The 5 reasons your retro isn’t working

Your team has created a board, added sticky notes, and now it’s time to discuss what went well and what didn’t. Nevertheless, your team looks unenthusiastic and does not take any initiative since they lack either motivation or desire to talk. Why did this happen? How did retro meetings become just another boring gathering for people who work side by side every day, instead of gathering to solve problems or give each other recognition? As a manager, what can you do?

Still, you haven’t seen the worst case scenario. Did you know that according to Reetro.io the shortest retrospective was for 93 seconds? A retrospective that lasts at least 27 minutes, which is the average length, is already a good sign, since it allows your team members to share their opinions.

Using this article, you can learn how to avoid the 5 biggest retro mistakes, no matter whether you’re looking to make your retros work or just enhance the experience.

1. Sticky notes are added to the board when the retro is in progress

It’s hard to focus and come up with all the thoughts within a short amount of time. In a relaxed atmosphere, you can take as much time as you need to remember everything you want to discuss.

Additionally, some teammates might not feel comfortable adding negative sticky notes with their names on them. In teams, this could occur if the team members lack a good relationship or confidence in their manager.

Here’s what you can do:

Consider giving participants more time to formulate everything they want to put on the board. It might be a good idea to ask teammates to add sticky notes before the retro session.

Ensure the team’s anonymity by avoiding names and allowing teammates to add sticky notes beforehand, so nobody can track them in cloud-based tools such as Miro.

This will ensure anonymity while giving your team more time to think about what it is important for them to be on the board.

2. Engagement decreased over time

Perhaps every retro is similar to every other? People get bored with their routines easily. There might be a variety of reasons for decreased engagement: the same facilitator, introverts pushed to speak, extroverts talking the most and not allowing others to speak, a lack of team spirit, or no actions taken based on retro takeaways.

Here’s what you can do:

Keep your retro sessions fresh by varying them occasionally.

Make sure you change facilitators. If anyone can be a facilitator, retros will be more diverse.

Another option is to break up the team into smaller groups of three to four people if you have a large team. As a result, you will be able to make people feel more comfortable and open, especially introverts.

Run an anonymous team survey to determine what changes your team would like to see. You will be surprised at how many great ideas your teammates will come up with. In a way, this is like a small team-building activity.

3. The achievements of your teammates aren’t recognized

A common issue is that teammates may not feel a sense of accomplishment. Consider how frustrating it would be if you put a lot of effort into your work, but nobody noticed. It doesn’t mean people want a bonus or any other tangible compensation; they just want to be recognized by their teammates.

Here’s what you can do:

Make sure your retro board has a “Shoutout” section. Provide participants with the opportunity to recognize their teammates and their accomplishments. Someone who leaves a “Shoutout” sticky note should mention the name of the person for whom the shoutout is for and what they accomplished.

Including the employee’s achievements and shoutouts to him to the townhall presentation would increase the employee’s importance at the company level. All employees will be able to see their colleague’s achievements and will be motivated to one day be in the same position.

4. There is not enough trust between teammates

Developing proper work relationships is very difficult when you work remotely. There is a lack of personal communication within teams, and people tend to work more independently. Retros are effective when people are verbal and confident that anything said won’t have any negative consequences.

Here’s what you can do:

There is nothing better than teambuilding. The best way to build strong relationships with your teammates is to go out with them on a regular basis.

Try adding an “Oops wall” section to your retro board if you don’t have the opportunity to have teambuildings often. The “Oops Wall” allows everyone to share their mistakes. By sharing mistakes transparently and frequently, the team develops a culture of openness and trust. Even a small chat at the start of the retro can help everyone to feel more comfortable.

While teammates are still getting used to retros, it is important to keep them anonymous until they become more comfortable with them. Before the retro, team members can add sticky notes and during the retro, you can discuss all anonymous thoughts and ideas.

5. As a result of retro, no action has been taken

Retro has the primary purpose of sharing thoughts, ideas, identifying what is wrong, and taking actions, which will improve the process. Meetings may become unnecessary if the main purpose of the meeting is not met. In other words, if the actions are not taken, the team would not be motivated to continue.

Here’s what you can do:

The manager’s primary objective is to group the sticky notes on the retro, (because some topics are mentioned more than once or people vote on other people’s ideas), and summarize the actions to be taken by him or the team members. In order to see progress, action should be taken before the next retro. Towards the end of the year, it’s worth comparing all retros and analyzing what the team has accomplished.

Clearly, successful retros depend on teamwork. Whenever you have doubts as a manager, just ask your team. By doing this, you will feel more confident and your team will be grateful and bonded, since they will know their opinions are valued. Creating a friendly environment is key to achieving important goals. You will be able to speed up all processes and make your retro more useful and effective with better communication within the team.

Take this into consideration and make a positive change.