Unlocking the Benefits of 4L Format Retrospective

Imagine a team meeting where everyone feels comfortable sharing their genuine thoughts and emotions about the project, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The 4L Format Retrospective is a technique designed to make this a reality, helping teams reflect on their experiences and identify areas for growth.

Key Takeaways

• The 4L Format Retrospective is an effective technique for teams to share experiences, express emotions and identify areas of improvement.
• Preparation and setting expectations are key components in running a successful retrospective, as well as gathering feedback & brainstorming ideas.
• Tools such as Miro or TeamRetro can be used to facilitate the process for different contexts, promoting communication & growth within teams.

Understanding the 4L Format Retrospective

The 4L Format Retrospective is an efficient and straightforward technique employed by teams to review and evaluate past performance. It focuses on four key aspects:

• Appreciations: What the team appreciated about their work or the project.
• Gleanings: What the team learned or gained from the experience.
• Lacks: What the team felt was missing or could have been improved.
• Yearnings: What the team desires or hopes for in the future.

This approach facilitates the sharing of perspectives and experiences, promoting ongoing progress and getting everyone on the same page.

In the 4L Format Retrospective, the emotional perspective holds significance, as it allows team members to voice their feelings about the project or sprint. Moreover, the 4L Format is particularly beneficial for remote teams, as it can be readily adapted to virtual collaboration tools and platforms, facilitating the identification of areas for future improvements.

Emotional Perspective in Retrospectives

The emotional perspective in retrospectives involves exploring and discussing the emotions experienced by team members during a specific period or project, in order to gain insights into the team dynamics and keep the conversation focused on the team’s well-being. By utilizing the retrospective technique, teams can effectively address emotional aspects and improve overall performance.

Recognizing what provoked feelings of:

• frustration
• disappointment
• joy
• pride

helps teams understand how emotions influence individual behavior and group dynamics, stimulating empathy and emotional intelligence inside the team.

The emotional perspective promotes:

• The expression of feelings and thoughts about the project or sprint
• Facilitating the recognition of how emotions can influence individual behaviors and group dynamics
• Stimulating empathy and emotional intelligence within the team
• Encouraging open communication of emotions
• Creating a secure environment for team members to gather feedback and share their sentiments
• Using tools like sticky notes for anonymity

Remote Teams and 4L Format

The 4L Format is especially beneficial for remote teams, as it can be readily adapted to virtual collaboration tools and platforms, making it easier to identify areas for future improvements. By using tools such as video conferencing, online whiteboards, and chat applications, the 4L Format becomes suitable for agile teams working remotely.

However, the primary difficulty associated with utilizing the 4L Format for remote teams is the absence of face-to-face interaction, which can impede the development of trust and the promotion of collaboration, making it harder to brainstorm ideas effectively. To ensure successful 4L Format Retrospectives for remote teams, it is recommended to set clear expectations, create an agenda, and utilize tools such as video conferencing, online whiteboards, and chat applications. Facilitating these retrospectives can be effectively done by Scrum masters.

Key Components of the 4L Format Retrospective

The 4L Format Retrospective consists of four key components: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed for. Each component focuses on different aspects of the team’s experience, enabling a thorough review of the sprint and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Liked

Team members are encouraged to identify and share positive experiences and aspects of the project or sprint in the Liked section, helping to gather feedback on what worked well. For instance, a team member might say, “I found working in pods with people of different disciplines to be highly beneficial. It is recommended that this practice is continued in the next sprint.” This feedback can be used to make future improvements in the team’s processes.

The ‘Liked’ component of the 4L Format Retrospective is an opportunity for team members to reflect upon and share what aspects of the project or sprint they found to be favorable. It is a means of gathering positive feedback and recognizing what has been successful, particularly for agile teams.

Learned

A focus on the knowledge and competencies gained during the project or sprint is the essence of the Learned section, both individually and as a team. This information, initially developed during the project, can be used to brainstorm ideas for future improvements, future projects, and future sprints.

