Common problems & solutions for running Agile Retrospectives

This post is based on the “Common ailments & cures” page on the Retrospectives Wiki, by Rob Bowley

We have gathered much feedback of common problems our Retrospectives tool users have. We are also very aware of the collection of common problems when running retrospectives that’s on the Retrospectives wiki page which we took in consideration when developing our tool. So we decided to complement our lists and share it.

As you read and relate to the below, keep in mind any other challenges you’ve run into. Are we missing anything? How have you dealt with them? Share yours, we’d love to add them to the list!

Problem: Actions not captured / No obvious record or review of previous retrospective:

What do you mean we have no notes of previous meetings?

Using a tool to run a retrospectives is the best solution for this problem, as the tool will prompt for, store and manage each action item. Retrospectives for Confluence will save your results on a Confluence page, publicly available for the whole team.

• Put the actions somewhere visible, maintain a backlog and have it visible for everybody in the team (e.g. in a Confluence page).
• Assign an owner for each action item of the meeting.

Problem: Too many actions:

The problem with too many tasks

• Apply velocity to actions, track progress and only take on what velocity dictates.
• Focus on the vital few actions, only choose one action.

Problem: Not having the right people in the retrospective:

• Invite people early.
• Pick a time that suits everyone.
• Use a calendar with reminders.

Problem: Biased facilitator / Agenda hijacking:

• Rotate the role.
• Let the team choose an unbiased facilitator.

Problem: Lack of preparation / Forgetting what’s happened:

• Send a reminder before the meeting.
• Use a tool for easy access to previous results.

A tool might help

Problem: People not speaking up/shy:

• Facilitator needs to create the right environment. Focus on freedom to speak up and having everyone in a relative “comfort zone”.
• Try different games and dynamics which are more suited to everyone in the session.

Problem: Retrospective actions and tips not shared with other teams:

• Share retrospective results company-wide (Confluence makes this very easy).
• Do a Retrospective of the Retrospectives to find issues.

Problem: People taking things personally:

• Refer to The Prime Directive: “Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.” — Norm Kerth, Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Review

Problem: Voting system may result in valid issues not being addressed:

• Non-addressed issues get rolled over.
• Themed retrospectives.

Problem: Lack of engagement:

• Assign a responsible person for each action item.
• Set expectations clearly and with a deadline.
• Continuously set your sight on the big picture/main goal/purpose. Go back to your purpose often.

What do you think?
You may find that using Retrospectives for Confluence will address most of your problems, making for more productive & helpful sessions.

Have you identified any other common problem when running a retrospective session? Leave a comment or send us a comment to let us know what other problems you’ve run up against and how have you tackled them.