In the last activity, Activity: Complete a retrospective document, you reviewed a retrospective meeting transcript in which Peta led the team through a retrospective.

Part of a project manager’s job is to ensure that retrospectives run smoothly, with all attendees participating. In this quiz, you will identify how Peta addresses a lack of participation in a different version of the retrospective.

Peta: Hi everyone! Thanks so much for taking the time to debrief about the tablet test launch. We’re one step closer to the official launch! Before we begin our discussion, I just want to say that I want everyone to feel like they're in a safe space here. Please feel free to share whatever you need to in order to help us improve this process. Ok! Does anyone want to start with what they observed as a success and what they observed as an opportunity for improvement?

[long pause]

Alex: I think it went well.

Peta: Can you tell us a little bit about what you think went well?

Alex: Well, maybe someone else could go?

[long pause]

Peta: I could certainly go first. I think some of our successes were that we got all the tablets installed, working, and had a chance to test them out! And that, in general, everything went pretty well. The customers got the hang of the tablets, the tickets went through, and the payments worked for the most part. I know personally, though, that our table turn rate didn’t see much improvement, which was one of our goals. But we can certainly focus on that going forward and brainstorm ways to improve efficiency. Who wants to add anything?

[long pause]

Peta: Ok, if no one will jump in, why don’t we do this. Let’s go around and jot down some ideas on the whiteboard about what went well and what can be improved. Gilly, do you want to start?

Now that you’ve reviewed a different variation of the retrospective, you can identify ways that Peta can address a lack of participation.

Question

Describe one strategy Peta used to address a lack of participation during the retrospective and one other strategy Peta might have used. Write 1-2 sentences.

Answer

Peta used going around and having each person jot down ideas to encourage participation, even if people were hesitant to speak up. Another strategy Peta could have used is breaking into smaller groups to discuss ideas, which may have felt less intimidating.