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Fastest Written Retrospective Technique Ever

Right off the top, I admit to employing hyperbole by writing a post with this title. Still, I think any facilitators who try this technique may find that it is both rapid and effective in many team contexts.

There are several situations where I would say this technique would be particularly effective:

• When working with teams that are entirely virtual
• When working with teams that are particularly “meeting-averse,” even when meetings are reasonably short
• When you need a fresh approach to keep retrospectives from becoming stale, especially when teams have been together for quite a long time

Facilitator Tips

Either verbally or in writing, provide the team with instructions similar to what I’ve described below.

For this retrospective, I’m going to <leave blank note cards on your desks> (for collocated teams); or <provide a digital equivalent of blank note cards> (for virtual teams). No later than <deadline>, please do the following:

• Write your thoughts about the <desired timebox> (see the topics below)
• You don’t have to write something for every topic I’ve listed below, but you’re certainly welcome to do so
• (For collocated teams) Fold the completed card in half and drop it in the metal box that says “Inbox” that is sitting on the corner of the cabinet near my desk; (For virtual teams) Provide the feedback to me via <tool of choice>.
• If you want to include your name, you can, but anonymous feedback is also fine.

Once I have the inputs, I’ll find some time for us to chat about what everyone has written.

Sample Topics

Below are the topics I chose to use on my first attempt with this technique.

Please write your observations about some or all of the topics listed below, for the current Sprint:

1. Describe something another team member helped you with that you’d like to thank them for
2. Describe an achievement that you are proud of
3. Describe any questions or concerns you have about remaining work left to be done
4. Describe what we did well as a team
5. Describe what we did not do well as a team
6. Describe any changes we should consider making as a team going forward, in terms of how we work
7. Describe any other topics you feel we should discuss as a team