Retrospectives

A core element of the Lionsberg System is the mandate to Become A Little Better Every Day by Helping All Do The Same.

This is the basic principle behind Continuous Learning / Continuous Improvement / Continous Elevation.

The primary way that individuals, teams, organizations, and communities grow and improve is through the intentional practice of pausing to reflect, learn, and grow.

In the Lionsberg System, we call this process a Retrospective.

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Retrospectives are organized, regularly scheduled, facilitated sessions that provide team members the opportunity to identify is working and what is not working, and what can be done better in the future.

The retrospective format ensures that all responsible viewpoints are aired and recorded. Retrospectives proactively focus on developing new approaches to identified problems. Periodically, team members take time to evaluate past activities and identify successes and areas for improvement.

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In its simplest form, a retrospective can be accomplished with the followings steps:

1. Prepare a shared collaboration document
2. Create three sections
   1. What Did We Do Well?
   2. What Can We Do Better?
   3. Actions
3. Create Clarity
   1. Agree to listen with an open mind, and respect every person's experience as valid.
   2. Agree to what time period or scope of work you are reflecting on.
   3. Encourage the group to focus on Continuous Improvement, in the context of a Zero Blame Environment.
   4. Ensure that all voices are heard.
4. What Did We Do Well?
   1. Using a "waterfall" style response, have each team member write down what went well / what we should do more of. The waterfall response helps crete freedom for diverse perspectives to emerge simultaneously.
5. What Can We Do Better?
   1. Using a "waterfall" style response, have each team member write down what went well / what we should do more of. The waterfall response helps crete freedom for diverse perspectives to emerge simultaneously. The positive framing helps preserve a Zero Blame Environment and focus the group on Solutions.
6. Actions
   1. In light of the questions above, brainstorm what actions might be taken in response to the to retrospective.
   2. Ensure that actions taken improve a Process... so that they are improving the entire System... and are not just a one-off fix.
   3. Assign each Action to an Agent, with a Due Date.

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