CST Retrospective Formats & Anti-Patterns 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Scrum Team consistently uses the same 'What Went Well / What Didn't' format every Sprint. What anti-pattern does this represent?
- Timeboxing violation
- Retrospective fatigue from lack of variety (Correct answer)
- Skipping the opening activity
- Over-reliance on the Scrum Master
Correct 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.
Question 2: Which retrospective format uses metaphorical 'winds' and 'anchors' to help a team explore what drives them forward and what holds them back?
- Speed Boat
- 4Ls
- Sailboat / Speedboat (Correct answer)
- Start Stop Continue
Correct answer: Sailboat / Speedboat
The Sailboat (or Speedboat) retrospective uses wind as enablers and anchors as impediments, making the metaphor memorable and visual.
Question 3: During a retrospective the same two team members dominate the discussion while others stay silent. What is the Scrum Master's best facilitation response?
- End the retrospective early to avoid conflict
- Use techniques like round-robin sharing or silent writing to include all voices (Correct answer)
- Ask the dominant members to leave the room
- Report the behavior to stakeholders
Correct 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.
Question 4: The '4Ls' retrospective format stands for which four elements?
- Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For (Correct answer)
- Listen, Lead, Learn, Launch
- Look Back, Look Ahead, Lessons, Limitations
- Loved, Loathed, Learned, Lost
Correct 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.
Question 5: A team's retrospective action items are never completed before the next retrospective. Which anti-pattern best describes this situation?
- Blame storming
- Action item graveyard (Correct answer)
- HiPPO effect
- Retrospective amnesia
Correct answer: Action item graveyard
An 'action item graveyard' occurs when improvement items are generated but never followed through, eroding trust in the retrospective process.
Question 6: In the 'Mad, Sad, Glad' retrospective format, what does the 'Mad' category primarily capture?
- Interpersonal conflicts between team members
- Things that frustrated or angered the team during the Sprint (Correct answer)
- Bugs found in the product increment
- Stakeholder complaints
Correct 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.
Question 7: A Scrum Team schedules their retrospective immediately after the Sprint Review but runs out of time and skips it. Which Scrum principle is violated?
- Empiricism — inspect and adapt (Correct answer)
- Transparency — making work visible
- Commitment — delivering the forecast
- Respect — honoring team roles
Correct 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.
CST Retrospective Formats & Anti-Patterns 2
A Scrum Team consistently uses the same 'What Went Well / What Didn't' format every Sprint.
What anti-pattern does this represent?