6 Project Retrospective Games for Iterative Teams

1. As a moderator, explain the rules to each team member: In front of you on the Echometer Whiteboard are some pictures of puppies. Off the top of your head, which one best fits the last sprint? The reasons for choosing a picture are relatively irrelevant.
2. Everyone chooses a picture by creating a sticky on the whiteboard by double-clicking.
3. Now everyone briefly explains in one or two sentences why they chose the respective picture. The decision does not have to be "logical" - it is about capturing the emotional state and creating a good atmosphere for discussion.
4. The respective check-in of the team members is neither evaluated nor commented on - laughing is of course allowed. At most, something interesting is written down to be used again in the later part of the retrospective.
5. Now continue with the next phase of the retrospective, the "Data Gathering" (To the article: 5 Phases of a Retro are not Enough). Alternatively, you can also look at the measures of the last retrospective together (for example, in the Echometer tool).

You can see the basic idea of this retrospective game well on the online whiteboard above, including some examples:

1. Each team member selects a meme from the internet, for example via Google. It should subjectively fit the last sprint.
2. This meme is posted on the Echometer whiteboard and explained to the other team members. Ideally, the moderation specifies a concrete order.

1. As a moderator, you explain the rules to each team member: Based on the emojis and the associated questions, each team member reflects on the last Scrum sprint.
   1. Fee: What is fantastic, hard to believe?
   2. König*in: Who is the king or queen of the sprint?
   3. Genie: What do you wish from the genie?
   4. Crystal ball: What is the biggest challenge in the future that we should pay attention to?
2. Ideally, the feedback is first collected individually and anonymously on the whiteboard (for example in Echometer). You can use the timer and set it to 3 minutes, for example, so that this part doesn't take too long. By the way: With Echometer, this part, the "data collection", can also be done asynchronously before the retro in the form of a digital survey.
3. In the next step, each team member individually presents the results and the other phases of the retrospective are continued: topics are discussed, prioritized with the help of a voting and measures are derived (To the article: 5 phases of a retrospective). The Echometer Retro Tool can help you with all of this.

1. You choose a set of statements about behaviors that you think the team could improve (see below, second toggle). These are, for example, the same things that are asked in the Spotify Health Check.
2. Of course, you can change these questions and make some of them more fun or creative.
3. Each person indicates how much they agree with these statements on the Echometer scale from 1 to 7.
4. The results are shown in the chart. Now everyone is asked to explain the results:
   "How do you explain the highest approval from your personal point of view? And the lowest voting?"
5. When you have gone through all the points of the health check and discussed them, you continue with the typical 5 phases of an agile retrospective.
6. Explain thoughts: After everyone is done with this part, everyone shares their thoughts (and notes) in turn. There is no discussion at this time.
7. Prioritization: Each team member has 3 digital points to vote. Now put the points where you see a need for improvement.
8. Discussion: Discuss the areas that received the most votes. Would you like to write down a measure?
9. Measures: Name a specific person who is responsible for this measure. I recommend not recording more than 3 measures - concentrate on quality rather than quantity (more on this in our post 7 tips for good measures).

1. We deliver great results! We are proud of it and our stakeholders are very satisfied.
2. Our way of working fits us perfectly.
3. We get things done really fast. No waiting, no delays.
4. Planning our sprints is always based on achieving the greatest possible customer benefit in the given time.

5. We also share unfinished work early with stakeholders in order to get feedback as quickly as possible.

6. Every member of the development team makes an appropriate contribution to sprint plannings. 
7. We are open to constructive feedback and can grow from it.
8. Courage: We appreciate it when someone shows courage.
9. Respect: We value each other's ideas, even if we disagree.
10. Commitment: Each team member strives to keep promises.
11. Focus: We don't let ourselves be distracted from pursuing the sprint goal.
12. Openness: We are open to constructive feedback and can grow from it.
13. We have a constructive exchange of knowledge between newer and more experienced colleagues.

1. Each team member marks the place where they were born and another place (if necessary, on a digital whiteboard, see above). 
2. Timebox 5 minutes: Then the team member thinks of an explanation for both places as to why they were born there.
   
   For example, Julia Rodriguez could say the following:
   A) As you all know, I was born just around the corner in New York. That's why I work here and visit my family every weekend.
   B) As you all know, my last name is Rodriguez. I'm originally from Mexico, where I was born 39 years ago. My family moved to the USA shortly after my birthday because my father started working here.
   Both sound logical - which fact is correct?
   
   
3. 1 minute timebox per person: The explanation for the two places is given one after the other. After a person has told the truth and a lie, everyone on the team guesses which place is the real birthplace.
4. In the end, you can delete the "lies" from the map - and you have a beautiful map of the team's places of origin, which you might even be able to save on your shared team page.