:
- Measure what you want to improve
- Analyze how to improve it
- Implement measures to then measure again whether the desired effect has occurred
If you now refer these phases to a team, it becomes clear why retros are so important: They are the framework in which teams analyze their perceptions and derive measures to develop themselves continuously.
Especially if teamwork as a continuous improvement process (KVP) is interpreted, a retro is therefore a mandatory component of team routines. That’s why, from our point of view, it’s a shame that retros are still such untouched territory outside of the agile environment. Many teams still work in a “feedback-free” space where their voices are not heard. In this way, companies are giving away the potential to use this feedback.
A hierarchical corporate culture often implies that it is up to project managers or managers to deal with improvement initiatives. Employees then adopt a passive attitude and complain to each other. That really cannot be in the sense of a managing director. Retros enable the teams to make processes and projects more self-directed and proactive - through an employee-controlled improvement process (which is comfortable from a management point of view).
How do retros work?
The principle is very simple: In its basic form, the team discussion in the retrospective essentially deals with the two questions “What went well?” and “What didn’t go so well?”. These open questions give employees the space to note all the things that come to mind. And without having to spend hours filling out questionnaires as with classic employee surveys.
Before you start with the questions, you should make sure that there is an open and trusting atmosphere. The basic prerequisite for this is compliance with the Vegas Rule - everything that is discussed in the retro remains in the retro. Usually, only the results, i.e. the measures that have been decided, are brought out from the retro.
One often speaks of the 5 phases a retrospective, which we have summarized for you in the following checklist:
With Echometer we are building on this retrospective method. With the help of “Pulse surveys” (i.e. short surveys) we record the mood in the team over time and use the results as the basis for the retro in the team. In this way, we replace traditional employee surveys and at the same time initiate an employee-initiated improvement process. Here find out how we do it specifically.
Our main concern is to use retros, which are already being used so successfully in agile teams, throughout the company. Because regardless of whether you work agile or not, continuous feedback is a cornerstone of successful teams.
We hope that the methods presented in this series of articles Pre-Mortem , Job Crafting and Retrospectives We sound just as exciting for you. It is best to try it out in practice every 3 times and make your own picture! You will find a specific workshop proposal for a particularly effective retrospective right here.
