Report out with synthesis
Description and objectives
It is used to share thoughts and ideas from small groups with larger groups. It is also useful for finding possible common themes and ideas that motivate the group.
- The team has split into small groups to analyze the team's situation over the last few iterations.
- Each small group shares the results of its work with the whole team.
- The facilitator draws a progress bar to help keep the activity within a set time.
- After the final report, the team looks for similar themes to work on.
How to run the activity
- The team has split into small groups that have been examining the results of the last few iterations.
- Each small group has a limited amount of time (X minutes) to share its conclusions with the whole team.
- The facilitator tracks each group's speaking time with a progress bar to keep it from running too long. If a group goes over its time, the facilitator should announce it so they can start wrapping up their presentation.
- Once all the groups have reported, the team identifies the common threads that have come up across all the presentations and jointly writes them down on a flip chart.
- Once the common themes have been identified, the following questions are put to the group:
- Do you have enough energy to take on any of these ideas? Which one?
- What is it about these ideas that makes you feel energized to carry them out?
- Which ideas are most likely to succeed?
- What overall impression do these ideas give you?
When to use it
- After small-group activities in retrospectives with large teams (more than 8-10 people).
- As a bridge between the knowledge-generation phase and the decision-making phase.
- When the facilitator wants to make sure that all subgroups have a voice before deciding which actions to take.
Common mistake
Not managing each group's presentation time. Without a progress bar or a visible timer, groups tend to present for longer than allotted, which reduces or eliminates the time for the most valuable part: identifying common themes and choosing actions. The value of the technique lies not in the individual reports but in the synthesis that emerges from comparing them.
Resources
🔧 Diseñar una retrospectiva [Designing a retrospective, in Spanish]Template · Scrum Manager
📄 Tercera fase de una retrospectiva: crear conocimiento [Third phase of a retrospective: creating knowledge, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Blog · Oct 2023
📄 Ejemplo: cómo diseñar una sprint retrospective [Example: how to design a Sprint Retrospective, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Blog · Oct 2022
📄 Liderar retrospectivas y resolución de conflictos [Leading retrospectives and conflict resolution, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Blog · Dec 2022
📄 Apuntes: Agile Retrospectives [Notes: Agile Retrospectives, in Spanish]Scrum Manager Blog · Sept 2022
References
- Derby, Esther; Larsen, Diana. (2006). Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Pragmatic Bookshelf.
See also
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