Gamifying Retrospectives

for Distributed Teams

Dana Pylayeva

@DanaPylayeva

Agile Coach,

Scrum Master,

CSM, CSP,

DBA Manager,

Systems Architect,

Java Developer

A Little Bit About Me…

What’s In This Workshop?

Welcome To Your New Distributed

Organization.

Set up

Distributed Team Challenges

Fear of Conflict

Absence of Trust

Lack of Commitment

Avoidance of

accountability.

Inattention

to Results

“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team ” Patrick Lencioni

Lack of

face to face

communication

…

Different culture,

different time

zones…

Retrospectives

Why Do You Skip

Retrospectives?

Boring

Ineffectiv

e

Waste

of

my

time!

Time To Go Back to Basics!

Retrospective Is About Learning

Retrospective Quiz. Who Is Invited?Scrum Team

Scrum Master

Product Owner

Development Manager

Business Stakeholders

CTO

Face Painting Artist

All of the above

None of the above

Keep the Managers Out!

Framework for effective

retrospectives

Set the Stage

Gather Data

Generate Insights

Decide What To Do Close

Based on “Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams

Great” Esther Derby, Diana Larsen

Retrospective Framework

Goal:

Establish a safe container, ensure participation, get everyone’s voice heard in

the first 5 min.

Activities:

1. Check in: your feelings in 1 word.

2. ESVP check in

3. Review working agreements.

1.Set the Stage

Prime Directive

13

Not A Witch Hunt!

Your Turn!

Retrospective

focus:

My First Day at

Agile and Beyond

2015

Distributed RetrospectiveReal-time

collaboration

in GroupZap

On-site team

members

accessing

GroupZap

from their

laptops

Remote

team

members:

turn you

cameras on!

Video

camera

Retrospective Framework2.Gather Data

Goal: Build a shared context.

Without it people are working from a narrow set of data – their own.

Activities:

1. Build a timeline with data

2. Feelings (Emotion seismograph or labels with emotions)

3. Mad/Sad/Glad

Major Events

During

the Last Spring

Timeline In GroupZap2.Gather Data

Timeline With Story Cubes

Rory's Story Cubes in real life and on your phone (iOS or Android)

2.Gather Data

Building a Story Of The Last Sprint,

One Cube At a Time.

Retrospective In a New York Minute

yond

Distributed

Retrospective

Simulation.Make sure your seat belt is

securely fastened!

Your Turn!

Simulating Distributed Environment

Dearborn Paris

Retrospective Framework3.Generate Insights

Goal: Figure out

what all this information means

Activities:

1. Many options:

- Learning Matrix

- 4L, 3H..

- Actions Centered2. Route Cause Analysis

- Fishbone diagram

- 5 Whys

“Actions Centered” With Google Docs

Retrospective Framework4.Decide

What To Do

Goal: Focus the team on the items that

can be addressed in the immediate

future.

Activities:

1. Dot Voting

2. SMART goals

3. Circles and Soup

Retrospective Framework5.Close

Goal: Access effectiveness of

retrospective. Seek

feedback on the

retrospective itself.

Activities:

1. +/- /Delta

2. 3H

3. ROTI (return on time invested)

4. Appreciation

An Alternative – Six Thinking Hats

29

Framing The Hats:

Set the Stage

Gather Data

Generate Insights

Decide What To

Do

Action/

Close

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/

Question_mark_in_Esbjerg_(327122302).jpg

http://pixabay.com/en/internet-www-mouse-web-

business-42583/

http://pixabay.com/en/globe-earth-magnifying-glass-

hand-71443/

www.vectorcharacters.net

http://pixabay.com/en/invitation-party-wedding-invite-

32378/

http://pixabay.com/en/flight-simulator-simulator-

445110/

http://pixabay.com/en/woman-camera-hand-lens-

64146/

http://pixabay.com/en/playmobil-figures-session-talk-

451203/

Photo credits

Get Inspired

• www.plans-for-

retrospectives.com

• www.agileforall.com/2014/08/a

gile-retrospective-resources

• http://www.gogamestorm.com/

• www.innovationgames.com

• http://www.innovationgames.c

om/2014/06/how-to-run-huge-

retrospectives/

• GoogleDoc (check out a template by Ilio Krumins-Beens & Terrence McGovern

http://www.iliokb.com/2013/02/facilitating-retrospectives-with-remote.html)

• GroupZap

http://groupzap.com/

• Padlet

https://padlet.com/

• Lino

http://www.linoit.com

Tools for Distributed Retrospectives:

Rory’s Story Cubes:

https://www.storycubes.com/

apps

Thank You For Playing Along!

@DanaPylayevadpylayeva@gmail.com

Join me, NYC Scrum User Group

and our awesome speakers

June 1, 2015 at

Special discount to all

Agile and Beyond attendees:

15% off with AAB15 discount code

http://www.bit.ly/RegisterScrumNYC