Retrospective Techniques Language
Learn the IT-English vocabulary for running sprint retrospectives: formats like Start-Stop-Continue, Mad-Sad-Glad and action items.
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1 / 25
In a 'Start, Stop, Continue' retro, what goes under 'Stop'?
'Stop' lists behaviours or practices the team agrees to discontinue.
2 / 25
A facilitator says: 'Let's timebox each topic to five minutes.' What does 'timebox' mean?
To timebox is to set a strict time limit for an activity so the meeting stays on track.
3 / 25
The retro produced three 'action items'. What is an action item?
An action item is a specific improvement task with an owner and ideally a due date.
4 / 25
What is the purpose of setting 'psychological safety' at the start of a retro?
Psychological safety means people can raise problems and admit mistakes without fear of blame.
5 / 25
A team uses the 'Mad, Sad, Glad' format. What does it capture?
Mad/Sad/Glad is an emotion-based retro format to surface frustrations, disappointments and positives.
6 / 25
PR#1234 is a pull request to update the user authentication service. During code review, Sarah comments: 'This section handles JWT validation but doesn't explicitly reject expired tokens. It's relying on the library to handle that, which could introduce unexpected behavior if the library changes.' Mark replies: 'Good catch! Let's add a check for token expiration before validating the signature.' What does Mark mean by 'rejecting expired tokens'?Mark's phrase 'rejecting expired tokens' refers to preventing the system from processing a request using an invalid JWT. The service shouldn't accept or validate a token past its expiry; it needs to actively refuse to handle that token. Options A and C describe error handling responses, while option D is simply logging information - the core action is denial of processing.
7 / 25
PR#5678 is a pull request to refactor the payment processing module. During a Slack discussion, David writes: 'I'm thinking of using a 'Five Whys' approach to really dig into why this code became so complex in the first place.' What does David mean by 'Five Whys'? David is using the 'Five Whys' technique, a simple but powerful problem-solving method. It involves repeatedly asking 'why' a particular issue exists – typically five times – to drill down from symptoms to the underlying root cause of a complex situation like convoluted code. This approach helps teams understand the *reason* something became complicated, not just fix the immediate symptom. Option A is related to testing; option C describes documentation; and option D represents a prioritization method.
8 / 25
PR#9012 is a pull request to improve the performance of the API endpoint /users. During the retrospective, Maria suggests using the 'Root Cause Analysis' technique to understand why response times have been consistently slow. What does Maria mean by 'Root Cause Analysis'?'Root Cause Analysis' (RCA) is a systematic approach to identifying the underlying reasons for an issue, rather than just treating the symptoms. It typically involves asking 'why' repeatedly – often five times or more – to drill down through layers of cause and effect until you reach the fundamental problem that needs addressing. In this context, Maria suggests looking beyond simply seeing slow response times to understand *why* they're happening in the first place, likely related to the new feature impacting performance.
9 / 25
PR#3456 is a pull request to update the documentation for the new API endpoint, /v1/products. During a standup update, John says, 'We need to document the rate limiting on this endpoint – we're seeing a lot of 429 Too Many Requests errors from clients not handling it correctly.' What does John mean by 'rate limiting' in this context?Rate limiting refers to restricting the number of requests a client can make within a given timeframe. This is a common technique used to protect APIs from abuse, overload, and denial-of-service attacks. It's distinct from authentication (option C) or data size restrictions (option D), and doesn't directly control the response data itself (option A).
10 / 25
PR#7890 is a pull request to redesign the user profile page. During code review, Emily comments: 'The current implementation relies heavily on client-side JavaScript to handle form validation. This introduces potential inconsistencies across browsers and makes it difficult to maintain.' What does Emily mean by 'client-side JavaScript' in this context?Emily is referring to the part of a web application that executes within a user's browser. Client-side JavaScript handles tasks like form validation, manipulating the DOM (Document Object Model), and often interacting with APIs before sending data to the server. This contrasts with server-side code, which runs on the web server and processes requests from the client. It's important to distinguish between where the logic resides – a common point of confusion for developers transitioning between front-end and back-end development.
11 / 25
PR#1234 is a pull request to update the user authentication service. During code review, Sarah comments: 'This section handles JWT validation but doesn't explicitly reject expired tokens. It's relying on the library to handle that, which could introduce unexpected behavior if the library changes.' Mark replies: 'Good catch! Let's add a check for token expiration before validating the signature.' What does Mark mean by 'rejecting expired tokens'?Mark's phrase 'rejecting expired tokens' refers to preventing the system from processing a request using an invalid JWT. The service shouldn't accept or validate a token past its expiry; it needs to actively refuse to handle that token. Options A and C describe error handling responses, while option D is simply logging information - the core action is denial of processing.
