A retrospective is a team reflection meeting that examines recent work, captures pain points, and identifies improvements for future work. It helps teams question assumptions, review developer velocity, and smooth recurring problems before they become larger obstacles. section 6.5.3 section 6.1.2
Make retrospectives useful by:
- Reviewing what caused bugs, broke regression testing, or took longer than expected. section 6.5.3
- Asking how the team could improve rather than assuming one person’s experience represents everyone’s experience. section 6.5.3
- Discussing specific solutions, explaining why changes matter, and remaining open to feedback and constraints. section 7.4.1
- Including project stakeholders when the team is correcting a mismatch between waterfall and agile practices. section 7.4.1
- Following up with updates so agreed changes become visible and actionable. section 6.1.2
From mixed methods to agile
A team moving from waterfall toward agile struggles with inconsistent practices. The development lead proposes retrospectives that include project stakeholders, uses open discussion to surface blockers, and adjusts the process through repeated conversations until the team becomes fully agile. section 7.4.1
Personal retrospective
A lead developer can also reflect individually at the end of the year by reviewing what went well, identifying weaknesses, and creating an action plan for the following year. section 3.1.2
