The impact of project retrospectives on process improvement initiatives: A case study

The impact of project retrospectives on process improvement initiatives has been questioned for many years. It is an important question because project retrospectives can be demanding in terms of time and organizational resources. Therefore, measuring whether retrospectives are an efficient methodology for instigating continuous process improvements is extremely important. Many have been committed to the notion that retrospectives are essential to continuous process improvement in organizations but unfortunately could not prove their efficacy in a scientific manner. This paper details how one company has used project retrospectives to change its organizational practices and improve processes related to software development. The case company's business process improvement department conducted project retrospectives, with software development teams and other project-related staff, for more than five years. These development teams subsequently created action plans, which were independently monitored. Action plans were comprised of precise and measurable action items, which were assigned to sub-teams and sponsored by management. Management support and sponsorship for process improvement was critical to continuity of the retrospective process as well as to provide for the availability of resources to implement improvements. Moreover, management was imperative in ensuring accountability for the completion of process improvement initiatives. The company's business process improvement department conducted the project retrospectives, helped teams to craft action plans and aided in the assignment of actions items. This department comprehensively documented the implementation of many of these action items and their impact on process improvement initiatives and ultimately provided much of the conclusive evidence for this research. This research paper uses case study analysis, supported by unstructured interviews, to identify how one company developed process improvement initiatives and ultimately tracked their assignment and successful implementation. This is possibly the first case study analysis to scientifically prove that project retrospectives do have a measurable impact on process improvement initiatives. The study also illustrates the importance of the retrospective facilitator in facilitating organizational process improvement.