1.3 Generate Insights

Agile Retrospectives — by Esther Derby, Diana Larsen (8 / 72)

👈 1.2 Gather Data | TOC | 1.4 Decide What to Do 👉

Now is the time to ask “Why?” and begin thinking about what to do differently. When generating insights, the team considers the data to identify strengths and issues from the previous iteration.

Lead the team to examine the conditions, interactions, and patterns that contributed to their success. Investigate breakdowns and deficiencies. Look for risks and unexpected events or outcomes.

It’s easy for people to jump to solutions once problems emerge. First solutions may be correct, but often they’re not. The work of this phase is to consider additional possibilities, look at causes and effects, and think about them analytically. It’s also a time for the team to think together.

These insights help the team see how to work more effectively — which is the ultimate goal of any retrospective.

Reusable Skills

The activities and skills teams use to generate insights and analyze the problems in a retrospective apply outside the retrospective, too.

Teams can use these analytical tools to understand technical problems, prioritize stories or requirements, plan a strategy, or drive innovation.

For example, a web development team learned a mind-mapping technique during a retrospective. Later, when they experienced friction…