Exploring the Speed Car Retrospective for Agile Teams

The Speed Car retrospective offers an alternative approach to the popular Speed Boat retrospective by Paulo Caroli. This retrospective is widely used by Scrum Masters to help teams identify areas for improvement. In this guide, we’ll delve into what the Speed Car retrospective entails and how to facilitate it effectively.

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Materials Required for the Speed Car Retrospective

To conduct the Speed Car retrospective, you’ll need the following materials:

• Fine pen or marker
• Post-it notes

You’ll also need a printout of the classic Speed Car model or the ability to draw it on a whiteboard. Having a whiteboard provides ample space for storing post-it notes.

The total time required for this retrospective is approximately 40 minutes.

The Steps of the Speed Car Retrospective

Step 1: Explanation

The Scrum Master begins by explaining the elements depicted on the Speed Car model:

• Parachute: What factors slowed us down during this sprint?
• Engine: What contributed to our acceleration during this sprint?
• Abyss: What potential future obstacles do you foresee?
• Bridge: How can we navigate these obstacles in the future?

Participants are provided with post-it notes and pens for the upcoming activities.

Duration: 10 minutes

Step 2: Idea Generation

Participants write down their ideas and thoughts on separate post-it notes, with one idea per note. They have 5 minutes to complete this task. Participants can write any number of post-it notes without a requirement to cover all four themes.

Duration: 5 minutes

Step 3: Explanation of Ideas

Each participant takes turns explaining the rationale behind the post-it notes they placed on the model. This step allows for discussion and deeper understanding of the generated ideas. The duration depends on the number of participants.

Duration: 10 minutes

Step 4: Identifying Improvement Axes

Participants have 5 minutes to suggest additional improvement axes to add to the “Bridge” section of the model. Each participant briefly explains their suggestions.

Duration: 5 minutes

Step 5: Dot Voting and Action Items

Participants engage in Dot Voting to select the top three improvement axes for the team to focus on during the upcoming sprint. The “Idea” section at the bottom-right of the model represents these axes. The Scrum Master emphasizes the importance of assigning a responsible volunteer to monitor the implementation of these improvement axes beyond the retrospective.

Duration: 10 minutes

Conclusion: The Speed Car Retrospective

You now have the tools and steps necessary to facilitate the Speed Car retrospective. This approach is highly regarded within the Scrum Master community for its effectiveness in identifying areas of improvement.

Useful link: Retrospectives in French