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What a Sprint Retrospective Really Is
In the world of Agile, few rituals are as transformative as the sprint retrospective. It’s the intentional pause at the end of every sprint where a team reflects, learns, and improves. More specifically, a sprint retrospective revolves around three simple questions:
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What worked?
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What didn’t?
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What can be improved?
Importantly, the goal is not to blame anyone for unfinished work. Instead, the goal is to understand how we can work better together going forward. In fact, the work from the previous sprint almost doesn’t matter — it will change next sprint anyway. However, the system we use and the people who use it will stay the same unless we improve them intentionally. That’s why the sprint retrospective is so powerful.
Why Sprint Retrospectives Are Game-Changers
The beauty of Agile — and the reason the sprint retrospective matters so much — lies in its acceptance of reality. Mistakes are expected. Miscommunication is expected. Human energy fluctuates. However, none of that is treated as failure. Instead, it’s treated as information.
When I first joined an Agile team, I was shocked. I was used to the belief that plans must be perfect and deviations meant incompetence. Agile flips that thinking entirely. Plans are guesses. Humans are humans. Mistakes are opportunities to learn quickly rather than shame ourselves.
How to Use the Sprint Retrospective for Personal Productivity
You don’t need a team to benefit from a sprint retrospective. If you’re the team of one — working on a business, a career change, fitness goals, or simply trying to make your life run better — the same reflection works beautifully.
Ask yourself:
What got done?
First, celebrate it. Moreover, spend around 70% of your reflection here. What was different about the tasks you completed successfully? What common themes do you see? As a result, you’ll know what to repeat next sprint.
What didn’t get done?
Next, examine what stalled — without self-criticism. Instead, look for patterns. Why didn’t those tasks move forward?
How can I improve next sprint?
Finally, refine your system. For example, maybe certain tasks should happen earlier in the day or in a different place. Maybe you planned too much. Or maybe you need support.
Another simple format for your sprint retrospective is:
Start / Stop / Continue
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What should I start doing?
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What should I stop doing?
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What should I continue because it works?
The Sprint Retrospective as a Reality Check
A sprint retrospective isn’t only about productivity; it’s about honesty. Your first sprint is always built on illusions: who you think you are, how much time you think you have, and what you wish you could do. However, sprint retrospectives replace illusions with reality — gently.
You begin planning your next sprint based on who you actually are right now, with your real energy, constraints, and life circumstances. Consequently, planning becomes less idealistic and more humane.
Where I Do My Sprint Retrospectives
Although there are many apps out there, I keep things extremely simple. I use the default Notes app — the same one that holds my backlog. It syncs between phone and laptop, and I layer each retrospective in the same document. As a result, I can easily scroll back and spot patterns over time.
And patterns are where the real insights live.
A Personal Example: The Power of a Deeper Why
One recurring theme I’ve discovered from my sprint retrospectives is this:
If I don’t have a strong personal why behind a goal, the task almost always stays stuck in the To Do column.
For example, when I was pregnant, I procrastinated planning my baby shower for months. During a retrospective, I realized the problem wasn’t motivation — it was the absence of a meaningful personal reason. Once I’ve established a clear why for a baby shower, execution became smooth and quick (I tell more about this story here.)
Insights like that don’t just improve one sprint — they change every sprint going forward.
Don’t Turn Every Insight Into a To-Do
It’s tempting to turn insights from a sprint retrospective into new action items. However, that defeats the purpose. You already have a backlog full of ideas. Retrospectives are about reflection, not about creating more work.
Insights change the next sprint automatically — because once you see something about yourself, you cannot unsee it.
Examples From My Recent Sprint Retrospectives
I learn better with examples, so I always like when people show the behind-the-scenes.
Here is a screenshot of my recent sprint retrospective. I didn’t edit it on purpose, so you can see how simple it can be. Bullet points, grammar mistakes and all. I covered more personal things that I didn’t feel comfortable sharing on the internet.
I dive deeper into three of these items in the video. Have a look if you are interested.
Please note that I’ve been doing this for more than 10 years. I have a good understanding of my sprint capacity. I’ve figured out the perfect sprint duration for me. My sprint planning, daily standup, and cool-off weeks have also been tailored to my liking. So most of my sprint retrospectives these days focus on the quality of life in general.
Why Sprint Retrospectives Matter More Than Any Other Agile Ritual
Sprint planning feels exciting — new projects, new hopes. Daily standups keep momentum. Cool-off weeks bring rest.
However, the sprint retrospective is where life craftsmanship happens.
It’s where you refine your systems, remove friction, notice patterns, and curate your life intentionally. Think of it like designing a beautiful home. A well-curated space doesn’t appear overnight; it evolves — one thoughtful decision at a time. Likewise, a meaningful life evolves one sprint at a time.
Optimizing Life for a Regular Tuesday
I’m not optimizing my life for vacations or retirement someday. Instead, I’m optimizing my life for a regular Tuesday — the ordinary days that make up most of life. And the only way to make regular days feel peaceful, productive, and meaningful is to reflect on what’s working and what’s not.
Curation Is a Function of Time
When you reflect on your sprints, you’re curating your life. You’re not rushing to achieve everything at once. Instead, you’re embracing a slow, thoughtful process of building a life filled with meaning, joy, and intentionality. Look at it as taking one beautiful thing with you from each sprint and leaving one ugly thing behind. After a while, your life is like a curated collection of beautiful events, rituals, thoughts, and projects.
Sometimes, it’s not about learning something new—it’s about being reminded of what you already know. Reflecting on your recurring patterns can be more powerful than chasing the latest productivity hack.
This is my most up-to-date view on the agile ritual of a sprint retrospective. To read the first version from 2021, click here.
If you are new, check out the Start Here page.
If you want to read my most recent posts, click here.
If you want to learn how to apply Agile to your personal goals and projects, click here.
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