Focusing on the knowledge and skills acquired during the project or sprint helps contribute to the continuous improvement of the team’s performance. By acknowledging individual growth and team development, the Learned section fosters a culture of learning and adaptability.

Lacked

In the Lacked section, the team is encouraged to reflect on areas where they perceived a lack of something or saw potential for improvement, helping to identify opportunities for future improvements. The ‘Lacked’ component of the 4L Format Retrospective enables teams to recognize areas that could be improved and address any gaps or deficiencies, making it particularly useful for agile teams.

The team may wish to assess aspects such as:

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Process
• Tools
• Resources

and brainstorm ideas for improvement. Addressing gaps and deficiencies by formulating an action plan and executing it contributes to the continuous improvement of the team’s performance.

Longed for

In the Longed for section, team members are enabled to articulate their aspirations and suggestions for potential enhancements and accomplishments, helping to shape future improvements in the team’s processes. The ‘Longed for’ component of 4L Format Retrospective involves reflecting on what was desired in the project or process, making it particularly useful for agile teams looking to improve their performance.

By considering what was desired during the project or process, team members can brainstorm ideas for improvement and construct a team action plan to implement those ideas. This consequently leads to the establishment of a more constructive and productive team environment.

Running a Successful 4L Format Retrospective

Running a successful 4L Format Retrospective involves proper preparation, gathering feedback and brainstorming ideas, and creating a clear action plan for improvement.

We will examine each of these steps in further detail.

Preparation and Setting Expectations

Preparation includes assigning a moderator, setting expectations, and sharing necessary resources with the team. The moderator must ensure that the conversation remains pertinent, all feedback is discussed, and the allotted time is adhered to, keeping the conversation focused on the team’s performance and improvement.

It is expected that the purpose of the retrospective, timeline, and anticipated outcomes are clearly defined, helping the team to identify areas for future improvements. A moderator can preload the template and distribute it to all participants prior to the event, using tools like post-it notes to facilitate the sharing of ideas.

Gathering Feedback and Brainstorming Ideas

The most efficient approach for collecting feedback during the 4Ls Retrospective is to progress through each section one at a time before moving onto the next, allowing the team to gather feedback in a structured manner. The moderator should pose open-ended questions to stimulate the participants to express their opinions and perspectives, helping the team to brainstorm ideas for improvement. By doing so, the team can obtain objective feedback, which is essential for identifying areas of growth.

Utilizing tools like sticky notes or virtual whiteboards can help collect and organize team members’ thoughts and ideas. This fosters an environment of open communication and collaboration, enabling the team to effectively:

• Identify areas for improvement
• Brainstorm new ideas
• Prioritize tasks
• Track progress
• Share feedback

Creating an Action Plan

Creating an action plan involves prioritizing feedback, assigning responsibilities, and setting deadlines for implementing improvements. The procedure for prioritizing feedback entails evaluating the effect of each feedback and deciding which items should be attended to first.

The team should designate specific responsibilities to each team member for the implementation of the action plan. The team should establish deadlines for the implementation of improvements that are reasonable and attainable.

Adapting the 4L Format for Different Scenarios

The 4L Format Retrospective can be adapted for different scenarios, such as challenging sprints, large change implementation, and novice teams, to ensure its effectiveness in various contexts.

We will examine how the 4L Format can be tailored to suit these different scenarios.

Challenging Sprints

For challenging sprints, the 4L Format can help identify issues and areas for improvement, fostering a more productive and positive team environment. By employing the 4L Format Retrospective to reflect on various aspects of the sprint, the team can:

• Identify what was successful
• Determine what was not successful
• Explore opportunities for enhancement
• Gain new perspectives and contemplate distinctively in order to confront the challenges encountered during the sprint.