12 / 25
PR#5678 is a pull request to refactor the payment processing module. During a Slack discussion, David writes: 'I'm thinking of using a 'Five Whys' approach to really dig into why this code became so complex in the first place.' What does David mean by 'Five Whys'? David is using the 'Five Whys' technique, a simple but powerful problem-solving method. It involves repeatedly asking 'why' a particular issue exists – typically five times – to drill down from symptoms to the underlying root cause of a complex situation like convoluted code. This approach helps teams understand the *reason* something became complicated, not just fix the immediate symptom. Option A is related to testing; option C describes documentation; and option D represents a prioritization method.
13 / 25
PR#9012 is a pull request to improve the performance of the API endpoint /users. During the retrospective, Maria suggests using the 'Root Cause Analysis' technique to understand why response times have been consistently slow. What does Maria mean by 'Root Cause Analysis'?'Root Cause Analysis' (RCA) is a systematic approach to identifying the underlying reasons for an issue, rather than just treating the symptoms. It typically involves asking 'why' repeatedly – often five times or more – to drill down through layers of cause and effect until you reach the fundamental problem that needs addressing. In this context, Maria suggests looking beyond simply seeing slow response times to understand *why* they're happening in the first place, likely related to the new feature impacting performance.
14 / 25
PR#3456 is a pull request to update the documentation for the new API endpoint, /v1/products. During a standup update, John says, 'We need to document the rate limiting on this endpoint – we're seeing a lot of 429 Too Many Requests errors from clients not handling it correctly.' What does John mean by 'rate limiting' in this context?Rate limiting refers to restricting the number of requests a client can make within a given timeframe. This is a common technique used to protect APIs from abuse, overload, and denial-of-service attacks. It's distinct from authentication (option C) or data size restrictions (option D), and doesn't directly control the response data itself (option A).
15 / 25
PR#7890 is a pull request to redesign the user profile page. During code review, Emily comments: 'The current implementation relies heavily on client-side JavaScript to handle form validation. This introduces potential inconsistencies across browsers and makes it difficult to maintain.' What does Emily mean by 'client-side JavaScript' in this context?Emily is referring to the part of a web application that executes within a user's browser. Client-side JavaScript handles tasks like form validation, manipulating the DOM (Document Object Model), and often interacting with APIs before sending data to the server. This contrasts with server-side code, which runs on the web server and processes requests from the client. It's important to distinguish between where the logic resides – a common point of confusion for developers transitioning between front-end and back-end development.
16 / 25
PR#1234 is a pull request to update the user authentication service. During code review, Sarah comments: 'This section handles JWT validation but doesn't explicitly reject expired tokens. It's relying on the library to handle that, which could introduce unexpected behavior if the library changes.' Mark replies: 'Good catch! Let's add a check for token expiration before validating the signature.' What does Mark mean by 'rejecting expired tokens'?Mark's phrase 'rejecting expired tokens' refers to preventing the system from processing a request using an invalid JWT. The service shouldn't accept or validate a token past its expiry; it needs to actively refuse to handle that token. Options A and C describe error handling responses, while option D is simply logging information - the core action is denial of processing.
17 / 25
PR#5678 is a pull request to refactor the payment processing module. During a Slack discussion, David writes: 'I'm thinking of using a 'Five Whys' approach to really dig into why this code became so complex in the first place.' What does David mean by 'Five Whys'? David is using the 'Five Whys' technique, a simple but powerful problem-solving method. It involves repeatedly asking 'why' a particular issue exists – typically five times – to drill down from symptoms to the underlying root cause of a complex situation like convoluted code. This approach helps teams understand the *reason* something became complicated, not just fix the immediate symptom. Option A is related to testing; option C describes documentation; and option D represents a prioritization method.
18 / 25
PR#9012 is a pull request to improve the performance of the API endpoint /users. During the retrospective, Maria suggests using the 'Root Cause Analysis' technique to understand why response times have been consistently slow. What does Maria mean by 'Root Cause Analysis'?'Root Cause Analysis' (RCA) is a systematic approach to identifying the underlying reasons for an issue, rather than just treating the symptoms. It typically involves asking 'why' repeatedly – often five times or more – to drill down through layers of cause and effect until you reach the fundamental problem that needs addressing. In this context, Maria suggests looking beyond simply seeing slow response times to understand *why* they're happening in the first place, likely related to the new feature impacting performance.
