Regular readers of my blog, they know I consider retrospectives a core aspect of any team. I’m convinced that not everything in the agile world, works in all worlds, I have yet to find a team that does not benefit from doing a retrospective.

Over the years, we have seen a lot of book and resources for retrospectives. Today I realized that although I have published a lot of books lists, I have never published a list about retrospectives:

• Project Retrospectives: Kerth Norman
  This is the first book about retrospectives. It’s written in a non-agile world, yet everyone who considers herself an expert on retros should read this book.
• Agile Retrospectives: Diana Larsen & Esther Derby
  Diana & Esther wrote the first book about retrospectives in an agile environment. This book is a nice mix of theory and exercises that can be combine to create your own retro’s.
• Collaboration Explained: Jean Tabaka
  Although this book is not about retro’s, the tips and tricks that jean shares are very valuable for facilitators.
• Visual Meetings: David Sibbet
  Many facilitators like to create visual retro’s. David has lot’s of tips on how to create visual meetings.
• Getting Value out of agile retrospectives: Luis Gonçalvas, Ben Linders
  For a long time I thought I did not need an extra book on retro’s after reading the books from Kerth, Diana & Esther, and then I read this book.
• Fifty Quick Ideas to improve your retrospectives: Tom Roden, Ben Williams
  As the title says it, a lot of idea’s.
• Improving agile retrospectives: Marc Loeffler
  I might be biased about this book, as it contains an exercise from me.
  It gives lot of times to make your retro’s better.
• Retrospectives for everyone: Madhavi Ledhalla
  I just bought this book, I only started reading the book now, yet a book that can convince both Diana & Luke to write a forward and has recommendations  from Ben, Jutta, Linda and many others, must be a good book. (The kindle version is also sold way too cheap, so if you are short on cash, buy this quickly before Madhavi raises the price…
• Facilitating with ease: Ingrid Bens
• Facilitator’s guide to participatory decision-making: Sam Kaner
  These last two books are both old books, yet really good books for facilitators.
• The Retrospective Handbook: Patrick Kua
  Tip from Jutta (Sorry Patrick I forgot your book)
• Retrospectives for Organizational Change: Jutta Eckstein
• Remote Facilitator’s Pocket Guide: Kirsten Clacey, Jay-Allen Morris (Tip  from Esther )
• Retrospective antipatterns: Corry Aino Vonge
  Although Corry her book is not out yet. I have followed a her workshop a few years back. I used what I learned the next week. I preordered the book. (Tip from Gitte)
• Retromat:  Corinna Baldauf, Timon Fiddike
  This is an online tool helping you to create your own retrospective, that is now also turned into a book. Online you can find versions in many languages.
• Fun Retrospectives: Taina Caetano, Paulo Caroli
• The agile retrospective kickstarter: this book from my friend Alexey Krivitsky lets you build 250 different retrospectives. (Translated in 5 languages)
• Retrospectives. A Scrum Master’s Guide: Daria Bagina

Tools

• Retrospective Poker: Daria Bagina
• Agile Retrospective Bingo: Ben Linders
• Agile Retrospectives Smell Cards: Ben Linders
• Agile Manifesto Retrospectives Question Cards: Ben Linders

What books are missing?

In this covid-19 lockdown, most of us are doing retrospectives remote. YOu might want to check out my list for remote work.