How to Make Retros Actually Worth Your Time: Focused vs. General Retros (Because Who Doesn’t Love a Good Time Sink?)

Ah, retrospectives—the meetings that could, in theory, make everything better… if only they didn’t involve talking in circles about the same problems over and over. If your retros aren’t delivering value (and let’s be honest, most aren’t), it’s time to rethink your approach. Enter the debate: general retros vs. focused retros.

One is a broad, wandering discussion that sometimes accidentally stumbles onto something useful. The other is a laser-focused drill-down into a specific problem, designed to actually get results. Both have their moments—but spoiler alert—one works better than the other when it comes to making real progress.

General Retros: The Pros and Cons

General retros are like the all-you-can-eat buffet of feedback—everyone gets to throw in whatever they want, no matter how irrelevant or random. Sometimes this is helpful. Most of the time, it just turns into an unfocused discussion that’s impossible to track or measure.

Pros of General Retros:

Broad coverage: You can surface a lot of issues that might otherwise go unnoticed—if anyone’s paying attention.
Encourages sharing: Everyone gets a chance to speak, which can be great for team dynamics. Unless, of course, everyone’s talking about the coffee machine for 20 minutes.

Cons of General Retros:

Scatterbrained: With no clear focus, the discussion can bounce from one topic to another, making it impossible to prioritize action items.
Hard to measure: If you’re talking about everything, how do you know what’s actually improving? Oh right, you don’t.
Limited impact: When every problem gets a mention, none get real attention. It’s like treating a broken arm with a band-aid.

Focused Retros: The Pros and Cons

Now, focused retros, on the other hand, are where real magic happens (if by magic you mean actual measurable improvements). By homing in on one specific area—whether it’s the way your team communicates, your code quality, or how efficiently you’re deploying—you can get to the root of problems and actually solve them.

Pros of Focused Retros:

Measurable outcomes: You pick one problem, fix it, and measure the results. Revolutionary, I know.
Prioritized improvements: By focusing on one issue, you can drive real change without getting distracted by side conversations about printer ink or email etiquette.
Faster results: Because you’re not trying to tackle everything at once, you’ll see improvements faster.

Cons of Focused Retros:

Narrow focus: Sometimes, focusing on one thing means other issues take a back seat. But honestly, that’s better than trying to fix everything and ending up with nothing.
Requires discipline: Without strong facilitation, even a focused retro can drift. Stay on track, people!

When to Use General Retros

Let’s not throw general retros under the bus completely—they do have their place. Here’s when they might be useful:

At the start of a project: A general retro can help surface broad issues that may not be on the radar yet.
Post-major release or milestone: When something big happens, it’s worth taking a broader look at what went well and what didn’t, to cover all bases.
When morale is low: If the team’s feeling stressed or overwhelmed, a general retro can be a good opportunity for people to vent and feel heard. Just don’t expect miracles in terms of actionable outcomes.

When to Use Focused Retros (Hint: Most of the Time)

For day-to-day sprints and incremental improvement, focused retros are your best bet. Here’s when they really shine:

When tackling specific pain points: If your team is struggling with a particular issue—like deployment speed or communication during handoffs—this is the time to zero in.
When you want measurable results: If you actually care about seeing progress (crazy, right?), focused retros are where it’s at.
When you’re trying to avoid retro fatigue: Let’s face it—after a few general retros, everyone starts rolling their eyes. Focused retros keep the conversation sharp and meaningful.

Why Measurable Retros Matter (Because Guessing is Fun)

If your retros aren’t measurable and trackable, congratulations—you’ve just hosted a brainstorming session that no one will remember next sprint. For a retro to deliver any real value, you need specific action items, measurable outcomes, and a way to track whether things are improving or just spinning in the same old circle of complaints.

Here’s how to avoid that circle:

Create specific, actionable items: “We need better communication” doesn’t cut it. Try something like, “Schedule a daily 10-minute standup for the team.”
Define what success looks like: Whether it’s fewer bugs or faster task completion, make sure everyone knows what improvement looks like.
Measure impact: Did that daily standup actually help, or are we all still confused about what we’re doing?
Assign ownership: Because an action item with no one accountable is like a group project in college—nothing gets done.
Follow up: Check in at the next retro. Did anyone actually do the thing? Did it help? If not, maybe it’s time to rethink your approach.

If you’re not tracking what happens post-retro, you might as well just put “venting session” on the calendar.

Conclusion: Focus + Tracking = Value (Who Knew?)

In a world where meetings already eat up half the workday, retros don’t have to be another time suck. By running focused, measurable retros that drive real improvements, you can turn them into one of your team’s most powerful tools.

Or, you know, you could keep running general retros and enjoy another round of vague action items that no one follows up on. Totally your call.