With more and more organisations adopting agile project management for their software development projects, sprint is a word known to all IT professionals. As you already must know, the sprint cycle is made of four steps: planning, execution, review, and retrospective. We will discuss the significance of an important element of the very last step in this article - What Went Well Retrospective.
Praise performance to raise confidence
What went well retrospective is exactly what it sounds like - discussing the elements that worked in the last sprint. Imagine a balloon being filled with hot air and when it is left, it automatically flies up. That’s exactly what a what went well retrospective does to the team! It uplifts the team morale so they feel confident about their abilities and raise their bar a notch higher.
And who doesn’t like being praised? But does that mean sprint retrospective what went well should be used now and then? No. So, when should that really be done to optimise team performance? If you know how the sprint cycle works, you probably already know the answer - at the end of each sprint.
The retrospective call also discusses what did not go well. But for the sake of clarity we will not discuss that. And, for even more clarity, we can have a look at sprint retrospective what went well examples. A few of the sprint retrospective sample answers are given below.
- 1.There were fewer bugs reported this time.
- 2.The coordination was great in this sprint.
- 3.The team enjoyed working together.
- 4.The communication between team members was good.
How to do it all, the retrospective call?
From what you have read so far, you probably think a what went well retrospective is a boring affair. What if we tell you it’s not? Or at least it need not be? Depending upon how well you want your team members to engage in the call, you can make it formal or informal. We recommend that you make it as fun as possible so that you hit another goal through this call - team building. Here is how.
And to make the process even easier, you can use Sup Bot - the complete standup bot, to engage and retrospect with your team. Let’s see how.
Add to Slack
Add to Teams
Add to WebexOption #1
Step 1: Create a followup
- 1.Start by logging in Sup Bot using your slack workspace.
- 2.After the initial onboarding, you will be directed to the homepage of the slackbot. Select followup.
- 3.Go to followup.
Step 2: Select the template
Select the retrospective template from the deck of templates.
Step 3: Fill in the deets
Fill in the details as per your requirement.
Step 4: Select the channels
Select the channels and members whom you want to share.
Step 5: The questions
The first 3 questions will be displayed automatically. You can choose to add more questions.
Step 6: Customize
You can choose to have an intro and an outro for your retrospective followup among other options.
Step 7: Discuss
View the responses and generate report to discuss and make notes for the next sprint!
Option #2
Step 1: Create a form
- Start by logging in Sup Bot using your slack workspace.
- After the initial onboarding, you will be directed to the homepage of the slackbot. Select forms.
- Go to create form.
Step 2: Fill in your preferences
- Write down the name of the form and fill in the description you’d like.
- Turn on or keep the buttons off as needed.
- Select the channels where you want the reports to be shared.
- Choose if users must be notified of their responses.
Step 3: The questions
- Write down the questions as per the agenda.
- We have filled in the required 3 questions below.
Step 4: Share the form
You can share the form to your specific channels or use a link for sharing.
Step 5: Discuss
You can now view the responses and discuss the answers given by the team and see how the next sprint can be improved!
Don’t dwell on what went well!
The what went well retrospective is organised to improve the next sprint. So, only answering what went well in the last sprint isn’t enough. Lessons can be learnt from what did not go well and identify how things went well. To understand how the next sprint can be made more efficient, it is important to understand what and how things can be improved.
For example, if there was a lack of clarity with regard to projects, the next sprint must have an initial call to ensure the entire team is clear and on the same boat.
What went well retrospective - benefits
- Valuable feedback: A retrospective call is a great way to receive feedback from your team. The objectivity of the process too allows for honest answers powering the next sprint with an added weapon.
- Morale Boost: The team receives a good boost to its morale when what went well is acknowledged. The identification of these factors helps refine the next sprint.
- Acknowledgement: The fact that each member is heard and their responses acknowledged goes a long way into making the employees feel valued and appreciated. They find themselves to be a contributing member to the organisation's vision and work harder.
- Continuous improvement: With each sprint moving forward with lessons from the last, the process keeps refining itself and the projects work out efficiently.
The last word
The reflection on the past to move forward to the future isn’t something new. But, aligning it to the new work culture and demands of remote working organisations make it a necessity. And with more and more organisations following this trend post-pandemic, it is important to have the tools that make this simple.
Sup Bot, a slackbot aimed to make remote working easy is just the tool for that. With its multiple features, you can simply choose the template or create your own what went well retrospective form to get on with the discussion and charge up your next sprint. So, get a glow up, get Sup!
Frequently asked questions
1. What went well in retrospective examples?
What went well in retrospective examples - We completed 20 story points this sprint, there was no hotfix required in the last week, Using Supbot for our daily standups reduced meeting time by 50%, etc.
2. What is a good retrospective?
A good retrospective is focused on open communication, continuous improvement, and team cohesion, where the meeting participants can openly share where they went wrong as well as celebrating their successes.
3. What are the 3 retrospective questions?
A retrospective meeting is where the meeting participants answer the following three questions:
- What went well?
- What did not go well?
- What did we learn?
4. What went well simple answer?
What went well retrospective simple answers could be: Asynchronous standup meetings were smooth with no dependence on a facilitator, there were fewer bugs reported, etc.
5. How to answer what went well?
Start with mentioning the positive highlights of the last Sprint. State figures so that what you are saying is more comprehensible. Explain their resultant impact.
