Retrospektiivin

Retrospektiivin is a Finnish word that translates to "retrospective" in English. In a professional context, particularly in agile software development, a retrospective is a meeting held at the end of a sprint or project to reflect on what went well, what did not go well, and what could be improved for the future. The primary goal of a retrospective is to foster continuous improvement by identifying actionable steps to enhance team processes, collaboration, and product quality.

During a retrospective, team members typically discuss specific events, tasks, and interactions from the preceding period. Common questions posed include "What went well?", "What could have gone better?", and "What will we commit to changing?". The team then brainstorms solutions to identified problems and agrees on specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) actions to implement in the next iteration. These actions are then tracked and reviewed in subsequent retrospectives.

The concept of a retrospective is not limited to software development and can be applied to any team or project aiming for continuous learning and improvement. It encourages open communication, psychological safety, and a shared responsibility for team performance. By regularly taking time to reflect, teams can adapt to changing circumstances, resolve conflicts, and ultimately become more effective and productive. The retrospective serves as a structured mechanism for learning from experience and translating that learning into tangible improvements.