Using Games in Retrospectives

Written By Allison Pollard

Photo by David Maddison

Retrospectives have been a hot topic amongst my Scrum Masters recently as they focus on their facilitation skills and helping their teams improve.  They're channeling the true purpose of sprint retrospectives and experimenting with different activities.  It's amazing to see this group learn from each other and watch the excitement spread to their teams.  Activities from Innovation Games and Agile Retrospectives are being used; one Scrum Master tried the Non Musical Chairs game from Tasty Cupcakes and shared feedback via email with me:

It was  HUGE hit and very successful!!

I think they loved being ‘not just sat there, writing or talking’ as it as an active retrospective, which involves moving, thinking quickly and working as a team.

I’m very happy with the retro method and so is the team.

Only problem now is to find something better to do for the next one!! A great problem to have!

Allison Pollard

Allison Pollard is a coach, consultant, and trainer who brings the power of relationship systems intelligence to go beyond tasks, roles, and frameworks to create energy for change. She engages with people and teams in a down-to-earth way to build trust and listen for signals to help them learn more and improve. Allison focuses on creating alignment and connection for people to solve business problems together. Her experience includes working with teams and leaders in energy, retail, financial, real estate, and transportation industries to help improve their project/product delivery and culture. Allison currently volunteers as program director for Women in Agile’s mentorship program. Her agile community focus is championing new voices and amplifying women as mentors and sponsors for the next generation of leaders. Allison earned her bachelor’s degrees in computer science, mathematics, and English from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), a foodie, and proud glasses wearer. Allison is a prolific speaker at professional groups and international conferences, including Scrum Gatherings and the Agile Alliance Agile20xx conferences. Allison is co-owner of Helping Improve LLC.

http://www.allisonpollard.com
Previous

End-of-Year Retrospective on Learning and Change
Next

Conflict in Agile Teams