Intro

Hello, I'm Christine, and I've spent the last 15 years navigating the vibrant and ever-evolving landscape of the tech sector. My journey into the world of Scrum and agile methodologies began over a decade ago, marking a pivotal moment in my career. From that first experience working within a Scrum team, I fell in love with agile software development. It wasn't just the methodologies that captivated me but the philosophy behind agile – the belief in its power to produce outstanding products through collaborative, dynamic team efforts.

Over the years, my passion for agile practices has only deepened. I've immersed myself in multiple courses to broaden my understanding and skills, always eager to bring back valuable insights to my teams. My roles have been diverse, from automation engineering and quality assurance to serving as a Scrum Master on some projects. This unique blend of technical expertise and leadership has given me a comprehensive view of what makes agile teams tick. I found particular joy in facilitating retrospectives and sprint plannings, moments where the team's collective intelligence and creativity come to the forefront to solve problems and improve our processes.

Writing this article stems from a desire to share a piece of that joy and knowledge with others. The "Build Your Own Automation Engineer/QA" Sprint Retrospective is more than just an innovative approach to a meeting; it's a testament to the agile spirit of continuous improvement and team empowerment. Through this guide, I hope to inspire teams to not only embrace automation in their workflows but to do so in a way that fosters creativity, collaboration, and a deeper sense of ownership over their processes. Let's dive into a retrospective theme that promises to unlock new levels of efficiency and innovation within your teams.

Setting the Stage

Objective: Begin by clearly stating the purpose of the retrospective, which is to explore how automation can bolster the team's efficiency and output quality. We gather as a team not just to reflect on past sprints but to envision the future of our testing and development processes. Emphasize the goal of fostering a creative and open environment where innovative ideas can flourish.

Icebreaker: Kick things off with a light, automation-themed icebreaker to help team members relax and get into a creative mindset. This could be a quick round of sharing personal experiences with automation in their daily lives or a fun fact related to technology.

Icebreaker 1: "The Automation Superpower"
Description: Ask each team member to imagine they've just been granted an "automation superpower" that allows them to automate any one task in their daily life, not just work-related. It could be anything from making breakfast to sorting emails. Have each person share what their chosen task would be and why. This not only gets everyone thinking about automation in a fun and personal context but also sparks conversation and laughter about the creative choices and shared human experiences in dealing with mundane tasks.

Icebreaker 2: "Robotic Alias"
Description: Invite each team member to come up with a robotic alias for themselves based on what they would like to automate in their role or what they're known for automating or streamlining within the team. For example, someone who's great at automating test cases might choose the alias "Test-o-Matic." After everyone has shared their alias, have a quick round where each person explains the reason behind their choice. This icebreaker not only sets a fun tone but also highlights each member's contributions to automation in the team.

Gather Data

Current State Analysis: Initiate a group discussion or individual reflection on the current automation practices within your project. What processes are automated? Which ones still rely on manual effort? Utilize a whiteboard, digital document, or sticky notes to create a visual representation of these insights.

Highlight: Ask each team member to identify one manual process in their workflow that they believe could benefit significantly from automation. Encourage them to consider why this process stands out and how automation could resolve existing pain points.

Generate Insights - Build Your Own Automation Engineer/QA Exercise:

• Part 1 - Imagine: Invite the team to envision their ideal Automation Engineer or QA bot. What tasks would it take on? How would it interact with the team and existing workflows? Encourage creativity and no-boundaries thinking.

• Part 2 - Features and Functions: In smaller groups or as a whole, define the specific features, capabilities, and responsibilities of this imagined Automation Engineer/QA. Consider the different areas it could impact, such as testing, deployment, monitoring, and reporting.

• Part 3 - Impact Analysis: Facilitate a discussion on the potential impact of implementing the proposed automation solutions. How would they affect work efficiency, product quality, and team satisfaction?

Decide What to Do

Prioritization: With various ideas on the table, use dot voting or another democratic method to prioritize which automation concepts the team finds most beneficial and feasible.

Action Items: For the top-voted ideas, create detailed action plans including specific tasks, responsible individuals, and deadlines. Make sure there's a realistic approach for exploring or implementing these automation improvements.

Close the Retrospective

Feedback on the Session: Solicit feedback on the retrospective's format and content to gauge its effectiveness and engagement level.

Acknowledgment: Express gratitude for the team's participation and creativity. Highlight the session as a step towards embracing innovation and enhancing team processes.

Tips for Success

Foster Openness: Encourage the team to share freely, ensuring them that every idea, big or small, is valuable.
Make it Enjoyable: Use tools and techniques to keep the session interactive—think digital whiteboards for remote teams or physical sticky notes and markers for in-person gatherings.
Follow Up: Commit to revisiting the action items in subsequent sprints, tracking progress on the implementation of the chosen automation solutions.

By following this guide, you not only conduct a retrospective that's engaging and productive but also position your team to actively contribute to and shape their work environment. The "Build Your Own Automation Engineer/QA" theme not only serves as a catalyst for innovative thinking but also empowers team members to envision and advocate for practical solutions that enhance their daily workflows and project outcomes.