How to conduct human-centric, data-driven retrospectives

How to conduct human-centric, data-driven retrospectives

We know that retrospectives are important for engineering teams for a number of performance reasons - enhanced processes, improved teamwork, and efficiency of delivery. However, there is a gap in practice between the objective data and the subjective data used in retros to evaluate performance. There are also so many ways to conduct effective retros, so identifying what fits your team’s evaluative needs is a unique challenge for engineering leaders to consider.
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What barriers get in the way of running meaningful retros? How can engineering leaders mitigate team concerns around retro processes? How do you maintain a balance between human-centric reflections and data-driven insights when conducting retros? We’re excited to welcome Aino Corry from MetaDeveloper in conversation with our Lead Data Scientist, Vivek Katial, to discuss all things to do with retrospectives.

In this session, Aino and Vivek will share insights on:

• Common pitfalls that leaders encounter when running retrospectives
• Why it’s important for teams to conduct data-driven retros
• The impact of people problems on retros
• How to maximize the benefits of retros for your team members

After the presentation, there’ll be 10-15 minutes allocated for a live audience Q&A.

About the speakers

Aino Corry, author of "Retrospectives Antipatterns", is a teacher, a technical conference editor and retrospectives facilitator. She holds a masters degree and a PhD in computer science. She has 12 years of experience with Patterns in Software Development, and 20 years of experience with agile processes in academia and industry (in other words; she is old). She also teaches how to teach Computer Science to teachers, and thus lives up to the name of her company; MetaDeveloper. In her spare time, she runs and sings (but not at the same time).

Vivek Katial is Lead Data Scientist and a founding team member at Multitudes, where he drives and executes the company's Data and AI strategy. He also holds a PhD in Optimization via Quantum Computing. He is passionate about building data products that create positive change. As co-founder and Executive Director of The Good Data Institute (GDI), he's led an Australian NGO that helps charities build data capabilities, supporting over 65 organizations on more than 80 projects globally. In his spare time, Vivek loves to jam on data science, ML and ethics. He's recently spoken at Tech 4 Social Justice, OPTIMA-CON, and LAST Conf.