Facilitating the Sprint Review
- The Sprint Review with Little Stakeholder Participation
- The Sprint Review Where Nothing Is Done
- Keys to Facilitating an Effective Sprint Review
- Conclusion
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
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The Sprint Review is a collaborative working session between the Scrum Team and its stakeholders during which they inspect the latest Increment. Typically this includes a demonstration. As a result of this inspection, they discuss what was achieved in the Sprint, any changes in their environment, and explore potential adaptations of the Product Backlog as the team works toward the Product Goal.
Although the Sprint Review is not the only time when the Scrum Team can interact with stakeholders, it is the prescribed event for the Scrum Team and stakeholders to discuss any new information that might affect what should be the next valuable items to work on for the product Increment. Information such as changes in the market or feedback from users along with other stakeholder feedback on the latest Increment results in the output of the event, which is an adapted Product Backlog that represents the team’s plan going forward.
Picture the Sprint Reviews you have attended. Were they run-throughs of every Product Backlog item completed by the team that Sprint? Were they just demonstrations of the latest work by the Scrum Team? Were stakeholders disengaged? We have had our share of these types of Sprint Reviews also. In this chapter, we share how Scrum Teams can use facilitation to better navigate conversations and increase the effectiveness of their Sprint Reviews.
The Sprint Review with Little Stakeholder Participation
Members of Team Hurricane feel like they are finishing a good Sprint and are excited for the upcoming Sprint Review. Not only did they meet their Sprint Goal, they also completed all the forecasted Product Backlog items for the Sprint, and they pulled in an extra item and got that one Done too.
At the Sprint Review, Nicole, Hurricane’s Product Owner, summarizes the Sprint Goal and gives an overview of each of the completed Product Backlog items. “Any questions?” she asks. She shrugs off the long silence and blank faces. She continues, “Francesca, I’ll hand this to you now to demonstrate the result of all the work the team finished.”
“Right. Let me share my screen,” says Francesca, one of Hurricane’s Developers. “Please jump in with any questions, comments, or feedback you might have. All the Developers from the team are on the call so we can capture any thoughts you have.” For the next 15 minutes, Francesca’s voice is the only one heard in the Sprint Review.
“And that’s it!” says Francesca when she is done. She lets the silence hang for a few moments. “Hello? Is there anybody there? Hmm… is my internet down?”
“We’re all still here!” Nicole says as soon as she manages to unmute herself. “Thank you, Francesca. What does everyone think? Any feedback?”
Silence.
“Are you happy? We are going to release this. Does anyone have concerns?”
“It looks good,” someone says. Nicole is not sure whose voice it is but sees Ricky, one of the managers in the call center, nodding his head. It is hard to discern what the rest of the stakeholders think; some have their cameras turned off and are also on mute.
“If anyone would like to speak, you need to come off mute!” calls out Wolfgang, one of Hurricane’s Developers and the team’s Scrum Master.
Nothing happens.
“Okay. Well, that is the product Increment then,” says Nicole. “I’m sharing the Product Backlog on the screen now. As you can see, nothing has changed since the last Sprint Review. Does anyone have any input on the ordering or content? I’m happy to go through anything again if needed.”
The only response to the question is two people leaving the call.
“Well, thanks everyone. See you in two weeks at the next Sprint Review, I guess. Team Hurricane, do you mind staying on the call?” asks Nicole.
After all the stakeholders leave, Nicole looks at the other team members. “Thanks for running that, Francesca.”
Francesca gives a thumbs-up and replies, “Is it me, or does anyone else feel that we are wasting our time with these reviews? We never get any feedback. None of our stakeholders say anything. We might as well not bother.”
“I’ve been thinking the same,” Wolfgang adds.
Nicole asks, “So what do we do to get more engagement and value out of our Sprint Reviews?”
Gathering Valuable Feedback at the Sprint Review
The feedback loops in Scrum help teams improve both their product and their way of working. Although it is not the only time to engage with stakeholders, the Sprint Review is the formal opportunity for the Scrum Team to gather feedback on its latest work from the stakeholders. This can include customers and end users. If nobody gives the Scrum Team feedback, or if the Scrum Team does not invite feedback, it misses an opportunity to review its progress toward its Product Goal.
