You may already be familiar with Agile methodology, which is where the ‘retro’ or ‘retrospective’ format comes from. In an Agile project team you would normally meet at the end of a sprint – a specific piece of work – to review the team’s performance and progress. But our Friday Retro program doesn't quite fit …
Getting to know you, remotely
In designing the Friday Retro program, we wanted to encourage our retronauts to make meaningful connections with each other. That's a really big ask in a group of 10 or more strangers. We're using two tactics to foster those meaningful connections. First, we invite people to turn up 10 minutes early for each retro session. …
Friday Retro kicks off
A few weeks ago I posted a crazy idea - what if we could run an Agile-style retrospective ('retro') meeting for a group of strangers from many different workplaces? Could it work? Would it help people to navigate this period of upheaval? Today Sally Newton and I hosted the first Friday Retro for members of …
Designing a new kind of retro meeting
When everything is changing around you, every demand on your time and energy seems both urgent and important. Breaking that insta-response cycle, finding time for reflection and clarity, can be difficult. Talking to friends and colleagues recently, Sally and I have learned that many newly-distributed teams are not yet ready to provide this kind of …
