Retrospective forecast 2024 - You should take a look at these retrospectives.
The year 2024 is drawing ever closer. Having only just survived the pandemic, the economy is now struggling with rising interest rates and a decline in consumer spending. There are also new hotbeds of war and, just under a year after the launch of Chat-GPT, the pace of innovation in this world does not seem to be slowing down.
And even if one thing is perceived as rather positive and the others as rather negative, they all create uncertainty.
The good thing is that agile working methods are precisely designed to deal with this uncertainty. But despite this, some topics will become more relevant in 2024 and you can find the right retrospectives for this here.
Note: Even classics like the “Keep Stop Start Retro” will continue to be state of the art, but if you have these retrospectives on your radar, you and your team will gain an unfair advantage.
For more classic retrospectives, you can read this article: 26 Refreshing Agile Retrospective Templates
The retrospective topics for 2024:
Topic #1 - Agile Delivery Retrospective
Due to the massive cost savings that many companies are currently making, the topic of “Agile Delivery” is becoming increasingly important. Use this retro to check how your team is positioned in this regard.
If you want to find out more about this trending topic, take a look at this article: Increase your agility in 2024
⚙️ Agile Delivery Retrospective: How the retro works
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Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
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Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
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Health Check
All team members can answer the health checks anonymously on a scale. Then go through the results of the health checks together and record any additional comments if necessary. If you use the same health checks in several retrospectives, you can also track trends over time in Echometer.
- We get things done really fast. No waiting, no delays.
- We are able to estimate exactly what we can deliver in a given cycle and with the given resources.
- Our sprint results do not require any post sprint rework to be delivered.
- We limit our 'work in progress' to be focused at all times.
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Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- When has our way of working led to a suboptimal workflow? (e.g. unclear, unsuitable or unheeded guidelines)
- When has our way of working worked well?
- What are recent examples for an increment that wasn't working / shippable at the end of the cycle?
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Catch-all question (Recommended)
So that other topics also have a place:
- What else would you like to talk about in the retro?
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Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
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Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
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Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
⚙️ Agile Delivery Retrospective
Health Check Questions (Scale)
Open questions
Retrospective forecast 2024
Topic #2 - Team Commitments Retrospective
The current challenges require exceptional teamwork. Check whether your team is pulling together with this retro:
🤝Retro for Reflecting and Defining Team Commitments: How the retro works
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Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Health Check
All team members can answer the health checks anonymously on a scale. Then go through the results of the health checks together and record any additional comments if necessary. If you use the same health checks in several retrospectives, you can also track trends over time in Echometer.
- As a team, we share a common understanding of what "good work" is.
- Handling of contradictory priorities: ‘When I encounter contradictory priorities, I …’
- Communication of blockers: ‘When I am stuck on a task, I announce this by …’
- Navigation of conflicts: ‘When I notice a conflict start to build up in our team, I …’
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Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
-
Catch-all question (Recommended)
So that other topics also have a place:
- What else would you like to talk about in the retro?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
🤝Retro for Reflecting and Defining Team Commitments
Health Check Questions (Scale)
Retrospective forecast 2024
Topic #3 - Psychological safety Retro
Especially in tough times, low-conflict collaboration is crucial. But for this to happen, everyone must also dare to talk about points of friction before they get out of hand. Having the security in the team to be able to express oneself at all times is also known as “psychological safety”. See how you are doing on this topic:
Psychological safety Health Check: How the retro works
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Health Check
All team members can answer the health checks anonymously on a scale. Then go through the results of the health checks together and record any additional comments if necessary. If you use the same health checks in several retrospectives, you can also track trends over time in Echometer.
- I regularly receive useful feedback on how good my performance is and how I can improve.
- If a team member makes a mistake, they are not judged for it.
- You're allowed to not know things in our team.
- In conflicts, we talk on a factual level, so that no one feels personally attacked or judged.
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Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- What else do we want to talk about?
-
Catch-all question (Recommended)
So that other topics also have a place:
- What else would you like to talk about in the retro?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
Psychological safety Health Check
Health Check Questions (Scale)
Open questions
Retrospective forecast 2024
Topic #4 - Battery Retrospective
Difficult times also put a strain on personal batteries. It is particularly important now to keep an eye on the team’s energy levels:
Battery retrospective: How the retro works
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Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- How full is your personal battery as a percentage right now?
- What has drained your battery recently?
- What has recharged your battery recently?
- What would help you to save energy over the next few weeks?
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Catch-all question (Recommended)
So that other topics also have a place:
- What else would you like to talk about in the retro?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
Battery retrospective
Retrospective forecast 2024
Topic #5 - Future perspective (Future Retrospective)
In rapidly changing environments, you should not only reflect on what has happened, but also dare to look into the unknown. How do you want to act in the future?
🔮 Futurespective: How the retro works
-
Random Icebreaker (2-5 minutes)
Echometer provides you with a generator for random check-in questions.
-
Review of open actions (2-5 minutes)
Before starting with new topics, you should talk about what has become of the measures from past retrospectives to check their effectiveness. Echometer automatically lists all open action items from past retros.
-
Discuss retro topics
Use the following open questions to collect your most important findings. First, everyone does it themselves, covered. Echometer allows you to reveal each column of the retro board individually in order to then present and group the feedback.
- What is the most important milestone you would like to see us achieve as a team in the next week(s)?
- Which hurdle should we focus on overcoming in the coming weeks?
- What would you be particularly grateful for in the coming week(s)?
-
Catch-all question (Recommended)
So that other topics also have a place:
- What else would you like to talk about in the retro?
-
Prioritization / Voting (5 minutes)
On the retro board in Echometer, you can easily prioritize the feedback with voting. The voting is of course anonymous.
-
Define actions (10-20 minutes)
You can create a linked action via the plus symbol on a feedback. Not sure which measure would be the right one? Then open a whiteboard on the topic via the plus symbol instead to brainstorm root causes and possible measures.
-
Checkout / Closing (5 minutes)
Echometer enables you to collect anonymous feedback from the team on how helpful the retro was. This creates the ROTI score ("Return On Time Invested"), which you can track over time.
🔮 Futurespective
Retrospective forecast 2024
Topic #6 - Bottleneck retrospective
The days of an abundance of money are over. This often results in new bottlenecks to which work must adapt:
Open feedback questions:
Our bottleneck: What is the critical part in our structures and processes that determines how much we can achieve as a team?
What options are there for eliminating this one bottleneck?
Conclusion - Retrospective forecast 2024
Even if this article casts a rather gloomy light on the year 2024, there are many opportunities right now. Those who can handle this time well will rise from the ashes as winners.
To achieve this, however, you have to adapt quickly, especially NOW. Retrospectives are an essential tool for this. And with the retrospectives presented here in particular, you already have a competitive advantage.
If you now want to prepare professional retrospectives in under 2 minutes and have a choice of over 50 retrospectives (constantly increasing), then try out the Echometer tool free of charge:
