How can you use retrospectives for Agile estimation?

Retrospectives in Agile serve not only as a means of reflecting on past performance but also as a valuable tool for estimating future sprints. For instance, let's consider a marketing team that has been assigned to launch a new product campaign. After the initial sprint, the team conducts a retrospective wherein members discuss both the successes and the areas that require improvement. This process helps the team to identify bottlenecks in the workflow, such as delays in content creation or approval processes. By addressing these issues in subsequent sprints and estimating the time required for each task based on past performance, the team can refine their estimation process and ensure more accurate planning for future campaigns.

→ Retrospectives are team meetings held at the end of each iteration in Agile development to reflect on what went well, what didn't, and how to improve. → Preparation involves setting clear goals, selecting appropriate facilitation techniques, and ensuring team members feel safe to share insights. → Conduct retrospectives using methodologies like the STAR (Stop, Try, Continue, Adjust) technique, facilitating open dialogue, and encouraging constructive criticism. → Follow up by implementing agreed-upon changes, tracking progress, and scheduling regular retrospectives. → To use retrospectives for Agile estimation, incorporate data from past sprints to refine estimates, improve accuracy, and enhance team productivity. ??????

In agile, the retrospective is not only used to consolidate learning but to obtain and attest to technical compliance, i.e. quality. The interesting thing is that we are looking at quality in the past and in the future.

Establish a positive and inclusive environment where team members feel comfortable sharing. Outline the agenda (improve estimate accuracy) and set ground rules for discussions. Have collaboration tools like whiteboard, post-its etc. available to encourage participation. Facilitate discussion around the data gathered during preparation phase. Encourage team members to provide feedback on the discrepancy between estimated and actual effort to identify the root cause(s). It may be due to technical complexity, incomplete user story, unclear acceptance criteria. Work with the team to come up with concrete actions to address the identified issues. Monitor estimation accuracy over time to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented changes.

Inorder to follow up on retrospectives, the first thing we have to ensure that, all the action items and improvements identified during the retrospective session are captured somewhere and assign responsibilities to team members for each action item.I used to capture all the retro points in our PM tool which is the Azure Devops.The next important thing is to set deadlines for each action item to ensure timely implementation.Then in the subsequent retro session, the 1st item in the agenda will be to track the status/progress of the action items identified in the previous retro and also review and evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented improvements, and gather feedback from the team to identify any additional action items if required.

It is important to identify matrics and collect data to take informed decisions.In one of my projects for all the tasks in a sprint,we used to collect planned effort, actual effort in hours,total capacity in hrs for each team member,velocity etc and then calculate the variance between planned Vs actual, planned hrs vs capacity, velocity variance.Then based on those values analyze the reasons for the discrepancies such as underestimation,unexpected obstacles,unclear/changes in requirements, unexpected leaves,dependencies etc.The team will then discuss and implement strategies to address those issues,share the learnings and use the insights gained to adjust future estimations and improve the team's ability to plan and deliver work effectively

Retrospectives in Agile can be used to improve estimation by reflecting on past iterations. Discuss what went well, what didn't, and identify areas for improvement in estimation accuracy. Use insights gained to adjust future estimations, refine user stories, and enhance the team's overall estimation capabilities.

Discuss Estimation Techniques: Teams can use retrospectives to discuss different estimation techniques they've used and evaluate their effectiveness. For example, they might discuss the pros and cons of using story points, ideal days, or T-shirt sizing. Through this discussion, teams can refine their understanding of estimation and adopt techniques that work best for them. Experiment with New Approaches: Teams can use retrospectives to propose and discuss experiments aimed at improving estimation accuracy. For example, they might experiment with using Planning Poker for estimation, adjusting the Fibonacci sequence for story points, or introducing reference stories for comparative estimation.

→ Introduce gamification with "Mad Sad Glad" for engaging retrospectives. → Leverage SWOT analysis for comprehensive project assessment. → Foster a blame-free culture to promote open communication. → Use "The 5 Whys" to uncover root causes of issues. → Rotate facilitator roles for diverse perspectives and leadership development. → Implement quick feedback methods like "Fist of Five" and Planning Poker for estimation accuracy. ????

The dynamics within the team can significantly impact estimation accuracy. Retrospectives provide an opportunity to assess team collaboration, communication, and trust, which are essential for effective estimation. Teams should consider how their interactions and dynamics influence the estimation process and look for ways to improve collaboration during retrospectives. Estimation is a skill that requires training and practice. Retrospectives can highlight areas where team members may need additional training or development to improve their estimation capabilities. Teams should consider incorporating estimation training and skill-building activities into their retrospectives to help team members continually enhance their estimation skills.