{"id":14985,"date":"2021-05-21T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T15:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?p=14985"},"modified":"2025-10-23T08:49:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T13:49:28","slug":"remote-retrospectives-11-tips-for-leading-retros-remotely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/remote-retrospectives-11-tips-for-leading-retros-remotely\/","title":{"rendered":"Remote Retrospectives: 11 Tips for Leading Retros Remotely"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/remote-retrospectives-cropped-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"leading remote retrospectives\" class=\"wp-image-15006\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/remote-retrospectives-cropped-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/remote-retrospectives-cropped-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/remote-retrospectives-cropped-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/remote-retrospectives-cropped-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/remote-retrospectives-cropped-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a lot of guidance in the world about hosting retrospectives&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.agilealliance.org\/glossary\/heartbeatretro\/#q=~(infinite~true~filters~(postType~(~'page~'post~'aa_book~'aa_event_session~'aa_experience_report~'aa_glossary~'aa_research_paper~'aa_video~'aa_podcast)~tags~(~'retrospective))~searchTerm~'~sort~false~sortDirection~'asc~page~2)\" target=\"_blank\">in person<\/a>, but not as much about leading&nbsp;remote retrospectives.&nbsp;As a product manager of a Lean\/Agile product,&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;participated&nbsp;in and led my fair share of retrospectives, both remotely and in person.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Retrospectives can be an incredibly helpful tool, giving teams an opportunity to bond, learn, and grow together.\u00a0But as anyone who has\u00a0participated\u00a0in a less-than-productive retrospective can attest, not all retrospectives are created equal.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Engaging in a healthy, open discussion about what went well, what&nbsp;didn\u2019t, and how to improve next time, can be tricky. Doing it remotely (as many teams have learned&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/321800\/covid-remote-work-update.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">in the past year<\/a>)&nbsp;adds&nbsp;another layer of challenges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/remote-retrospectives-11-tips-for-leading-retros-remotely\/#A_Retro_on_the_Retros_Ive_Led\" >A Retro on the Retros&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;Led&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/remote-retrospectives-11-tips-for-leading-retros-remotely\/#What_Went_Well\" >What Went&nbsp;Well&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/remote-retrospectives-11-tips-for-leading-retros-remotely\/#What_Didnt_Go_Well\" >What&nbsp;Didn&#8217;t&nbsp;Go&nbsp;Well&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/remote-retrospectives-11-tips-for-leading-retros-remotely\/#Improvements_Ive_Made\" >Improvements&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;Made&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/remote-retrospectives-11-tips-for-leading-retros-remotely\/#A_Few_Key_Takeaways\" >A Few Key Takeaways&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-retro-on-the-retros-nbsp-i-ve-nbsp-led-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Retro_on_the_Retros_Ive_Led\"><\/span>A Retro on the Retros&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;Led&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the world is slowly starting to open back up,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;likely that a larger percentage of your&nbsp;coworkers&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/organization\/our-insights\/what-employees-are-saying-about-the-future-of-remote-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">will be working remotely<\/a>&nbsp;than before the pandemic. Or&nbsp;perhaps your&nbsp;team has always been&nbsp;distributed and&nbsp;has never quite figured out how to successfully run a&nbsp;remote retrospective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a full-time remote employee,&nbsp;the majority of&nbsp;my experience leading and&nbsp;participating&nbsp;in retrospectives has been remote &#8212; so I thought&nbsp;I\u2019d&nbsp;share some of the things&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;learned participating in and&nbsp;facilitating&nbsp;remote retrospectives&nbsp;meetings: A retrospective on retrospectives, if you will.&nbsp;I\u2019ll&nbsp;also share about&nbsp;a pretty awesome&nbsp;tool&nbsp;we\u2019ve&nbsp;been working on designed specifically to help teams&nbsp;facilitate&nbsp;collaborative discussions remotely.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-went-nbsp-well-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Went_Well\"><\/span>What Went&nbsp;Well&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I find&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;always helpful to start retrospectives on a positive note. So first, here are some tips&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;learned that help to ensure a successful retrospective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-1-make-sure-you-get-the-right-people-in-the-nbsp-room-nbsp\">Tip #1: Make sure you get the right people \u201cin the&nbsp;room\u201d&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps the&nbsp;most&nbsp;important element&nbsp;to ensuring that your retrospective is successful (and by&nbsp;that&nbsp;I mean, that everyone feels like it was a productive use of time) is to have the right people in the room.&nbsp;(Of course,&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;talking about&nbsp;remote retrospectives&nbsp;here, so the room&nbsp;I\u2019m&nbsp;referring to is a virtual space, not a physical one.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone who&nbsp;participated&nbsp;in, was affected by, or contributed to an event should be invited to the retrospective about that event.&nbsp;In order to&nbsp;truly understand&nbsp;what happened, what went well, what&nbsp;didn\u2019t, etc., you need to gain the perspectives of everyone involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/3-questions-to-ask-during-standup-to-keep-speed-a-priority\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read next:<\/a> 3 Questions to Ask During Standup to Keep Speed a Priority &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-2-allow-participants-to-invite-nbsp-others-nbsp\">Tip #2: Allow participants to invite&nbsp;others&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This tip is related to the first one, but worth calling out: When you create the calendar invite for the retrospective, make sure to select the&nbsp;option&nbsp;that allows participants to invite others to the meeting. Let participants know that they are free to invite anyone who might want to&nbsp;participate.