The “start stop continue” retro “format”. I can only use so many derisive air quotes before it becomes ridiculous. As someone who has primarily worked in web dev, I’ve seen a fair share of these run. If it’s not clear, I’m not a fan.
Perhaps I just haven’t seen it run “properly” (there I go again), but then again, perhaps it’s just not a good format.
Two key complaints:
- It seems to lend itself to creating process.
- The “continue” column seems almost defined as “doesn’t need discussion”.
For the former, there’s a counterargument to be made that the “stop” column is there with the explicit intention of allowing the discontinuation of ineffective process. True, but in my experience it doesn’t seem to work out well, compared to better formats like “lean coffee” or “having a 1 on 1 conversation”.
For the latter, well, it’s pretty much all there in the point. Why does it exist? I suspect it’s because 3 is a catchier number, and that matters when you’re an Agile consultant.