Nicole asked the right question at the end of the story. Many Scrum Teams are tempted to drop or cancel Scrum events when they lack focus, purpose, and value, especially when participants are disengaged. However, by doing so they miss an opportunity to inspect and adapt. When Scrum Teams struggle with getting the value they seek from the Sprint Review, effective facilitation can help them structure it so they can receive the feedback they need.
A Sprint Review can feel lackluster for several reasons:
The Scrum Team or stakeholders may not understand the purpose of the Sprint Review.
The Scrum Team dives too deeply into details or technical aspects, losing stakeholder attention and their ability to contribute in a meaningful way.
The event is facilitated in a way that offers little opportunity for stakeholders to interact with the team, and more importantly with the product Increment that is the result of the work of the Sprint.
Sprint Reviews are consistently conducted without the right stakeholders attending or contributing in some manner. Often we see this happen when only internal stakeholders attend. Although internal stakeholders provide helpful information and ideas on how the Scrum Team can improve the product, they may not be the customers or end users who ultimately determine the product’s value.
Whatever the reason, the Scrum Team should experiment with techniques and facilitation that put the appropriate stakeholders at the heart of the Sprint Review.
Try This! Stakeholder Engagement through Contribution
Here are some ideas for facilitating the Sprint Review to help transform stakeholders from being passive spectators to becoming involved and engaged. The aim is to put stakeholder feedback and input on the product Increment at the center of the event, helping the Scrum Team plan its future goals.
Invite the Right Stakeholders and Engage Them Before the Sprint Review
To get the most value out of a Sprint Review, the Scrum Team needs to make sure that it invites the right people at the right time. The Scrum Team should deliberately invite those who can provide valuable feedback by considering the product and where it is in its lifecycle and the Product Goal. Understanding who to invite is an important aspect of facilitation because the interactions within the event very much depend on the participants.
In Chapter 2, “Facilitating Sprint Planning,” we discuss the stakeholder invite as a facilitation technique for the Scrum Team to craft its Sprint Goal. The result of this activity, which envisioned the outcome of the Sprint during Sprint Planning, can be used as the opening of the invitation to the stakeholders for the Sprint Review. We have found that preparing stakeholders for the Sprint Review sets up better interactions. The team might include preparatory questions for the stakeholders to think about, such as “What do you hope to get from the Sprint Review?” and “What valuable contribution can you bring?” The team can let the stakeholders know that contributions can relate to anything that concerns the product, such as the Product Goal, the Sprint Goal, the Increment, market conditions, customer behaviors, and so on.
When the team gives stakeholders context before the Sprint Review, asking them to think about how they can contribute, they improve the chance of higher engagement during the event. A Scrum Team thrives on the feedback from stakeholders, so those who contribute to the Sprint Review with feedback bring value. By prompting stakeholders to ask themselves what value they will bring to the Sprint Review and how they can contribute to making the product better, the team is helping stakeholders decide for themselves whether they should attend. Other open-ended questions for potential attendees to reflect upon include these:
How would you like to help the team increase value, decrease waste, and manage risk?
How can you participate in the Sprint Review to help the team make sustainable, measurable progress toward the Product Goal?
How can the team know if they are receiving and giving value from and to the attendees in the Sprint Review?
These questions can also be revisited at the start of the Sprint Review as part of making connections and sharing expectations. Inevitably, some people may still attend the Sprint Review who cannot provide direct input or valuable feedback, which can distract from the event. As a facilitator, learn why they are there. They may attend because they want to show interest in the team’s work or are curious about the progress of the product. If the Scrum Team finds that interested yet not necessary participants continue to attend the Sprint Review and it is okay with this then, as a facilitator, experiment with creative techniques that allow them to participate but ultimately do not distract from the purpose of the event.
Facilitate Making Connections and Share Expectations
Prior to the Sprint Review, ask attendees to consider one or two questions that we provided in the previous section or other questions you find appropriate.
In the Sprint Review itself:
The facilitator reminds everyone of the Product Goal and the Sprint Goal to provide focus.
As a connection exercise the facilitator asks participants, including members of the Scrum Team, to discuss in pairs how they would answer the questions they were asked to consider prior to the Sprint Review, such as “By the end of the Sprint Review, what is the best outcome you would hope for?” and “What valuable contribution can you bring to achieve this outcome?” Each person has two minutes to share their answers.