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-3-make-sure-everyone-knows-what-the-retro-is-nbsp-about-nbsp\">Tip #3: Make sure everyone knows what the retro is&nbsp;about&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It might seem obvious, but make sure that everyone attending your&nbsp;remote retrospective&nbsp;is aware of exactly what is being discussed, and why.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of just slapping an event called \u201cRetrospective\u201d on everyone\u2019s calendars, get specific with the title,&nbsp;i.e.&nbsp;\u201cRetrospective on X Feature Launch.\u201d&nbsp;Then add a description to the invite as well, detailing the purpose of the retrospective, and encouraging participants to invite anyone to the meeting who might want to contribute.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-4-find-the-right-nbsp-facilitator-nbsp\">Tip #4: Find the right&nbsp;facilitator&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Facilitating a successful&nbsp;remote retrospective&nbsp;requires the right person for the job. In some cases, that might be the person who cares the most about the topic at hand, or just the person who is best at&nbsp;facilitating&nbsp;conversations on your team.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other cases, such as if the event&nbsp;was&nbsp;particularly tumultuous and there were a lot of feelings involved, it can be helpful to bring in an unbiased party to&nbsp;facilitate&nbsp;the discussion. In these instances, having someone from outside the situation can help to keep the conversation focused and civil.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/how-to-run-effective-standups-and-retrospectives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Read next<\/strong><\/a><strong>: How to Run Effective Standups and Retrospectives<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-5-carefully-strike-a-balance-between-what-went-well-with-what-could-be-nbsp-improved-nbsp\">Tip #5: Carefully strike a balance between \u2018what went well\u2019 with \u2018what could be&nbsp;improved\u2019&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A good&nbsp;facilitator&nbsp;should encourage participation from everyone \u201cin the room.\u201d But first, they need to make sure that everyone feels comfortable participating. One thing&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;found helpful is to start the meeting by reminding everyone of the purpose of the retrospective: To not only talk about what could be improved, but also to acknowledge and celebrate what went well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Most retrospectives will lean heavily towards the \u2018what could be improved\u2019 discussions if left unchecked, so\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0important for the\u00a0facilitator\u00a0to actively work to also include a balanced amount of \u2018what went well.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Toward that end, it can be helpful to remind everyone that discussing what went well&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;just about patting&nbsp;each other on the back. The purpose of&nbsp;using&nbsp;remote retrospectives&nbsp;to&nbsp;discuss what went well is to make sure that everyone&nbsp;<em>keeps doing those things<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A good&nbsp;facilitator&nbsp;will continue to remind participants throughout the conversation that:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The purpose of the retrospective is to encourage continuous\u00a0improvement\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The purpose is\u00a0<em>not\u00a0<\/em>to assign blame to specific people or air out personal\u00a0grievances\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The purpose is to\u00a0identify\u00a0both\u00a0what to keep doing, where the opportunities to improve are, and which of those opportunities make sense focusing on now vs. accepting as a continued\u00a0risk\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-6-encourage-shoutouts-acknowledge-contributions-to-the-project-event-nbsp\">Tip #6: Encourage shoutouts (acknowledge contributions to the project\/event)&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>People love being acknowledged, and it also feels good to acknowledge others. This can be&nbsp;a great way&nbsp;to kick off a retrospective, especially a remote retrospective which can inherently feel a little more awkward.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By encouraging everyone to give \u2018shoutouts\u2019 to people for their contributions to the project\/event being discussed, it can start the meeting on a positive note&nbsp;<em>and&nbsp;<\/em>get the conversation flowing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-7-give-everyone-the-power-to-unmute-themselves-nbsp\">Tip #7: Give everyone the power to unmute themselves!&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure that participants&nbsp;have the ability to&nbsp;mute or unmute&nbsp;themselves, and&nbsp;encourage them to stay unmuted (background noise&nbsp;permitting) so they can&nbsp;chime&nbsp;in naturally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-8-acknowledge-contributions-to-the-nbsp-discussion-nbsp\">Tip #8: Acknowledge contributions to the&nbsp;discussion&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I also find that acknowledging contributions to the discussion can go a long way in encouraging people to&nbsp;participate.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;a small&nbsp;thing, but&nbsp;using people\u2019s names can make the environment feel more intimate and encourage people to&nbsp;open up&nbsp;(especially important for&nbsp;remote retrospectives).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some ways to acknowledge participants throughout the conversation:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cThank you ________, I know that wasn\u2019t easy to\u00a0share\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c________, I\u2019m sure that was difficult to hear.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThank you ________ for bringing that\u00a0up\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI bet others have thoughts on that as well, thanks for getting that conversation started, ________.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThat\u2019s a great point, does anyone have anything to add to what ________ said?\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/daily-kanban-standup-is-your-team-ready-for-the-next-evolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read next:<\/a> Daily Kanban Standup: Is Your Team Ready for the Next Evolution?