Ada Lovelace the Warrior
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was the first person to describe an algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine, which is why she is considered the first computer programmer in history. Choosing her as the figure for this technique connects the history of computing with today's development teams and makes the warrior a role model who may particularly resonate with technology teams.
Objective
To jointly express the team's strengths and weaknesses during the sprint, and to identify what can be improved and what support the team has had. The activity ends with specific actions to mitigate the weaknesses in the next sprint.
How to run the activity
- Draw a warrior on a whiteboard (or use a ready-made photo or drawing).
- Create four columns around the drawing: strengths, weaknesses, improvements, and support.
- Each team member writes ideas on sticky notes for each column and places them.
- Analyze the results together: What patterns emerge? Which strengths are shared? Which weaknesses keep recurring?
- Propose and agree on actions to mitigate the weaknesses and build on the strengths in the next sprint.
When to use it
- As an alternative to The Hero's Journey when you want to keep the narrative format but with a different figure.
- When the team works in a technology context and the figure of Ada Lovelace may resonate with them.
- When the facilitator wants to combine an analysis of strengths and weaknesses with the dimension of external support in a single activity.
Common mistake
Stopping at the diagnosis without commitments. The four columns produce a complete picture of the sprint, but the activity only generates value if the team closes with specific actions: which strength it will build on, which weakness it will work on, and what specific support it will count on in the next sprint. Without that closure, the warrior remains a portrait rather than a starting point.
Resources
🔧 Diseñar una retrospectiva [Designing a retrospective, in Spanish]Template · Scrum Manager
📄 Segunda fase de una retrospectiva: en busca de la mejora continua [Second phase of a retrospective: in pursuit of continuous improvement, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Blog · Aug 2023
See also
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