Each person finds a new person to pair with. Again, they share their answers for two minutes each.
Repeat for a third round.
This activity can be used as a warmup, and it helps to promote participation and engagement from everyone from the beginning of the Sprint Review. Also, by sharing ideas on how to contribute in multiple pairs, people may build on each other’s ideas and perspectives, and they may feel more compelled to act in the way they say they will.
This activity can be used standalone even if the Scrum Team did not send a stakeholder email invite with the questions in advance. It can be followed up with further promotion of stakeholder participation by putting stakeholders in the driver’s seat.
Put Your Stakeholders in the Driver’s Seat During Sprint Review
Instead of members of the Scrum Team talking about what they worked on during the Sprint and demonstrating the results, this facilitation technique, as the name suggests, involves putting the stakeholders in the driver’s seat. Whether the team and stakeholders are working together in person or virtually, this approach gets stakeholders involved beyond watching demonstrations by getting them to use the product.
Chartwriting
Have someone with a view of everything capture the ideas and feedback in real time!
Sam Kaner explains chartwriting in his book Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making.1 Chartwriting, also known as scribing, is the practice of capturing people’s comments. It should not be confused with taking meeting minutes. The primary purpose of chartwriting is not for recordkeeping, but as a way to increase participation and engagement. When people see that their ideas and feedback are being captured by someone in the group in real time where everyone can see them, they are more likely to feel heard. Sometimes people find it difficult to let go of an idea and are unable to move on, such as in a Sprint Review when a stakeholder has a strong opinion. Chartwriting can change their behavior. Seeing their thoughts captured can free their mind for other contributions, increasing further engagement and participation.
The facilitator can do the chartwriting, but it may be helpful for someone else to do it so that the facilitator can focus their attention on the group and its interactions.
Whoever is doing the chartwriting should take the following guidelines into consideration:
Refrain from making assumptions; instead, write down the contributor’s exact words when possible. If a sentence is too long or complex, paraphrase or summarize it, but ensure that the contributor has agreed that the shortened version is a reflection of what they want to say.
Treat all contributions and contributors equally.
Take a neutral stance, and refrain from judgment. It is up to the group as a collective to decide which ideas and feedback are valuable.
Ensure what is captured is visible to everyone. For example, when recording on flipchart paper, hang the output on the wall so that pages are visible to everyone at all times.
Learn chartwriting techniques and tools, such as the use of different letterings, colors, formats, and icons.
Perfection Game and What? So What? Now What?
Most Scrum Teams demonstrate their work and then ask for feedback in an open forum during a Sprint Review with a question like, “So, what does everyone think?” This approach may exclude people who are anxious about how their feedback may be taken. The question is also broad, which can be positive, but it may be unhelpful in generating focused feedback for the Scrum Team. Some facilitation techniques that you can experiment with to mitigate these risks include the perfection game and What? So What? Now What?
For these activities, the facilitator needs to prepare a shared space where stakeholders are invited to leave their feedback. This can be on the wall or in a virtual tool.
In the perfection game the feedback wall has three prompting questions along the lines of these:
On a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 represents perfection, how would you rate the latest product Increment?
What did you like about it?
If you did not score it a 10, what would be needed to make it perfect?
Often when people are asked to rate things, they give a top score without much consideration. Asking people a question about what is missing to make it perfect prompts deeper thinking and unveils feedback and ideas that may have otherwise remained hidden.
Another type of feedback wall where participants display their feedback is the What? So What? Now What? technique from Liberating Structures. These three questions are used as prompts:
What? What stood out for you?
So what? Why was this important to you?
Now what? What follow-up actions should there be?
On the feedback wall, a facilitator can create different areas or columns with these three questions and invite participants to consider their answers and post them on the wall in the appropriate area. What are important are the reflections, the shared transparency of the responses, and, of course, the consideration of the follow-up actions after the session.
During a Sprint Review, the prompt of So What? can be used to have stakeholders think about how they might use the latest Increment, and Now What? can be used for the stakeholders to think about what the Scrum Team can do next to build upon what is important to them.
The perfection game can also be used in a Sprint Retrospective where the facilitator can ask the Scrum Team to rate how the Sprint went and what was missing to make it perfect. Similarly, What? So What? Now What? can be used in the Sprint Retrospective for a Scrum Team to reflect on its processes and tools, for example.