Short subjects
Description
The team brainstorms to create a list that helps build an action plan for the next iteration. The ideas are added to two or three flip charts. The titles of these flip charts can be:
- WWWDD (What Worked Well / Do Different): "What worked well / What I would do differently."
- Other combinations such as Keep, Stop, Start.
- Or as many columns as you see fit, depending on the time available.
How to run the activity
- Prepare two or three flip charts with titles that represent the perspectives to explore.
- Each team member writes their ideas individually on sticky notes or cards and places them in the corresponding column.
- The team shares what is on each flip chart, grouping similar ideas together.
- The team discusses the patterns that emerge and identifies the most relevant topics for the action plan.
- The team prioritizes what to do first using a complementary technique, such as prioritize with dots.
Other versions
- Timeline + Short subjects: after building a timeline of the sprint, Short subjects is used to generate the action plan based on the events identified.
- With more columns: some versions expand the columns to four or five dimensions (Keep / More / Less / Stop / Start) to get a more nuanced view.
When to use it
- In short retrospectives where time is limited: Short subjects produces results quickly.
- As an alternative to Plus/Delta when the facilitator wants a third column that separates "what to start doing" from "what to stop doing."
- When the team tends to talk a lot as a group without producing written outcomes: individual writing before the group discussion ensures that every voice gets room.
Common mistake
Always using the same variant (WWWDD) without adapting the columns to the context. The titles of the flip charts are a session design decision. If the team faced many unexpected events during a sprint, a column such as "What to handle differently when the unexpected happens" may be more relevant than "What worked well." The columns should address the questions the team needs to explore, not a fixed template.
Resources
🔧 Diseñar una retrospectiva [Designing a retrospective] (in Spanish)Template · Scrum Manager
📄 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 · Sep 2022
References
- Derby, Esther; Larsen, Diana. (2006). Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Pragmatic Bookshelf.
See also
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