You’re conducting a team retrospective. What’s the best tool to help you get the most out of it?

2 How to choose a retrospective tool?

When selecting a retrospective tool for your team, there are several criteria to consider, such as ease of use, customization, collaboration, action, and feedback. The tool should be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing you to customize your retrospective format and questions. It should enable effective collaboration for both co-located and distributed teams, with features such as real-time communication, anonymous feedback, brainstorming, voting, and grouping of ideas. Additionally, it should help you turn insights into actions and integrate with other tools you use. Finally, it should provide analytics, reports, and feedback mechanisms so that you can measure and improve your retrospective process.

3 What are some examples of retrospective tools?

Gaining an understanding of what a retrospective tool can offer, here are some popular and well-reviewed tools to consider: Retrium, a web-based platform offering a variety of templates, activities, and facilitation techniques; FunRetro, a simple and fun tool for creating and sharing online boards; and TeamRetro, a comprehensive and secure tool with a library of templates and questions. All of these tools have features such as timers, voting, grouping, action plans, anonymous feedback, mood check, action tracking, and integration with Slack, Jira, Trello, and Asana.

4 How to use a retrospective tool effectively?

A retrospective tool can be a great asset for your team, but it is not a magic solution. To ensure success, you should prepare in advance by defining goals, agenda, and expectations, as well as choosing and testing the tool and inviting team members to join. During the retrospective, you should actively facilitate by guiding the team through the process, encouraging participation, managing conflicts, and summarizing key points. Utilizing features of the tool such as timers, voting, and grouping can also help. Afterward, document and share findings, action items, and feedback. Monitor and review action items and check in with your team regularly. Additionally, seek feedback on the retrospective tool and process to make adjustments as needed.

5 How to learn more about retrospective tools?

If you want to learn more about retrospective tools and how to use them effectively, there are several resources available. The Retrospective Handbook by Patrick Kua offers practical advice and tips for planning, running, and improving retrospectives. Agile Retrospectives by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen introduces a framework and activities to help teams learn and grow. Additionally, Retromat is a website that generates random combinations of activities for each phase of the process, as well as allowing you to browse and search for activities by category, duration, or team size.