#Sailboat retrospective how to#
#Sailboat retrospective Patch#

And, even further, if some of your team members are remote, there’s no way for them to access that information if and when they need it. If you complete this sailboat exercise on a traditional whiteboard, you’ll need to remove all of your findings at the end of the retrospective meeting or store your board somewhere safe. With a sailboat retrospective, your team is bound to uncover a lot of valuable information – some of which might not be meant for everybody’s eyes. Keeping collaboration and confidentiality high with sailboat retrospectives This leads to even more continuous improvement. This format digs deeper and challenges teams to identify what is helping and hurting their project, timeline, and their collaboration.

#Sailboat retrospective how to#

A team doesn’t need to be well-versed in agile concepts and terminology to understand how to make this technique work for them.Īdditionally, many retrospective techniques look mostly at what went well and what didn’t during a sprint. The use of the sailboat metaphor makes it far more approachable and digestible.

First of all, it’s a fun, visual way to reflect on your past sprint and capture ideas. The sailboat is a popular retrospective format for a number of reasons. Why the sailboat is such a useful retrospective It can include both long and short-term objectives for the agile team. Using the sailboat metaphor, it represents your goal or vision for the sprint. Land (the goal)įinally, the land is where your boat is headed. You might also hear this referred to as the helping team. You’ll identify what was quite literally putting wind in your sails.

Wind propels a sailboat forward, and that’s why it represents what went well with your previous sprint. What caused major bottlenecks or challenges? What inhibited your agile team from making as much progress as possible? 3. Anchors (delaying issues)Īn anchor keeps a boat in one spot, and that’s why they’re the perfect representation of the things that held your sprint back.

These can persist for a long time if your team doesn’t come up with a way to address them. The rocks represent a potential risk or obstacle for your sprint. What happens if a boat hits a rock? It gets hung up and damaged. Now, let’s talk a little bit more about the individual elements of the sailboat exercise. Then, similar themes can be grouped together and your team can discuss their findings and vote on what action items they’ll use to improve the next sprint. Team members will jot their answers to those questions down on individual sticky notes and place them on the appropriate spot on your picture of a sailboat. With everything in place, it’s time for your team to brainstorm their answers to the following questions with regard to your last sprint: You can even add their names as tags to the stickies so they know which ones are designated for them. Next, gather your team and equip them with some digital sticky notes in Miro to use during the retro. Here's one we love by Miro user Johanna Tortensson.

#Sailboat retrospective Patch#

You'll see a sailboat image, a patch of land, a waterline, rocks, and an anchor below the boat. Start by opening a sailboat retrospective template on your Miro board. But, how can you implement the sailboat technique on your own team? This sailboat metaphor makes for an enlightening sprint retrospective. It’s a visual way for your team to identify what pushed the project forward, as well as what held it back. The sailboat retrospective is a retrospective technique where you and your agile team members will envision the last sprint as a sailboat. Here’s everything you need to know about this helpful retrospective technique. You want your agile retrospectives to be as valuable as possible, right? Of course you do. We have good news for you: the sailboat retrospective is an engaging way for your team to honestly evaluate your previous sprint and figure out the best way forward.