The 4L Format Retrospective aids in creating a more productive and positive team environment by offering a systematized approach to retrospectives. By reflecting on the various components of the sprint, teams can gain novel insights and contemplate in an alternative manner to confront the issues encountered during the sprint, leading to a more constructive and productive team environment.

Large Change Implementation

When implementing large changes, the 4L Format can provide valuable insights into the team’s experiences and lessons learned, helping to refine the change process. By utilizing the retrospective to reflect on the successes and challenges of the large change project, as well as individual growth and potential areas for improvement, the team can identify what they cherished, detested, acquired, and yearned for in the project, and apply those insights to fuel constructive change in the implementation process.

Issues and areas for improvement can be recognized by teams with the help of the 4L Format Retrospective through the implementation of a structured approach to retrospectives. By considering the various facets of the sprint, teams can benefit from novel perspectives and contemplate solutions to the issues encountered during the sprint.

Novice Teams

For novice teams, the 4L Format can serve as a simple and effective way to gather feedback and promote a culture of continuous improvement. Utilizing the four categories (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for) to engender discussions and collect feedback from team members helps novice teams reflect on:

• What was successful (Liked)
• What they have acquired (Learned)
• What they require more of (Lacked)
• What they aspire for in upcoming iterations or projects (Longed for)

Encouraging open communication and fostering a growth mindset within the team is a key aspect of the 4L Format Retrospective. By allowing team members to express their thoughts and ideas, the retrospective promotes a culture of learning and adaptability, ultimately leading to a more successful and productive team.

Tools and Templates for 4L Format Retrospective

A variety of tools and templates are available for the 4L Format Retrospective, including:

• Miro
• Conceptboard
• Atlassian Team Playbook
• Lucidchart
• TeamRetro

Each tool offers unique features and advantages to facilitate the 4L Format Retrospective process.

Some useful collaboration tools for teams are:

• Miro: an online whiteboard that enables teams to collaborate in real-time
• Conceptboard: a collaboration platform that facilitates teams to share ideas and documents
• Atlassian Team Playbook: a pre-made template that assists teams in planning and executing retrospectives
• Lucidchart: a diagramming tool that assists teams in visualizing their ideas
• TeamRetro: an online platform that assists teams in running effective retrospectives

These tools can greatly enhance team collaboration and productivity.

The selection of a tool and template should be based on the team’s needs and preferences, ensuring the most effective and efficient implementation of the 4L Format Retrospective.

Summary

The 4L Format Retrospective is a powerful technique for teams to review their performance, identify areas for improvement, and foster a culture of continuous learning and growth. By understanding the importance of emotional perspective, adapting the format for remote teams, and employing the four key components (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for), teams can effectively gather feedback and create a clear action plan for improvement. With various tools and templates available to facilitate the process, the 4L Format Retrospective is a valuable method for promoting a culture of continuous improvement in any team setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you run a 4L retrospective?

To run a 4L retrospective, it is important to assign a moderator, set the tone and expectations, prepare a space with sticky notes and markers, and discuss what was liked, learned, lacked, and longed for. Finally, assign followups and action items accordingly.

What are the 4 L's in agile retrospective?

The 4Ls of agile retrospectives, developed by Mary Gorman and Ellen Gottesdiener, include Liked, Learned, Lacked and Longed For.

What are the 4 questions in a retrospective?

The 4 Questions Retrospective is a technique used to assess a project or sprint of work, asking team members what they loved, loathed, learned and longed for. This provides the team with an opportunity to reflect on their past work and use that knowledge to improve going forward.

How does the emotional perspective in retrospectives contribute to a better team environment?

By encouraging open dialogue about feelings and emotions, the emotional perspective in retrospectives helps build empathy, emotional intelligence, and secure communication among team members, creating a better overall team environment.

How can the 4L Format be adapted for remote teams?

Remote teams can easily adapt the 4L Format by leveraging virtual collaboration tools like video conferencing, online whiteboards, and chat applications.

‍