On My Japanese Team, the Retro Never Names a Name

In a remote Japanese team, sprint retrospectives are conducted without pointing fingers at individuals. This is not a formal rule but rather a natural way the team operates. Typically, engineers, a product owner, and a scrum master participate in these retrospectives, but the focus remains on process rather than individuals. Despite having spent over two decades working with Japanese development teams, the author observed that engineers unfamiliar with this culture often doubted whether genuine discussions occurred during these meetings.

However, the truth is that these retrospectives are effective in surfacing real issues, which are always targeted at the process, not at any specific person. The structure of the retrospective involves a shared board where each team member shares their general impression of the sprint before writing cards anonymously. The first column, 'Keep,' is primarily filled with thank-you notes to specific teammates for their contributions, which creates a balanced perspective.

The 'Problem' column contains descriptions of issues without naming any person, allowing for honest discussions about process-related challenges. For instance, rather than blaming a particular person for unclear acceptance criteria, the card might state, "requirements shifted mid-sprint, making it difficult to maintain stability."

This approach encourages open communication and fosters a safe environment for addressing issues. The voting process ensures that the most critical problems are prioritized for improvement in the next sprint, resulting in 'Try' items that become part of the backlog. Although the retro is successful in surfacing and addressing real problems, the implementation of these solutions often falls short, as the team struggles to follow through and implement the discussed improvements.