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-9-have-the-right-tools-for-the-nbsp-job-nbsp\">Tip #9: Have the right tools for the&nbsp;job&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Like with any other remote meeting,&nbsp;in order to&nbsp;hold&nbsp;remote retrospectives,&nbsp;you\u2019ll&nbsp;need to have a video conferencing tool (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, etc.). But beyond that,&nbsp;you\u2019ll&nbsp;want to have a way to keep everyone focused and aligned around the topics being discussed, as well&nbsp;as a way to&nbsp;document the ideas and action items that&nbsp;are&nbsp;being shared.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&nbsp;aren\u2019t&nbsp;many retrospective tools for remote teams out there, which is why we decided to create our own &#8212; more on that below!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-nbsp-didn-t-nbsp-go-nbsp-well-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Didnt_Go_Well\"><\/span>What&nbsp;Didn&#8217;t&nbsp;Go&nbsp;Well&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If I were to&nbsp;identify&nbsp;an&nbsp;overarching&nbsp;theme that makes retrospectives go poorly,&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;a lack of intentionality. Not having a clear&nbsp;objective. Not having the right&nbsp;facilitator. Not having the right people in the room. Not keeping the conversation focused on relevant topics. Letting one person talk the whole time. Leaving the conversation without agreeing on a few key takeaways or action items.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>When run well,\u00a0remote retrospectives\u00a0will feel like organic, healthy team discussions. When run poorly,\u00a0they\u00a0will feel like a huge waste of everyone\u2019s time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-10-avoid-these-nbsp-things-nbsp\">Tip #10: Avoid these&nbsp;things&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some more specific things that&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;found make it difficult to have a productive&nbsp;remote retrospective:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Not including everyone who was involved in the event \u201cin the\u00a0room\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not having a\u00a0facilitator\u00a0<em>or\u00a0<\/em>not having the right\u00a0facilitator\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Holding the retrospective too long after the event occurred\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Letting people point fingers or assign\u00a0blame\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Requiring the\u00a0facilitator\u00a0to \u201cunmute\u201d participants\u00a0in order to\u00a0contribute\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not allowing enough time for a meaningful discussion\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blocking off a long amount of time for the retrospective without building in breaks\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trying to solve every problem that\u00a0arises\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focusing too much on what went wrong and not enough on what went\u00a0well\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-improvements-nbsp-i-ve-nbsp-made-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improvements_Ive_Made\"><\/span>Improvements&nbsp;I&#8217;ve&nbsp;Made&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Through the years,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0always used Planview\u00a0AgilePlace<sup>TM<\/sup>\u00a0as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planview.com\/products-solutions\/products\/leankit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">my preferred tool<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0facilitate\u00a0retrospectives, both remotely and in person. Recently, our team decided to take some of the lessons\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0learned using\u00a0AgilePlace\u00a0for retrospectives, to create a functionality specifically designed for holding collaborative conversations remotely, which we call Whiteboards.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tip-11-use-whiteboards-within-agileplace-to-facilitate-remote-retrospectives\">Tip #11: Use Whiteboards within AgilePlace to\u00a0facilitate\u00a0remote retrospectives!\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Whiteboards within AgilePlace allow everyone to\u00a0participate\u00a0in retrospective conversations in a more engaging way: Participants can add cards to\u00a0represent\u00a0topics they want to discuss and they can take notes within the cards to remember what was discussed.\u00a0Then, they can\u00a0select\u00a0cards\u00a0and export them to their\u00a0Agileplace\u00a0board(s), so the\u00a0ideas generated during the retrospective\u00a0become actual work items.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0very proud\u00a0that we have launched a\u00a0retrospective tool for remote teams, and\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0really enjoyed\u00a0facilitating\u00a0retrospectives using AgilePlace, whether it&#8217;s with a board or in Whiteboards.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/lean-coffee-format-for-virtual-teams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Read next:<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;Lean Coffee Format for Virtual Teams<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-few-key-takeaways-nbsp-nbsp\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Few_Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>A Few Key Takeaways&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The purpose of any retrospective, remote or in-person, is to give teams an opportunity to reflect on how work is completed, and by reflecting, to learn how to work together more effectively in the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I like to end retrospectives by asking the group what their big takeaways are from the discussion: If everyone leaves the conversation with a few ideas of how to do even better next time, you know\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0had a good meeting! If everyone seems to agree on a few key takeaways, even better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is a lot of guidance in the world about hosting retrospectives&nbsp;in person, but not as much about leading&nbsp;remote retrospectives.&nbsp;As a product manager of a Lean\/Agile product,&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;participated&nbsp;in and led my fair share of retrospectives, both remotely and in person.&nbsp;&nbsp; Retrospectives can be an incredibly helpful tool, giving teams an opportunity to bond, learn, and grow&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":7,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[8584,521,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agile-program-management","category-lean-agile","category-work-collaboration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - 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