You and your team members may ask if it is possible to have a retrospective with happiness and fun without being stressed and bored.
The answer is yes, it is! There are various ways to achieve that team’s happiness and at one time to get results managers need for their project implementation while using retrospectives in agile.
After shipping a final ready product or at the end of an iteration team have a meeting to discuss all processes during the product development and release. The main goal of this discussion is to see the whole development process, learn and improve things in the future. We can define a retrospective and the time when a team reflects on the past to get better results in the future.
It is preferable to have a retrospective meeting for every important project and release. Teams should organize an appointment within a week of finishing the project (releasing new features, software, shipping a product, etc.). People usually forget all the details related to the project if the retrospective meeting is late. That’s why it is essential to have it on time. There are also micro-retrospectives. Teams have these meetings to discuss one or several topics about an event and the implementation process.
Of course, having meetings often can make team members tired and bored. Moreover, as the retrospective requires to concentrate and remember some information related to the past projects, employees may just get tired of participating in such meetings.
We need to know how to make our retrospective meetings more interesting and team members happier. That is why it is important to learn about Happiness Chemicals. Using this knowledge could help us to make our team happier and enhance their spirit. As a result, we can get better retro meetings.
A team that frequently faces “happy chemicals” while working leads a company to success. Such commands are vital when it comes to building a prosperous foundation.
Sometimes while working as a Sprint team, there may be a need to break the team up or redistribute its members. We can consider a command that undergoes this process as a failure. Even if they have been redistributed or disbanded, the team members will have a strong connection. With this connection, this team can again become able to attain its goals.
You may be surprised how much happiness chemicals influence excellent retrospectives.
The four chemicals drive the overall happiness chemistry of human beings that their body produces.
Also known as a reward or pleasure chemical, people’s brains release dopamine while completing a small step in the to-do list. The brain releases this chemical and causes a slight feeling of happiness.
Oxytocin is responsible for developing trust, friendship, and love among human beings. Our body releases Oxytocin when a person makes physical contact with others, e.g., by hugging.
Serotonin is the leadership hormone of the human body. It has a crucial role in developing loyalty, support, pride, status, and protection. Serotonin is also responsible for stabilizing the mood, feeling, and well-being of a person.
A person has a release of Endorphins when they exercise. They work as natural analgesics and give a feeling of euphoria.
Dopamine and endorphins mainly influence personal performance. In contrast, Serotonin and oxytocin are responsible for controlling team performance.
We can feel the importance of the four happiness chemicals mentioned above within the context of the Sprint team in the following way:
If team members need to share their achievements, then they should be encouraged. It will allow their brains to release dopamine.
If team members need to share their achievements, then they should be encouraged. It will allow their brains to release dopamine.
Serotonin comes when Team members have to share moments of getting support or recognition from their team members. Serotonin is more related to mutual trust and support instead of personal gains.
As mentioned above, our body releases oxytocin when we have personal contact. In this regard, team leaders and managers may ask the Sprint team members to shake hands, hug each other, and congratulate each other. This approach allows team members to recognize the team performance of every member.
Henrik Kniberg was the first who spoke about the Happiness index. It is essential to frequently ask several questions about people’s happiness To evaluate the Happiness index. The result of their given answers will be a happiness chart for team members. It takes time to see trends and factors that influence the feeling and happiness of employees.
Usually, the happiness index questions are rating-type and qualitative, open, free text ones—the latest help find new ideas, approaches, and ways to improve the situation and employee satisfaction.
Team leaders may ask these questions during the daily scrum meetings or sprint retrospectives on a team or company level.
Happiness is crucial for having great teams that implement successful projects. Thus, spend some time and effort to take care of your team’s happiness and enjoy the results.
