W2(AM): Stop Wasting Time on Ineffective Retrospectives! Start Pursuing Real Continuous Improvement!

In 2006, Esther Derby and Diana Larsen published, "Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great," the first agile-focused guide to team continuous improvement. Time marched on. We learned some things. People told us some stories about their retrospectives, and how those meetings had wasted team time. They also told us about how retrospectives had built stronger teams, better products, and enhanced relationships across their organizations. Coaches told us about the anti-patterns they had experienced, AND about the activities they tried that made a real difference in team performance. We've added another member to our writing team, along with more information about working and retrospection while working from home. The result is "Agile Retrospectives, 2nd edition." Come to this workshop to discover how to get the most and best continuous improvement from the new view of team retrospectives from seventeen years in the future.

Key learning points:

• Why retrospectives have become an essential practice for software development teams
• Choosing the right size and frequency for useful retrospectives
• How to avoid the Devil’s Pom-Poms for your teams

Diana Larsen

Diana Larsen, also known as a Visionary Pragmatic, Retrospective Goddess, and Leadership Agility Advisor, engages with challenges that emerge at the intersection of team improvement, learning, and leadership. She discovers solutions and possibilities where others find only barriers and obstacles. Diana works alongside leaders to build their proficiency in shaping environments for productive, resilient teams and accelerate organizational learning. She delivers keynote talks, as well as consulting and mentoring services.

Devoted to the success of all Agile leaders, coaches, and teams, Diana co-authored books *Lead without Blame: Building Resilient Learning Teams*; *Agile Retrospectives 2nd ed: A Practical Guide for Catalyzing Team Learning and Improvement*; *Liftoff: Start and Sustain Successful Agile Teams*; *Five Rules for Accelerated Learning*; and co-originated the Agile Fluency® Model. Discover more about Diana’s contributions at dianalarsen.com.