Retrospective Formats & Anti-Patterns Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Retrospective Formats & Anti-Patterns flashcards as text
A Scrum Team consistently uses the same 'What Went Well / What Didn't' format every Sprint. What anti-pattern does this represent?
Answer: Retrospective fatigue from lack of variety
Using the same retrospective format repeatedly leads to fatigue and shallow engagement; rotating formats keeps retrospectives fresh and productive.
Which retrospective format uses metaphorical 'winds' and 'anchors' to help a team explore what drives them forward and what holds them back?
Answer: Sailboat / Speedboat
The Sailboat (or Speedboat) retrospective uses wind as enablers and anchors as impediments, making the metaphor memorable and visual.
During a retrospective the same two team members dominate the discussion while others stay silent. What is the Scrum Master's best facilitation response?
Answer: Use techniques like round-robin sharing or silent writing to include all voices
Techniques such as silent brainstorming, dot voting, or round-robin ensure every team member contributes and prevents groupthink.
The '4Ls' retrospective format stands for which four elements?
Answer: Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For
4Ls stands for Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For — a balanced format that captures positives, insights, gaps, and desires.
A team's retrospective action items are never completed before the next retrospective. Which anti-pattern best describes this situation?
Answer: Action item graveyard
An 'action item graveyard' occurs when improvement items are generated but never followed through, eroding trust in the retrospective process.
In the 'Mad, Sad, Glad' retrospective format, what does the 'Mad' category primarily capture?
Answer: Things that frustrated or angered the team during the Sprint
'Mad' captures frustrations and blockers — events or conditions that made team members angry or annoyed during the Sprint.
A Scrum Team schedules their retrospective immediately after the Sprint Review but runs out of time and skips it. Which Scrum principle is violated?
Answer: Empiricism — inspect and adapt
The retrospective is the formal inspect-and-adapt event for the team's process; skipping it violates the empirical pillar of adaptation.