Creative retrospectives:

In the agile world, there are teams that find it difficult to work with classic retrospectives. For such teams, it is important to find alternative methods to improve teamwork and processes. One possible alternative could be the playful design of the retrospective. By using games, teams can increase their collaboration and efficiency in a creative and interactive way.

Summary of the retrospective

"Scottland Yard" - A playful journey to team improvement

For the recent retrospective, the game "Scottland Yard" was used as a cooperative board game to identify certain structures in the team and to playfully find solutions to improve incremental performance.

Objectives of the retrospective

The main purpose of the retrospective was to recognize and improve teamwork and processes in a fun way. The specific objectives included:

• Recognizing successes: Identifying practices and approaches that have worked well.
• Identification of problems: Finding obstacles and challenges that have impaired efficiency and effectiveness.
• Promoting team cohesion: Strengthening cooperation and understanding within the team.

Phases of the retrospective

The retrospective was divided into several phases that ensured a structured process:

• Presentation of the adapted game "Scottland Yard"
• Explanation of the rules and game conditions
• Allocation of roles
• First round of the game
• Evaluation of the observations during the 1st round
• Redistribution of roles
• Second round of the game
• Evaluation of the observations during the 2nd round
• Comparison and adaptation to working methods in the increment

Observations and evaluations

During the first round of the game, it was noted that a lack of expertise on the part of Mister X led to the game progressing quickly. In the second round, the problems from the first round were taken into account, with experienced players taking on the role of Mister X. The team of detectives adapted their strategy and worked together more as a team.

Comparison and adaptation to working methods in one increment

The experiences from the game were transferred to the daily way of working:

• A team functions as a whole and needs broad expertise.
• Inexperienced people can develop their experience better in a strong team.
• A team needs good, valid information from outside.
• A well-functioning team can also cope with external disruptions.
• The team should keep an eye on team resources.

Conclusion

The playful design of the retrospective has shown that alternative methods can be effective in improving teamwork and processes. By using games, teams can increase their collaboration and efficiency in a creative and interactive way.