Retrospective Formats & Anti-Patterns Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Retrospective Formats & Anti-Patterns flashcards as text
Which retrospective format structures discussion around a timeline of Sprint events and asks team members to add emotional reactions to each event?
Answer: Timeline Retrospective
The Timeline Retrospective maps Sprint events chronologically and layers emotional data, helping teams see patterns and turning points over time.
The 'Starfish' retrospective format asks teams to categorize actions into five areas. Which option correctly lists all five?
Answer: Stop, Start, Continue, More Of, Less Of
The Starfish format uses five arms: Stop, Start, Continue, More Of, and Less Of — giving nuanced gradations beyond a binary keep/drop choice.
A senior developer's opinions consistently override other team members' ideas during retrospectives. This exemplifies which anti-pattern?
Answer: HiPPO effect — Highest Paid Person's Opinion dominates
The HiPPO effect describes when the most senior or highest-paid person's opinion suppresses diverse input, reducing retrospective effectiveness.
A Scrum Master wants to close a retrospective with a clear commitment. Which activity best achieves this?
Answer: Dot voting on top improvement actions and assigning owners with due dates
Dot voting surfaces the highest-priority actions, and assigning owners with due dates converts discussion into accountable commitments.
Which statement best describes the 'blame storming' anti-pattern in retrospectives?
Answer: Discussions devolve into attributing failures to individuals rather than systemic issues
Blame storming shifts focus from systemic improvement to individual fault-finding, which damages psychological safety and inhibits honest retrospection.
A Scrum Team uses the 'Lean Coffee' format in their retrospective. What is the defining characteristic of this format?
Answer: Participants democratically set the agenda and timebox each topic
Lean Coffee is a structured but agenda-less meeting format where participants propose, vote on, and timebox topics collaboratively in real time.
After several retrospectives the team notes their improvements have not changed outcomes. What should the Scrum Master do first?
Answer: Examine whether action items are truly systemic or only address symptoms
Superficial action items that address symptoms rather than root causes lead to repeated issues; the Scrum Master should guide deeper root cause analysis.