4Ls Retrospective
Retrospectives are an important tool for identifying areas for improvement, promoting process improvements, and ensuring that a team is moving in the right direction. The 4Ls Retrospective model is a popular approach that capitalizes on the natural tendency of team members to think and share thoughts on things they appreciate, lessons learned, missing elements, and things they wish they had. This model provides a focused and effective way to help teams continuously improve.
The 4Ls Retrospective Model: A Guide
Introduction
The 4Ls Retrospective is a tool used to analyze a sprint or phase of work, and helps teams to identify opportunities for improvement. This model has proven to be effective for many teams, as it captures the natural thoughts and feedback of team members in a focused and helpful way.
Components of 4Ls Retrospective
- Liked: This section focuses on the positive aspects of the sprint, including actions, processes, and achievements that the team appreciated or enjoyed.
- Learned: This section covers new discoveries and learnings from the sprint, including technical and interpersonal insights.
- Lacked: This section identifies anything that was missing from the last iteration, including resources or actions that could have been improved.
- Longed For: This section allows the team to dream about things they wish were possible or tools they wish they had, that would improve the chances of a successful project.
How to Run 4Ls Retrospective
- Set up the room with posters for each of the 4Ls.
- Explain the process and categories to participants, and provide some examples.
- Give participants sticky notes and time to write down their 4L examples from the sprint.
- After the allocated time, post the sticky notes on the appropriate posters.
- Group and categorize the notes, often through a voting system to determine priority.
- Facilitate a discussion around the topics listed on the posters.
The 4Ls Retrospective is typically time-boxed with 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the team. The facilitator plays an important role in ensuring the session stays focused and productive.
