Scrum Is Here To Stay
Scrum is still proven to be valuable for remote and distributed teams. Here is how we run effective remote sprint retrospectives.
by: Ahmed Osmanović
We’ve all heard about Scrum, haven’t we? But what does Scrum represent? Even though it sounds like an acronym for something, it isn’t. It is inspired by the collaborative spirit of a rugby scrum, where a team unites to move the ball forward.
As defined in the Scrum Guide:
“Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems”.
The Three Pillars of Scrum
To put it in simple words, Scrum is all about working as a team on a shared goal. Scrum ensures teams continually improve by emphasizing the “inspect and adapt” principle.
Scrum stands on three pillars:
- transparency,
- inspection, and
- adaptation.
These pillars form a sturdy framework for navigating the projects.
When we talk about adaptation, the Sprint Retrospective is the key event.
It is a meeting where teams collaborate to turn challenges into opportunities for the future; focusing on processes, tools, and team dynamics.
Challenges and Insights
As a company that has always embraced remote work, Clearview understands the unique challenges of fostering communication and collaboration in distributed teams.
Given our extensive experience, sharing a few insights into our approach to sprint retrospectives could be both interesting and valuable for others.
Exploring different approaches to conducting retrospectives is essential to keep the team engaged and energized. On the other hand, it is equally important to maintain a focus on effectiveness.
Importance of Retrospectives
Teams typically conduct retrospectives at the end of each sprint (usually on a bi-weekly or monthly basis), but also at the end of large projects. It is the event that concludes the sprint or the project. One of the most important things for the success of the retrospective is promoting an open and non-judgmental atmosphere.
Team members should feel comfortable sharing honest opinions without the fear of judgment or punishment. Retrospectives should emphasize improvement over assigning blame. The primary objective is not to point fingers but rather to collaboratively identify opportunities for team enhancement.
At Clearview we try to encourage a relaxed and connected environment that promotes critical thinking, allowing team members to reflect and contribute constructively to the continuous improvement process.
Using Cameras
The next thing is encouraging everyone to turn on their cameras during the retrospective. This helps to maintain high engagement and facilitates better communication among team members.
Additionally, you can consider incorporating Google Virtual Backgrounds, to make a friendly atmosphere and add an element of fun. Each team member can choose a virtual background and filter to make the session more interesting — whether it’s showcasing places they’d like to visit or characters from their favorite movies.
Creating a virtual space for idea recording is important in remote retrospectives. We’ve found success in using Jamboard, a digital interactive whiteboard. This tool not only replicates the collaborative environment of a physical whiteboard but also provides an efficient means of capturing and organizing all the valuable ideas shared during the retrospective.
The Icebreaker
We usually kick off our retrospectives with a quick icebreaker. Simple questions like, “What is your favorite food?” help set a friendly tone and make us all feel more connected. Having team members from different continents gives us a chance to learn interesting things about different cultures.
There are many creative ways to facilitate the Sprint Retrospective and make these sessions effective and engaging. Here are some popular sprint retrospective techniques:
- Start, Stop, Continue — Team members discuss what activities or processes they should start doing, stop doing, and continue doing in the upcoming sprints or projects.
- Mad, Sad, Glad — Participants share what made them mad, sad, and glad during the sprint. This technique helps identify both positive and negative aspects.
- 4Ls — Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For — Team members express what they liked, what they learned, what was lacking, and what they longed for in the sprint.
- Went Well, Didn’t Go Well, Learned — Team members discuss what went well, what didn’t go well, and what they learned from the sprint.
The Sailboat Retrospective
One technique that truly involves team imagination is the Sailboat Retrospective — a personal favorite. It is a metaphorical approach that includes a sketch of a sailboat, where the sun, wind, rocks, anchors, and goal symbolize different facets of the team’s sprint or project journey.
The visual nature of this technique makes it a standout, offering a unique perspective on the sprint experience.
The boat itself embodies the collective effort of the team. The sun represents the positive aspects propelling the team forward (like positive client feedback or great team communication), while rocks signify risks and obstacles that impede progress. The risks or challenges could include things like having upcoming tight deadlines or last-minute change requests by the client.
Anchors represent elements that held the team back like poor documentation or incorrect ticket estimation. The wind, a powerful force in this metaphorical sea, depicts the factors that push the team forward towards the goal. This includes positive things like access to helpful resources and tools or team availability. The goal, portrayed as an island on the horizon, represents the team’s vision and future direction. In our case, the primary goal is to meet the client’s expectations but also include items everyone believes are most important to work towards.
In our case, the Sailboat Retrospective unfolds with each team member placing a “sticky” note in the relevant sections. This collaborative effort captures individual perceptions, creating a rich mosaic of insights. The team then starts a discussion of each item added to the board. Together, the team finalizes their observations into a list of agreed-upon improvements. To ensure these insights don’t merely stay as aspirations, the top improvements are seamlessly incorporated into the backlog.
This step transforms retrospective reflections into actionable steps, allowing the team to proactively address challenges and refine their approach in the upcoming sprints.
Conclusion: Scrum is not dead
To conclude, it is crucial to recognize the time spent in retrospectives as an investment in continuous improvement. Even though we mentioned various retrospective techniques, let’s remember that the true strength lies not just in the chosen methodology but in the commitment to change.
Embracing this commitment transforms retrospectives into invaluable opportunities, where collective insights pave the way for enhanced collaboration, efficiency, and overall team success.
With that in mind, I don’t believe that Scrum is dead (I don’t like to use strong words). Scrum is a flexible tool that can adapt to different situations. It’s not that Scrum will not work for some teams; it’s more about how it’s used and coached.
One size of shoes doesn’t fit all. Similarly, Scrum doesn’t force a specific way of doing things; teams can and should adapt it to fit their needs.
Ahmed is a CSPO® and PSPO™ certified professional. With an exceptional eye for detail, he has a proven track record of managing development processes, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and product development capabilities. Experienced in cross-functional collaboration, product documentation, and insightful data analysis. Ahmed has a proven ability to maintain product backlogs, manage product releases, and serve as the bridge between internal and external stakeholders, the development team, designers, and clients.