19 / 25
PR#3456 is a pull request to update the documentation for the new API endpoint, /v1/products. During a standup update, John says, 'We need to document the rate limiting on this endpoint – we're seeing a lot of 429 Too Many Requests errors from clients not handling it correctly.' What does John mean by 'rate limiting' in this context?Rate limiting refers to restricting the number of requests a client can make within a given timeframe. This is a common technique used to protect APIs from abuse, overload, and denial-of-service attacks. It's distinct from authentication (option C) or data size restrictions (option D), and doesn't directly control the response data itself (option A).
20 / 25
PR#7890 is a pull request to redesign the user profile page. During code review, Emily comments: 'The current implementation relies heavily on client-side JavaScript to handle form validation. This introduces potential inconsistencies across browsers and makes it difficult to maintain.' What does Emily mean by 'client-side JavaScript' in this context?Emily is referring to the part of a web application that executes within a user's browser. Client-side JavaScript handles tasks like form validation, manipulating the DOM (Document Object Model), and often interacting with APIs before sending data to the server. This contrasts with server-side code, which runs on the web server and processes requests from the client. It's important to distinguish between where the logic resides – a common point of confusion for developers transitioning between front-end and back-end development.
21 / 25
PR#1234 is a pull request to update the user authentication service. During code review, Sarah comments: 'This section handles JWT validation but doesn't explicitly reject expired tokens. It's relying on the library to handle that, which could introduce unexpected behavior if the library changes.' Mark replies: 'Good catch! Let's add a check for token expiration before validating the signature.' What does Mark mean by 'rejecting expired tokens'?Mark's phrase 'rejecting expired tokens' refers to preventing the system from processing a request using an invalid JWT. The service shouldn't accept or validate a token past its expiry; it needs to actively refuse to handle that token. Options A and C describe error handling responses, while option D is simply logging information - the core action is denial of processing.
22 / 25
PR#5678 is a pull request to refactor the payment processing module. During a Slack discussion, David writes: 'I'm thinking of using a 'Five Whys' approach to really dig into why this code became so complex in the first place.' What does David mean by 'Five Whys'? David is using the 'Five Whys' technique, a simple but powerful problem-solving method. It involves repeatedly asking 'why' a particular issue exists – typically five times – to drill down from symptoms to the underlying root cause of a complex situation like convoluted code. This approach helps teams understand the *reason* something became complicated, not just fix the immediate symptom. Option A is related to testing; option C describes documentation; and option D represents a prioritization method.
23 / 25
PR#9012 is a pull request to improve the performance of the API endpoint /users. During the retrospective, Maria suggests using the 'Root Cause Analysis' technique to understand why response times have been consistently slow. What does Maria mean by 'Root Cause Analysis'?'Root Cause Analysis' (RCA) is a systematic approach to identifying the underlying reasons for an issue, rather than just treating the symptoms. It typically involves asking 'why' repeatedly – often five times or more – to drill down through layers of cause and effect until you reach the fundamental problem that needs addressing. In this context, Maria suggests looking beyond simply seeing slow response times to understand *why* they're happening in the first place, likely related to the new feature impacting performance.
24 / 25
PR#3456 is a pull request to update the documentation for the new API endpoint, /v1/products. During a standup update, John says, 'We need to document the rate limiting on this endpoint – we're seeing a lot of 429 Too Many Requests errors from clients not handling it correctly.' What does John mean by 'rate limiting' in this context?Rate limiting refers to restricting the number of requests a client can make within a given timeframe. This is a common technique used to protect APIs from abuse, overload, and denial-of-service attacks. It's distinct from authentication (option C) or data size restrictions (option D), and doesn't directly control the response data itself (option A).
25 / 25
PR#7890 is a pull request to redesign the user profile page. During code review, Emily comments: 'The current implementation relies heavily on client-side JavaScript to handle form validation. This introduces potential inconsistencies across browsers and makes it difficult to maintain.' What does Emily mean by 'client-side JavaScript' in this context?Emily is referring to the part of a web application that executes within a user's browser. Client-side JavaScript handles tasks like form validation, manipulating the DOM (Document Object Model), and often interacting with APIs before sending data to the server. This contrasts with server-side code, which runs on the web server and processes requests from the client. It's important to distinguish between where the logic resides – a common point of confusion for developers transitioning between front-end and back-end development.
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