Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software

#158: Should You Skip the Sprint Retrospective? with Mike Cohn

Sep 17, 2025
Mike Cohn, co-founder and CEO of Mountain Goat Software, joins Brian Milner to tackle the pitfalls of sprint retrospectives. They discuss why teams often dread or skip these crucial meetings, drawing parallels to skipping leg day in fitness. Mike shares insights on diagnosing broken retrospectives, highlighting signs like disengagement and repetitiveness. The duo emphasizes the importance of a structured approach for effective retros, advocating for continuous improvement through inspection and adaptation. Get ready to make retros work for your team!
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ADVICE

Don't Skip The Retro—Diagnose First

  • Do not skip retrospectives just because they feel painful or stale.
  • Inspect why they feel that way and fix the root cause instead of abandoning them.
INSIGHT

Cadence Trumps Less Frequent Long Retros

  • Longer sprints reduce retro frequency but make retros longer and less tolerable.
  • Short, regular retros keep cadence and prevent long, unwieldy meetings.
ADVICE

Fix The Cause, Not The Meeting

  • Treat fatigue with root-cause analysis, not avoidance.
  • Find the disease and treat it rather than cutting off the leg (skipping the retro).
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