Retrospective Facilitation — Vocabulary and Language
Learn vocabulary for facilitating sprint retrospectives: formats, phrases, and facilitation language.
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What does 'What went well / What could be improved' format cover?
This basic retrospective format (also called Plus/Delta or Glad/Sad) separates positive patterns (what to keep doing) from improvement areas — creating a safe, structured reflection on the team's process.
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What is the 'sailboat' retrospective format?
The sailboat retrospective uses a visual metaphor: the boat is the team, the island is the goal, wind represents what helps, anchors represent what slows, and rocks represent risks. Creates engaging discussion of blockers and accelerators.
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What is the facilitator's role when discussion becomes dominated by one person?
A facilitator ensures balanced participation: acknowledging contributions, then explicitly inviting quieter members. 'Let's hear from someone who hasn't contributed yet' is a standard facilitation phrase.
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What is 'action item ownership' in retrospective vocabulary?
Action item ownership means each agreed action has a named owner — not 'the team will do X' but 'Alex will do X by sprint end'. Without ownership, action items are frequently forgotten.
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What does 'safety check' mean at the start of a retrospective?
A safety check (e.g., Roman Vote, anonymous card) asks: 'How safe do you feel sharing honestly today?' Low scores signal the facilitator should use anonymous formats or address trust issues before running a standard retrospective.
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Code Review Context: Sarah comments on a PR with the following message:
`'This section is missing error handling. Consider adding a try-catch block to gracefully handle potential exceptions.'`
Which of the following best describes Sarah's intention?
Sarah's comment is aimed at improving the quality of the code by proactively addressing potential issues. 'Error handling,' 'try-catch blocks,' and 'risk mitigation' are all key terms in this context; her goal isn't a personal critique but to suggest a practical solution for a common development challenge. Option A is incorrect because compilation errors aren't the focus here.
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Slack Message Context: Mark sends this message to his team after a sprint review:
`'Okay, so we shipped Feature X. The performance metrics were *okay*, but user engagement was lower than expected. Let's discuss how we can improve that next week.'`
What is the primary purpose of Mark's message?
Mark is setting up a subsequent conversation – specifically, he's identifying areas needing further attention. The phrase 'okay,' combined with pointing out discrepancies between metrics, clearly signals a need for more detailed investigation. It's not about celebration or blame assignment; it's a call to action.
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PR Description Context: You are drafting the description for a PR that implements a new API endpoint. You want to clearly communicate the purpose and potential impact of the change.
Which of the following phrases is most appropriate to include in your description?
A good PR description should clearly articulate *what* the change does and *why* it's valuable. Phrases like 'adds a new feature' are essential for understanding the API's functionality and its intended use. Options A and D are irrelevant to the purpose of the description; option B is too vague, and C simply states who reviewed the code.
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Standup Update Context: During a daily standup, David says:
'Yesterday, I worked on resolving the database connection issue. I've added logging to track connection attempts and timeouts.'
What does David's statement primarily demonstrate?
David's statement concisely describes both the issue he addressed (database connection) and the solutions implemented (logging). This is crucial for standups – providing context about progress, not just a list of tasks. While time tracking is important, David's primary focus here is on *what* he did to solve a problem.
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Facilitation Context: As the facilitator of a retrospective, you've just introduced the 'sailboat' format. The team is struggling to identify what to 'steer away from.'
What should you do?
The 'sailboat' technique is about identifying both positive and negative aspects. When the team struggles with steering away from things, it means they haven't fully explored the downsides. Gently prompting them with targeted questions—'Are there any areas where we're spending too much time?' or 'Where are we potentially over-investing?'—is a facilitator's role to guide their reflection, not to impose an answer.
What will I learn from the "Retrospective Facilitation — Vocabulary and Language" exercise?
Learn vocabulary for facilitating sprint retrospectives: formats, phrases, and facilitation language.
Is this exercise free to use?
Yes. Every exercise on CoderSlingo, including this one, is free to use with no account, sign-up, or paywall required.
How many questions are in this exercise?
This set contains 10 multiple-choice questions, each with a detailed explanation shown after you answer.
Do I need to create an account to track my progress?
No account is required. Your progress bar and score reset each time you reload the page, but you can retry the exercise as many times as you like.
Who is this Scrum Master Facilitation exercise for?
This exercise is built for IT professionals and non-native English speakers who need to read, write, and discuss scrum master facilitation topics confidently at work.
What happens if I answer a question incorrectly?
You will see the correct answer highlighted along with a detailed explanation of why it is correct -- so every wrong answer becomes a learning moment, not just a lost point.
Can I retry this exercise?
Yes -- click "Try again" on the results screen at any time to reset your score and go through all the questions again.
How long does this exercise take to complete?
Most learners finish all 10 questions in under 10 minutes, since each question is answered by clicking a single option.
Where can I find more Scrum Master Facilitation exercises?
See the full Scrum Master Facilitation exercises hub for more vocabulary drills on this topic.
Is this exercise mobile-friendly?
Yes -- the exercise works on any device with a modern browser, including phones and tablets, with no app download required.