Prep (async, 24 hours before)
Everyone drops observations into a shared doc under: What worked, What didn't, What surprised me. Async prep prevents the meeting turning into brainstorming.
Cluster and vote (15 min)
Group similar observations; dot-vote on which cluster to dig into. Discuss the top one or two, not all of them.
Root cause the top item (20 min)
Five whys, or fishbone — whatever your team likes. The goal is a real cause, not a symptom.
One committed change
One action item, named owner, visible next sprint. If you leave with three, you'll do zero.
Common pitfalls
- — Skipping the retro when things went well. That's when reinforcement happens.
- — Same complaints every retro. That means no follow-through — fix the follow-through first.
- — Retros without the manager's manager occasionally attending. They learn a lot; the team feels heard.