Agile Retrospectives

Appendix 1 Facilitation Supplies

Having the right tools makes leading a retrospective easier and more fun. Here are tips about the tools of the trade.

If you facilitate more than a few times a year—and if your team is holding a retrospective after every iteration, you are—assemble a kit that you can pick up and take with you without having to remember and collect everything you’ll need.

For iteration retrospectives, bring sticky notes, markers, painters’ tape, and dots. Throw these tools in a spare box or tote bag, and you’re ready to go.

Here’s what’s we put in a our kit for longer retrospectives:

• Painters’ tape—the kind designed to be on the wall for a week or more without pulling the paint off

• Water-based markers in a variety of dark colors

• Sticky notes—small, medium, and large

• Index cards, 3×5 and larger

• Glue sticks

• Post-it correction tape

• Scissors

• Pocketknife

• Chime, bell, or gong

• Sticky color dots

• Timer

• Calculator

Store it all in a plastic bin, a rolling suitcase, or a cardboard box. Whatever you choose, make it easy to store, find, and transport to the retrospective.

Using cards, sticky notes, markers, and dots helps people see ideas, group ideas, and vote on priorities. Carry scissors or a pocketknife to cut paper to size and open boxes. Bring tape to stick stuff on walls. Glue sticks and correction tape come in handy when you make a mistake on a flip chart. Use a timer to keep track of time. If you’re working ...