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Planning & Processnoun · /ˌretrəˈspektɪv/

retrospective

In simple English

In tech companies following Agile methodology, a retrospective (often shortened to retro) is a formal meeting where team members reflect on their recent work cycle. This is typically scheduled at the end of a two-week sprint or after a major project milestone. During the retrospective, the team openly discusses successes, failures, communication issues, and process improvements. The goal is not to blame individuals but to identify systemic improvements that will make the team more efficient and effective in the next cycle. Retrospectives are a core component of continuous improvement culture in modern software development and are considered essential for team growth and accountability.

What is a retrospective meeting and how does it work in software development teams?

At a glanceCEFR B2
Commonness5/5
Versatility4/5
FormalityCasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDirect
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓Let us run a retrospective on this sprint
✓In the retrospective, we discussed deployment issues
✓I will facilitate the retrospective tomorrow afternoon

Real examples

in a sprint planning meeting

"Before we start the next sprint, we need to hold our retrospective to review what happened last week."

in a team message

"The retrospective is scheduled for Friday at 3 PM. Please come prepared to share feedback."

in a manager conversation

"During retrospective, the team mentioned that unclear requirements were slowing us down, so we adjusted our process."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Do not use as a verb (you cannot retrospective something). Do not confuse with retrospect, which is a different word. Avoid using it to mean simply looking back without a structured meeting context.

✕We need to retrospective the code before merging it.
✓We need to review the code before merging it.— Retrospective is a noun referring to a meeting, not a verb meaning to review or examine.
✕The retrospective should focus on individual mistakes.
✓The retrospective should focus on process improvements and systemic issues.— Retrospectives are for identifying team process improvements, not for blaming individuals or assigning fault.
✕We had a retrospective last month so we do not need another one.
✓We should hold retrospectives at the end of each sprint, typically every two weeks.— Retrospectives are regular, recurring meetings held after each sprint or project cycle, not occasional meetings.

Other forms

noun

retrospective

"The retrospective revealed that our testing process needs improvement."

noun

retro (shortened form)

"Let us grab coffee after the retro to discuss the feedback."

adjective

retrospective

"We conducted a retrospective analysis of the project timeline."

Often used with

hold a retrospectiveTo conduct or schedule a retrospective meeting: We will hold a retrospective next Friday.
run a retrospectiveTo facilitate or lead a retrospective: Who will run the retrospective this sprint?
sprint retrospectiveA retrospective held at the end of a sprint: Our sprint retrospective identified three action items.
in retrospectiveLooking back after the fact: In retrospective, we should have communicated more clearly.
retrospective feedbackFeedback gathered during a retrospective meeting: The retrospective feedback was constructive and helpful.

Similar words

retroInformal shortened version of retrospective, commonly used in tech teams.
debriefA general term for reviewing an event, but less specific to Agile processes.
post-mortemSimilar structure but typically used after failures or incidents rather than routine sprints.
lessons learned sessionBroader term for extracting knowledge from past work, but may be less structured.

Opposites

prospectiveforward-looking planning

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. Your team just finished a two-week sprint. What do you say?

Complete the sentence

2. In our last _______, the team agreed to improve communication during deployments.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses retrospective incorrectly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite this using retrospective: We will sit down as a team and talk about what we did right and wrong in the last two weeks.

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "retrospective" in a standup this week?

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