One Easy Way to Improve Your Next Retrospective

Learn how to use Norm Kerth’s Prime Directive as an easy way to quickly improve your next Scrum retrospective by establishing psychological safety.

The very first Agile Coach I ever had taught me the practice of using Norm Kerth’s Prime Directive to start my retrospectives. Though I haven’t always used it, when I do I find that it sets the right tone for the Retrospective.

Regardless of what we discover, we must understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job he or she could, given what was known at the time, his or her skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.

The Scrum Retrospective is Important

I’ve written about the Retrospective process extensively Improving Your Retrospectives Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. I believe the retrospctive is the most important event in the Scrum Framework. As Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber say, the purpose of the retrospective is to make the team process more effective and enjoyable. It is important to do it well, so invest some time in…