What is Sprint Retrospective?

Sprint Retrospective is the team's final meeting after a sprint ends. Its goal is to assess how the work went and determine what can be improved in the next cycle. If Sprint Review focuses on the product, Retrospective focuses on the process and how people work together.

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#Goal

Create a space where the team can openly discuss what worked well, what got in the way, and which steps will help them work more effectively. The retrospective is not about finding someone to blame, it's a tool for continuous improvement.

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#What happens at the meeting

1. The Scrum Master sets the format and helps the team speak honestly and constructively. They make sure the conversation stays focused on facts and improvements.
2. The team discusses three key questions:

• What worked well in this sprint?
• What got in the way of reaching the goal?
• What can we improve in the next sprint?

3. Specific action items are formulated: For example: improve communication between frontend and backend, shorten code review time, prepare test data in advance. These items are recorded and rolled into the next sprint.

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#Participants

• The development team - the main participant in the discussion;
• The Scrum Master - facilitates and helps surface real problems;
• The Product Owner - may attend if the discussion concerns interaction processes or prioritization.

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#Format and duration

The retrospective is held after the Sprint Review and before new planning. For a month-long sprint it lasts up to 3 hours (shorter for shorter sprints). The team can use different formats: "Start-Stop-Continue", "4L" (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for), "Mad-Sad-Glad", and others.

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#Conclusion

Sprint Retrospective is a moment of honest self-analysis for the team. Here they don't discuss the product, they work on themselves: improving processes, communication, and effectiveness. The result of the meeting is specific steps that make the next iteration better, faster, and calmer.