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Sailboat retrospective

The Sailboat Retrospective, also known as the Speedboat or Windshield Wipers retrospective, is an Agile retrospective technique that uses a visual metaphor of a sailboat to facilitate discussions about what’s helping a team move forward, what’s holding them back, and what can help them navigate more smoothly.

How It Works:

template

Preparation

To conduct a Sailboat Retrospective, you need a space where you can draw or visualize a simple sailboat diagram. The diagram typically consists of the following components:

  1. Rocks (risks)

What happens if a boat hits a rock? It gets hung up and damaged. The same is true for your sprint. The rocks represent a potential risk or obstacle for your sprint. These can persist for a long time if your team doesn’t come up with a way to address them.

  1. Anchors (delaying issues)

An anchor keeps a boat in one spot, and that’s why they’re the perfect representation of the things that held your sprint back. What caused major bottlenecks or challenges? What inhibited your agile team from making as much progress as possible?

  1. Wind (helping teams)

Wind propels a sailboat forward, and that’s why it represents what went well with your previous sprint. You’ll identify what was quite literally putting wind in your sails. You might also hear this referred to as the helping team.

  1. Sunshine: Things that make the team happy.

  2. Land (the goal)

Finally, the land is where your boat is headed. Using the sailboat metaphor, it represents your goal or vision for the sprint. It can include both long and short-term objectives for the agile team.

Facilitation

Start the retrospective by explaining the sailboat metaphor to the team. Briefly explain the significance of each component.

Brainstorming and Discussion

Ask team members to contribute their thoughts and insights related to each component of the sailboat:

Visualizing the Sailboat

As team members share their thoughts, you or a designated scribe can draw or update the sailboat diagram in real-time. This helps visualize the team’s insights and creates a shared understanding.

Discussion and Action Items

Once the diagram is complete and all team members have had a chance to contribute, engage the team in a discussion about the insights gathered. Focus on identifying actionable items that can address the challenges and leverage the positive factors.

Action Planning

Collaboratively decide on specific actions that the team will take in response to the insights from the retrospective. Assign responsibilities and set deadlines for each action item.

Why Use Sailboat Retrospective

The Sailboat Retrospective is effective for several reasons:

  1. Visual Metaphor: The sailboat metaphor is easy to understand and relatable, making it an engaging way to discuss retrospective topics.

  2. Balanced Perspective: The technique encourages both positive and critical discussions, helping teams celebrate successes and address challenges.

  3. Visual Representation: The sailboat diagram provides a visual representation of the team’s current state, making it easier to identify patterns and connections.

  4. Collaboration: Team members actively participate and contribute their insights, leading to a collaborative effort in identifying improvements.

  5. Action-Oriented: By focusing on actionable strategies and solutions, the retrospective leads to concrete changes that can enhance the team’s performance.

  6. External Factors: The wind component highlights external factors, such as market changes or organizational challenges, which might impact the team’s progress.

Incorporating the Sailboat Retrospective into your Agile process can encourage open communication, team alignment, and continuous improvement. It offers a creative and engaging way to identify areas for growth and change while celebrating the team’s strengths.

References

  • https://conceptboard.com/blog/sailboat-retrospective-template-and-guide/
  • https://miro.com/guides/retrospectives/how-to-run-sailboat-retrospective/
  • https://miro.com/miroverse/sailboat-retrospective/
  • https://www.pagerduty.com/blog/4-step-agile-sailboat-retrospective/