ESVP
How to run the activity
Each participant anonymously writes down on a piece of paper which role they most identify with in the meeting:
- Explorer: is at the meeting to learn as much as possible and see the project from new perspectives.
- Shopper: listens actively and will be satisfied if they take away at least one new idea from the meeting.
- Vacationer: attends because they feel like it, but has no clear personal or work-related interest in the session.
- Prisoner: feels obliged to take part and would rather be doing something else.
After collecting all the responses, the facilitator records how many people identify with each role and shares the histogram with the team.
How to facilitate ESVP
ESVP with many Prisoners
If the prisoner role gets the most votes, the priority is to focus on this and, if possible, find out why. It is advisable to give attendees control over their situation: they can decide whether or not to take part, and if there is a break, coming back must be their own decision, not something they do as "prisoners."
ESVP with many Vacationers
If many are attending to escape their routine, that also deserves attention and can become a central point of the retrospective: what does it say about the team's motivation or its usual workload?
Why it is useful
A facilitator who arrives at the retrospective without knowing how the team is doing may design the session for a state that doesn't exist. ESVP provides that information before starting, which allows the format, pace, or tone of the session to be adjusted.
Common mistake
Skipping ESVP because "we know how the team is doing." The facilitator's perception of the team's state and the team's real state do not always match. ESVP gives a voice to people who would not verbally express their lack of motivation or their feeling of being obliged to be there. A team with many prisoners that nobody has detected repeatedly produces empty retrospectives.
Resources
🔧 Diseñar una retrospectiva [Designing a Retrospective, in Spanish]Template · Scrum Manager
📄 Primera fase de una retrospectiva: reflexión en equipo [First Phase of a Retrospective: Team Reflection, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Blog · Jun 2023
References
- Derby, Esther; Larsen, Diana. (2006). Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Pragmatic Bookshelf.
See also
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