What are three Team Retrospective anti-patterns?

Choose one or more of the following:

• When the Scrum Master decides what the Retrospective topic(s) will be and directs the team on specific improvement items to work on
• When the team's people manager comes in to observe
• When only part of the team attends
• When the team commits to working on 1-2 improvement items and adds them to the next Iteration Backlog
• When the team reviews their interactions during the last Iteration and identifies 1-2 improvement items to work on as a team
• When the team reviews their interactions during the last Iteration and identifies 1-2 improvement items for the Product Owner to work on

Why this is the correct answer

These options are considered three Team Retrospective anti-patterns for the following reasons:

- When the Scrum Master decides what the Retrospective topic(s) will be and directs the team on specific improvement items to work on: Retrospectives are intended to be a collaborative process where the whole team reflects on their work, identifies areas of improvement, and decides on action items together. When the Scrum Master takes control of the topics and dictates the improvement items, it undermines the team's autonomy and may lead to reduced buy-in from team members, ultimately making the retrospective less effective.

- When the team's people manager comes in to observe: Retrospectives should be a safe space for the team to openly discuss their challenges, successes, and areas for improvement. When a people manager is present, team members might feel reluctant to speak honestly about issues for fear of negative consequences or judgement. This can result in a less productive and less transparent retrospective, limiting the team's ability to effectively identify and address areas for improvement.

- When only part of the team attends: Retrospectives work best when the entire team participates, as this ensures that all perspectives are considered and that the team has a shared understanding of the challenges and successes experienced during the iteration. When only part of the team attends, some viewpoints may be missed, and the team may not fully benefit from the collaborative problem-solving that a retrospective is meant to facilitate. Additionally, those who are absent from the retrospective might not feel as committed to the agreed-upon action items, reducing the likelihood of successful implementation.