![\"aocalogo.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/svapm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/aocalogo.thumbnail.jpg\")
I just finished reviewing the notes from last week’s Agile Open California conference retrospective: what an amazing journey!\u00a0 One of the many interesting discoveries was the fact that it was almost exactly 9 months from conception of the conference to delivery: some cycle times just can’t be improved on!<\/p>\n
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Here’s how we did the retrospective:<\/p>\n
Participants –\u00a0Conference organizing team\u00a0(including me, all volunteers) and an outside facilitator.<\/p>\n
Logistics –\u00a02-hour conference call (team was spread geographically)<\/p>\n
Preparation – 2 surveys (SurveyMonkey), 1 sent to all conference participants and 1 to organizing team members.\u00a0 Survey results were distributed several days before the retrospective and the Facilitator sent some pre-work questions and an Agenda one week before.<\/p>\n
The meeting started with Appreciations.\u00a0 We used this time to appreciate and\/or acknowledge the specific work of other team members.\u00a0 A great way to get started.<\/p>\n
Next we created a Timeline.\u00a0 Starting with the initial idea to have the conference, we each added what we felt were the key\/important events (positive or negative), all the way through until the conference occurred (Jan. 31- Oct 14).\u00a0\u00a0 We talked about how we felt about the events, what led up to them and what the effects were.<\/p>\n
During the Timeline discussion we identified\u00a0answers to two questions –\u00a0What would we do the same way next time and What\u00a0would we do differently next time?<\/p>\n
From this learning (and considering What still puzzles us and What needs further discussion) we created Action Items for going forward to hold Agile Open California 2008.<\/p>\n
What do you have planned for 2008?\u00a0 What would you do if you trusted yourself more?<\/p>\n Check out\u00a0the\u00a0conference website www.agileopencalifornia.org<\/a>\u00a0if you’re interested in how Open Space\u00a0works or would like to review the proceedings.<\/p>\n![\"b-resolution.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/svapm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/b-resolution.thumbnail.jpg\")
I made a 2007 New Year resolution to do one thing every year that would totally freak me out.\u00a0\u00a0 As the Conference Organizer (a hybrid project manager-scrum master) and<\/em> the Open Space Facilitator I had a lot of responsibility and new things to learn\/adjust to… so success –\u00a0a frenzied, fabulous freak!\u00a0 Was the reward in synch with the investment?\u00a0 ABSOLUTELY!<\/p>\n