Personal Retrospectives
Today at a Glance
Personal Retrospectives
Poll of the Day
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Bonus Link
Personal Retrospectives
In the recent poll ‘Do you evaluate your personal productivity and growth?’ the majority of respondents said ‘No - I just get on with work’.
Introduction
Do retrospectives actually achieve anything? I’ve asked myself this question over the years, either conducting them for teams or observing others.
If you watch closely, you’ll see the same themes, complaints, and actions brought up time after time. But separately, how often do these retrospectives give you personally actions to improve?
What I will describe here is not a sprint retrospective, instead, it is specifically for you and shared with no one: a personal retrospective.
Why it matters
Most engineers, in one way or another, want to improve. You don’t need to be excessively ambitious to have goals and seek to improve through feedback.
Scientists have a name for this: deliberate practice. You might have heard it related to Michael Jordan, whose success many attribute to the way he practiced.
So how can we use deliberate practice? By identifying what went well, what didn’t go so well, and taking appropriate actions. Does it sound familiar?
How to apply it
Personal retrospectives work however you want them to! They can be written on a single post-it note, in a notebook or on your phone. As long as you tackle those three questions.
They can also be carried out as frequently or infrequently as you want. Maybe you like carrying them out in parallel to sprint retrospectives, or monthly, or when there is something notable.
One thing is certain: if you carry out personal retrospectives consistently, you will be amazed at how much they (and you) can achieve.
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Poll of the Day
How often do you use AI to help you code?
Polls are anonymous and just for fun. Voting will show you the results, but you can also view results directly here.
Ask Paul Anything
If you have a question, large or small, you can send it here. It’s anonymous if you want.
Bonus Link
Deliberate practice: What is it and why does it matter? - Related to teachers but still useful in general.
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