Here’s another interesting question about retrospectives I got in my inbox, this time from Claudia: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\n just became a Scrum Master and will have my first Retrospective \never. What I find difficult for the beginning – I\u2019m sure this will \nchange after doing some Retros – is the transition from Set the Stage to\n Gather Data. After setting the stage, how do I go the Gather Data? Do I\n simply say “thank you, now, we\u2019ll continue to gather data\u2026\u201c or do I \ncomment anything from Set the Stage to Gather Data.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
[If you are new to retrospective and have never heard about the phases you can find out more here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Questions\n like these are great, because they make me examine something that I \ndon’t consciously think about and “just do”. So yeah, how do the heck do\n I frame the transition? As always, the answer is: It depends \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It depends on what I want to achieve with \u201cSet the Stage\u201d (StS). Let\u2019s look at the different cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Default case: I want everyone to speak, preferably about something positive and true<\/a> and relevant to the last iteration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In\n this case, yes, most of the time it is close to “thank you, now, we\u2019ll \ncontinue with gathering data\u2026\u201c I wouldn\u2019t use that exact phrasing \nbecause it implies that the 1st phases content is throwaway, when it \nreveals something about the last iteration. I can\u2019t remember ever \npicking a starting activity solely for the fun of it\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My\n default opening method is a question that goes around the circle. Here \nare some of these questions and a transition to \u201cGather Data\u201d that lends\n itself to that question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- What was your biggest insight during the last sprint?<\/a>
-> Thank you! Now let\u2019s look into what other observations you have made with $activity-I-picked-for-Gather-Data.<\/li>- If the last sprint had been a restaurant, what kind of restaurant had it been<\/a>
-> Very creative, thank you! Let\u2019s go into more detail now …<\/li>- Describe the last sprint in 3 words<\/a>
-> Now that we\u2019ve had a summary of the sprint, let\u2019s get more verbose…<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nOf\n course, the transition has to also match the activity you\u2019re leading to\n in “Gather Data\u201d (GD). But yeah, usually the sticky notes from StS just\n keep hanging on a board and are not re-used. If people have the same \npoint again for GD, they can rewrite the sticky or re-hang the existing \nsticky note. I don’t care either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special case: Testing the waters – with a new team or in a conflict situation <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When I facilitate for a team for the first time or in a conflict situation I like to test the waters with ESVP<\/a>: Do people want to be here? How much engagement can I expect from them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I expect problems, I might use Constellation<\/a> or Team Radar<\/a> to explore questions like \u201cHow likely are you to speak openly?\u201d. It might be necessary to adapt these to a written form that participants fill in anonymously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The important thing is that you have to be willing to deal with problems that come up. What if half the participants are Prisoners – How will you handle it? What if nobody dares to speak openly – What will you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\n short, you\u2019ll have to have at least a rough idea of a Plan B. The more \nproblems you expect, the more solid your Plan B needs to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Btw,\n \u201cnormal\u201d opening rounds and retro activities can also derail, either \nbecause something \u201ctraumatic\u201d happened to a single person (divorce, sick\n loved one, \u2026) or the team as a whole (someone being fired, new boss, \u2026)\n that you hadn\u2019t been aware off. In these cases, don\u2019t try to follow \nyour original plan. The retro is not an item to tick off a list. Stay \ncalm, sometimes it\u2019s okay to just let people talk. But I digress …<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special case: Outcome Expectations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Related to the previous case: Some activities are about the retro on a meta level, e.g. asking for Outcome Expectations<\/a>. I\u2019ll try to help meet the expectations or at the very least check if they\u2019ve been met or not throughout the retro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special case: StS is already data heavy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are some data heavy StS activities in Retromat that can easily be fleshed out for use in GD, e.g. Amazon Review<\/a> or Postcards<\/a>. Don’t be limited by the phase that is assigned in Retromat. There are many activities that also fit into a different category.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nActually, when you look at my retrospectives individually, you\u2019ll usually find only 4 to 4.5 distinct phases in them. The middle three phases kind of bleed into each other. Which one I stress varies. But whatever I do, you can spot Lean Coffee<\/a> in each one of them, just rarely as a standalone technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(If\n you plan your retrospectives with Retromat, you can get around the \nstrict “5 phases” layout by manually changing the IDs in the URL and \nhitting enter.)
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnyway, the above are all \nthe special cases I can currently think of. Do you have any to add? How \ndo you transitien between StS and GD?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you for the question, Claudia! It was fun to think about this!<\/p>\n\n\n
PS: Did you know there's a Retromat eBook Bundle? Ready-made retrospective plans for beginners and all activities from Retromat for experienced facilitators. Check out the Retromat books<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here’s another interesting question about retrospectives I got in my inbox, this time from Claudia: I just became a Scrum Master and will have my first Retrospective ever. What I find difficult for the beginning – I\u2019m sure this will change after doing some Retros – is the transition from Set the Stage to Gather Data. After setting the … <\/p>\n