Original Article: Superheroes — Themed Scrum Retrospective

Summary

In this article, you will learn about a superheroes-themed Scrum retrospective designed to boost creativity and engagement within your team. I dive into a structured five-phase approach to retrospectives:

1. Set the stage: Where each team member introduces themselves as a unique superhero, revealing their roles, strengths, and weaknesses. This initial activity serves as a fantastic ice-breaker, encouraging self-assessment through a playful metaphor.
2. Gather data: I explore the FLAP method (Future directions, Lessons learned, Accomplishments, Problem areas). To make this engaging, I suggest incorporating superhero-themed memes and speech bubbles, transforming a traditional exercise into something more dynamic.
3. Generate insights: You will then filter the gathered data, utilizing various speech balloons to express the main takeaways. This visual approach helps convey intentions and emotions alongside the text.
4. Decide what to do: This phase focuses on translating insights into concrete action items for the next sprint or addressing product development concerns.
5. Close the retrospective: A simple but important step to wrap up the session.

This themed retrospective aims to make your team’s sessions more enjoyable and effective by integrating unique activities and visual elements, promoting out-of-the-box thinking and deeper discussions.

Key Concepts

• Superheroes-themed Scrum Retrospective: A creative approach to retrospectives that uses a superhero theme to encourage engagement and innovative thinking.
• Five-Phase Structure: The article outlines a standard retrospective flow: Set the stage, Gather data, Generate insights, Decide what to do, and Close the retrospective.
• “Create your Superhero” Warmup: An ice-breaker activity where team members define their superhero alter-egos, including superpowers, sidekicks, gadgets, nemeses, and roles.
• FLAP Method: A data gathering technique covering Future directions, Lessons learned, Accomplishments, and Problem areas, enhanced with superhero memes.
• Speech Balloons: Used in the insight generation phase to visually represent key takeaways, thoughts, and emotions from the FLAP activity, facilitating discussion and action item creation.

References

• FLAP Activity: Future Direction, Lessons Learned, Accomplishments, and Problem Areas
• 17 Superhero Quotes That Will Save Your Day (Whether You’re a Leader Or Not)