Document quarterly team retrospective process

Quarterly Team Retrospectives

Every engineering team runs a retrospective at the end of each quarter to reflect on what worked, what didn't, and what to change.

Preparation

• The facilitator (rotating role) sends a pre-retro survey 3 days before
• Survey asks: "What went well?", "What could improve?", "What should we stop doing?"
• Responses are anonymous and aggregated into themes before the meeting

Format (90 minutes)

1. Check-in (10 min) — Each person shares one word describing the quarter
2. Review themes (20 min) — Facilitator presents aggregated survey themes
3. Deep dive (40 min) — Team votes on top 3 themes to discuss in depth
4. Action items (15 min) — Each theme gets 1-2 concrete action items with owners
5. Check-out (5 min) — One thing you're looking forward to next quarter

Action Item Tracking

• Action items go into a dedicated "Retro Actions" board in Jira
• Each item has an owner and a due date (default: mid-next-quarter)
• Facilitator reviews progress at the start of the next retro
• Items not completed are discussed — carry forward, drop, or reassign

Ground Rules

• No blame — focus on systems and processes, not individuals
• What's said in retro stays in retro (except action items)
• Everyone speaks — facilitator ensures balanced participation
• Manager speaks last to avoid anchoring