This week, your host, Dan Neumann, is joined by Norm Kerth, author of Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews. Norm Kerth wrote this book before Sprint Retrospectives were invented! In this episode, Norm and Dan explore the subject of Project Retrospectives. They discuss the learning opportunity within every major project event, especially in instances where things did not turn out favorably. Norm explains when and when not to have a Retrospective and how to prove its value to organizations reluctant to grant the necessary time to invest in them.

Key Takeaways

An unconventional career:

Norm realized that the best way to move up inside a corporation was not to be in line or follow other people’s paths but to find the void that other people were leaving in the company and fill it. This is an amazing way to contribute.
Norm wrote the book Project Retrospectives even before retrospectives and sprints were created.

Project Retrospective:

Learning from past experiences is quite valuable, which is why Retrospectives are so beneficial for a Team.
The first step is to assume that every member of the Team is doing the best they can according to their capacities and knowledge. If this is not the foundation, people will fear being blamed for mistakes or errors instead of focusing on the learning opportunity.
Once the Team has learned from past experiences, they can decide how they will operate differently in future circumstances.
Retelling the story is very crucial.
The necessary four questions: What went well? What did I learn? What do I want to do differently the next time? What still puzzles me?

Retrospectives need time, but organizations do not always agree.

When you reach the end of a project and are late starting the new one, don’t rush! Remember that if there is no reflection on the last project, the following will repeat its mistakes.
The best way to improve organizational processes is to involve the people doing the work.
Consultants must ask four questions: How did you get to where you are? How do you feel about where you are at the moment? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do differently? The Retrospective is the way to find the answers to these questions.

When is a Retrospective not needed?

There is no point in having a retrospective in dysfunctional organizations. It doesn’t matter how a Team changes its ways if the organization has major conflicts that are not addressed.
The manager needs to be involved in Retrospectives; if there is no collaboration from leadership, why waste the time?
Don’t do the Retrospective only because it is trendy to do it.

How can Retrospective’s value be demonstrated?

First, retell the story of the project, going through the most significant events. Search for the wisdom while answering the four questions.
Break the Team into naturally affinity groups (they will probably group together according to the area of work). These subgroups are encouraged to propose what they want to do differently. These suggestions have to be achievable and measurable so their value can be tested in the following Retrospective.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews, by Norm Kerth

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