The next tip for a successful sprint retrospective is to keep things positive. There will be sprints when the team has had a difficult time, their energy is low, and their mood is negative. However, as a scrum master, you can uplift the team and instill high performance that’s all about continuous improvement.
If the team needs to vent, that’s fine, but the retrospective isn’t the place for negativity—hold that conversation for later. Have the team meet over coffee or happy hour, but not during an official scrum event.
It’s human nature that not every sprint goes well, or people may have a difficult time in their personal lives. While you can acknowledge the reality, you want to bring the energy in the room back up and keep it positive and forward-thinking.
Team members are part of a group, and in group situations, when one person complains, everyone follows. You may have personally experienced a retrospective or other meeting where one vocal team member is unhappy, and that person’s energy affects the entire room. As a scrum master, it’s an important part of your job to bring the retrospective back to a productive place.
While the sprint retrospective’s official purpose is to inspect and adapt what happened in the most recent sprint, if you can’t overcome the negativity, you may want to discuss a different time period. You could look back at the month, the quarter, or even the past year to discuss what’s gone well and how your team has progressed.
Key Takeaways:
- Keep the sprint retrospective positive.
- Find an alternative time and place for the team to vent their frustrations.
- The scrum master’s role is to bring up the team’s energy and be forward-looking.
- It’s acceptable to look back further than the previous sprint to see how the team has progressed.
Need to watch any of the other videos in the series? Find the links below!