Retrospectives & Continuous Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real CAE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Retrospectives & Continuous Improvement flashcards as text
What is the primary purpose of the 'Sailboat' retrospective technique?
Answer: To identify forces that help the team move forward and obstacles that slow them down
The Sailboat metaphor uses wind (helpers) and anchors (obstacles) to categorize what accelerates or impedes the team's progress.
When should a team consider holding an 'emergency retrospective' outside the normal sprint cadence?
Answer: When a significant unexpected event disrupts the team's ability to work effectively
An emergency retrospective is warranted when a critical incident, conflict, or disruption is severe enough that waiting until the end of the sprint would cause ongoing harm.
Which statement BEST describes psychological safety in the context of retrospectives?
Answer: Team members can raise concerns and take risks without fear of punishment or embarrassment
Psychological safety means people can speak honestly about problems and risks without fear of retaliation, which is essential for retrospectives to surface real issues.
The 'STAR' format for documenting retrospective action items stands for:
Answer: Specific, Timely, Assignable, Reviewable
STAR action items are Specific, Timely, Assignable, and Reviewable, ensuring each improvement task is clear and measurable.
A distributed team struggles with retrospective participation because remote members feel unheard. The BEST mitigation is:
Answer: Use digital collaboration tools that give all participants equal visual and input access
Digital tools like virtual whiteboards equalize participation by giving every person—regardless of location—the same ability to post, vote, and be seen.
In the context of continuous improvement, 'kaizen' means:
Answer: A philosophy of small, incremental improvements made continuously
Kaizen, from Japanese meaning 'change for better,' is the practice of making many small ongoing improvements rather than infrequent large overhauls.
Which action BEST helps a Scrum Master ensure retrospective action items are completed before the next retrospective?
Answer: Add action items to the Sprint Backlog so they are visible and planned
Adding improvement items to the Sprint Backlog makes them part of the team's committed work, giving them visibility, priority, and accountability during sprint execution.