Tier 4

retrospective

Learn from completed work to improve future performance

Usage in Claude Code: /retrospective your question here

Retrospective

Overview

Learn from completed work to improve future performance

Steps

Step 1: Prepare for retrospective

Set up the retrospective for success:

  1. Schedule with all relevant participants (sufficient notice)
  2. Choose format based on context:
    • start_stop_continue: Quick, simple, good for regular sprints
    • 4Ls (Liked/Learned/Lacked/Longed): Deeper reflection
    • mad_sad_glad: Surface emotions, team health focus
    • sailboat: Visual, forward-looking
    • timeline: Complex projects, incident review
  3. Gather relevant data and metrics for the period
  4. Review previous retrospective actions (if any)
  5. Prepare materials (board, stickies, digital tool)
  6. Set duration based on scope (30 min sprint, 1-2 hours project)

Step 2: Set the stage

Open the session to create psychological safety:

  1. Welcome participants and thank them for their time
  2. State the objective: “Learn and improve, not blame”
  3. Review ground rules:
    • What’s said here stays here (Vegas rule)
    • Focus on systems and processes, not individuals
    • Assume good intent
    • Everyone’s perspective is valuable
  4. Brief check-in activity (optional but recommended):
    • “One word for how you’re feeling about [subject]”
    • “Traffic light: red/yellow/green on the period”
  5. If reviewing previous actions, do so now:
    • Mark each as complete/incomplete/in-progress
    • Discuss blockers on incomplete items

Step 3: Gather data

Collect observations from all participants:

  1. Individual silent reflection (5-10 minutes):
    • Each person writes observations on stickies/cards
    • Use format prompts (e.g., Start/Stop/Continue)
    • Encourage both positive and constructive items
  2. Share observations:
    • Each person shares their items, one at a time
    • No discussion yet - just share and listen
    • Clarifying questions only
  3. Cluster similar items:
    • Group related observations together
    • Label the clusters
    • Identify themes

Step 4: Generate insights

Analyze observations to extract meaningful learnings:

  1. Prioritize discussion topics:
    • Dot voting: each person gets 3-5 votes
    • Vote on clusters most important to discuss
    • Focus on top 2-4 items given time constraints
  2. Discuss each priority item:
    • What happened? (facts, not judgments)
    • Why did it happen? (root causes)
    • What did we learn? (insight)
    • Use “5 Whys” for deep issues if needed
  3. Capture insights as complete statements:
    • “We learned that X leads to Y”
    • “When A happens, we should B”
  4. Don’t skip the positives:
    • What worked well? Why?
    • What should we keep doing?

Step 5: Decide on actions

Convert insights into concrete commitments:

  1. For each major insight, brainstorm potential actions
  2. Select 2-3 actions maximum (focus over quantity):
    • Is this actionable by the team?
    • Will this meaningfully address the issue?
    • Can we realistically do this?
  3. For each action, define:
    • Clear description of what will be done
    • Single owner (one person accountable)
    • Due date or checkpoint
    • Success criteria (how we know it’s done)
  4. Avoid common traps:
    • “Be more careful” is not an action
    • “Everyone should…” has no owner
    • Too many actions dilutes focus

Step 6: Close and celebrate

Wrap up the session effectively:

  1. Summarize key insights generated
  2. Review committed action items and owners
  3. Recognize successes and achievements:
    • What went well that we should celebrate?
    • Who deserves recognition?
    • What are we proud of?
  4. Optional: “Retro the retro”:
    • Quick feedback on the retrospective itself
    • What worked? What would you change?
  5. Thank participants for their candor and engagement
  6. Confirm follow-up: who will share notes, track actions

Step 7: Follow up

Ensure the retrospective creates lasting change:

  1. Document and share:
    • Write up retrospective notes within 24 hours
    • Share with all participants and relevant stakeholders
    • Store in accessible location for future reference
  2. Track actions:
    • Enter action items into task/project tracking system
    • Set reminders for check-ins
    • Include action review in next retrospective
  3. Monitor progress:
    • Check in on actions at regular intervals
    • Remove blockers for owners
    • Adjust approach if actions aren’t working

When to Use

  • After completing a project or significant milestone
  • At the end of a sprint or iteration
  • Following an incident, outage, or failure
  • After a successful launch or achievement
  • When team performance needs examination
  • At regular intervals (monthly, quarterly) for continuous improvement
  • When onboarding reveals process gaps
  • After significant changes to team or process

Verification

  • All participants had opportunity to contribute
  • Both positive and constructive observations captured
  • Root causes explored, not just symptoms
  • Actions are specific with single owners
  • Number of actions is manageable (2-3 maximum)
  • Psychological safety was maintained throughout
  • Notes documented and shared promptly

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Apply this procedure to the input provided.