How to Get Feedback from your Team

This is a part of a series that was cre­at­ed to help you get the prac­tice of ret­ro­spec­tives built into your com­pany.  This series will walk through the approach, nec­es­sary roles, in addi­tion to guides for each role to help your com­pany get started quickly.

Over time, it will be important for the executive team to measure and gauge the success of the retrospectives practice. Here are some ideas of questions to ask:

Note: To encourage openness, give survey participants the option to remain anonymous.

Rate questions on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being least satisfied to 5 being most satisfied

1. How did you feel about attending the retrospective?
2. Did the facilitator do a good job in preparing you for the meeting?
3. How prepared were you?
4. How prepared were your team mates?
5. Were the issues discussed relevant and meaningful?

Were the suggestions for improvement:

1. Meaningful
2. Quickly actionable
3. Were you honest and open in the meeting?
4. Were your team mates honest and open in the meeting?

How effective was the facilitator in:

1. Keeping the discussion on track/keeping team focused
2. Enforcing the ground rules
3. Taking notes
4. Drawing out ideas from team members
5. Are retrospectives helpful to you?
6. Are retrospectives helpful to customers?
7. Are retrospectives helpful to the company?
8. Suggestions for improvements

How often to conduct surveys?

• After every retrospective
• On monthly basis
• On a quarterly basis
• On an annual basis

Working with survey results

• Communicate results to the company
• Ensure that suggestions for improvement are implemented

Next week, I will provide a checklist for facilitators that will help you and your team’s efficiency during the retrospective process.