Each year, World Retrospective Day occurs on a different date in February or March; this year’s celebration is on March 25. It was designed to emphasise the significance of retrospectives as a method. Volunteers from around the world help spread the message and organise its events. The term originated in software development, but its applicability is much broader now that various work environments recognise the need for improved team practises and culture-building. Retrospect is a potent tool or practise because it can be tailored to the work and the team, and because it encourages deeper engagement and self-reflection — on both an individual and a group level.
The background of World Retrospective Day
Retrospective is derived from the Latin word retrospectare, which means “to look back.” Consequently, the term’retro’ is used to refer to anything from the past, such as retro fashion or aesthetic or a person’s case history. However, World Retrospective Day was created to highlight the significance and value of retrospectives in relation to the implementation of agile principles or frameworks. And if these terms initially sound foreign to you, endure with us as we explain them later.
On February 6, 2018, the first World Retrospective Day was observed, although its founder is unknown. (all that remains is a Facebook community page). Despite the founders’ anonymity, the movement has gained global traction, with coaching consultants and other volunteers lending their expertise and opinions to disseminate the practise of conducting retrospectives.
The idea of a retrospective is not novel in and of itself. Its origins can be traced back to the evolution of what we now refer to as the “scientific method.” Archimedes and Aristotle, two ancient Greek philosophers, were the first to recognise the need for inductive experimentation. In the 1500s, Francis Bacon and Galileo expanded upon Aristotle’s theories and shaped the scientific method into a universally applicable concept. These central tenets of the method were then adapted by management specialists for their own purposes, giving rise to the concept of scrum. In a 1986 paper, Hiro Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka borrowed the term “scrum” from rugby and applied it to the relationship between collaboration and project success. This was refined in 1995 by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, who were also members of the ‘Snowbird 17’ — a summit of 17 management and development experts who composed the “Agile Manifesto” in 2001 at the Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah. It was a global game-changer for management professionals, and the rest, as they say, is history.
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WORLD RETROSPECTIVE DAY ACTIVITIES
Read about agile
Those of you who believe this information is only relevant to software development may be in for a surprise. Agile is essentially a set of values and principles that aid in improved decision-making. These values and principles can be used as a foundation in any professional setting where teams must collaborate to achieve shared goals and outcomes. No knowledge is ever squandered, so why not broaden your horizons and acquire new critical skills?
Find out more
There are a vast number of creative and fundamental resources available to help you plan your retro. Regardless of your workplace, there must be a space large or small where a retrospective can be held, and if this is not possible, it may be beneficial to observe a retrospective conducted by one of the many scrum teams.
Employ an agile method
Once you feel comfortable with the fundamentals — the what and why of agile — it may be time to reflect on your own work life and any changes you would like to implement. The objective is to arm yourself with the tools or resources necessary for success in the real world.
5 CONFUSING TERMS RELATING TO AGILE EXPLAINED
Scrum is a concept that implements agile principles and provides teams with structure.
It is an agile-based concept that uses visual representation to increase team transparency.
A brief period during which an undertaking is developed and evaluated.
Similar to iteration, it refers to a period of time during which specific tasks or deliverables are completed.
A brief team meeting with members standing to ensure that it does not linger on!
WORLD RETROSPECTIVE DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | March 25 | Friday |
| 2023 | March 25 | Saturday |
| 2024 | March 25 | Monday |
| 2025 | March 25 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | March 25 | Wednesday |
