The Retrospective

I find the Sprint Retrospective to be the most difficult part of Scrum for Your Life. It is not much different from the Retrospective I participate in where I work. People struggle to find something to contribute.

The exercise is limited to one hour, which is more than enough for Scrum for Your Life. The purpose is to examine your behavior in the previous Sprint, and find ways to improve in the coming Sprint. The improvements might come from learning new skills, breaking bad habits or reprioritizing tasks.

Most of my observations come from bad habits. I follow the news and like many, check my phone for updates several times an hour. I’m getting better, but it still comes up every Sprint. I also tend to put too much work into my Sprint Backlog, causing some disappointment and sometime unnecessary stress. My advice is to load up your Sprint Backlog with what you know you can comfortably accomplish in the next four weeks, taking into account all of your maintenance goals. (I’m speaking to me too!)

I’d love to hear from you about your experience with Retrospectives, either in your work or using Scrum for Your Life. Please use the comments box below, and may this next Sprint be a rewarding one for you.