Scrum Notes 2013-20

This is an alternative to Norman Kerth's prime directive for opening a retrospective. It isn't a directive, and it needn't be primary, just something you may like to reflect on, alone, quietly, or with your fellow workers.

We are emotional and vulnerable beings, subject to a continuous flow of influences from a myriad of sources. Sometimes we perform magnificently, other times we mess up. Mostly we are somewhere between these extremes. In this last period of work everyone did what they did, and likely had reasons for doing so. Accept what is. And now, what can we learn from our past actions and thinking that will inform and guide our future ones? ¹

This is not a pronouncement, intended to be read out by a facilitator and have everyone else nod in agreement. These are a few suggested reflections, and the wording is optional. We don't always "do our best" and when we don't, usually we know it. Couching "best" in a bunch of conditional statements doesn't change that. If a retrospective is to be meaningful we need to enter it in a spirit of learning, and a willingness to confront—others, for sure, but mostly ourselves. Allowing quiet reflection time may create the spirit of integrity necessary for this process.

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¹ Originally included as the closing paragraph of earlier post on Agile Anarchy: The Prime Defective, 10/12/2010