Sprint Retrospective
The Sprint Retrospective is a Scrum event where the Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regard to people, relationships, processes, and tools, and creates a plan for improvements.
Explanation
The Sprint Retrospective is the final event of a Sprint and occurs after the Sprint Review. The Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its effectiveness and addresses them as soon as possible. Improvements may be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint.
During the retrospective, the team discusses what went well, what did not go well, and what improvements can be made. Common formats include Start-Stop-Continue, Mad-Sad-Glad, and the sailboat metaphor. The Scrum Master facilitates the session and ensures it remains constructive and safe for honest feedback.
The Sprint Retrospective is timeboxed to three hours for a one-month Sprint. It is a key mechanism for continuous improvement and is one of the most important events in Scrum. Teams that skip or shortchange retrospectives tend to stagnate and accumulate process debt.
Key Points
- •Focuses on process improvement, not the product
- •Identifies what went well, what to improve, and actionable changes
- •Timeboxed to three hours for a one-month Sprint
- •Improvement items can be added to the next Sprint Backlog
Exam Tip
The retrospective is about the process, not the product. If a question asks about improving how the team works, the Sprint Retrospective is the answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Sprint Review
The Sprint Review is a Scrum event held at the end of the Sprint where the Scrum Team presents the Increment to stakeholders, gathers feedback, and collaborates on what to do next.
Retrospectives (General)
A Retrospective is a recurring meeting where a team reflects on its recent work period to identify what went well, what could be improved, and what actions to take for continuous improvement.
Scrum Master
The Scrum Master is the accountability within Scrum responsible for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide, helping the team and organization understand Scrum theory and practice, and removing impediments.
Test your knowledge
Practice scenario-based questions on this topic with detailed explanations.