Mission Retrospective - Executive Summary

Step 1: Review the Mission Timeline

  1. Review Mission Timeline: Take 10 minutes to review the mission timeline. The goal is to ensure everyone has a shared understanding of the simulation.  Review it, but don’t analyze it!

  2. Identify Pivotal Moments: From your review, highlight 2 to 3 pivotal moments that you feel are worth further exploring.  Pivotal moments take many forms, including:
  • when the team worked through a particular decision
  • when the team navigated a sudden or unexpected challenge
  • when there was a particular conflict or disagreement
  • when there was a noticeable shift in team dynamics and energy
  • when someone’s input or unique perspective led to a breakthrough

Step 2: Examine a Pivotal Moment

  1. Select Pivotal Moment: Choose one pivotal moment from the mission timeline that you would like to further examine.

  2. Use Probing Questions: Spend 25 minutes analyzing this moment using both broadening and deepening probing questions.  Use only relevant questions.

  3. Identify Insights: When you reach an “aha moment,” write it down as an insight.  Try to identify 2-3 core insights during your reflection.

Broadening Questions

  • Assumptions: What did we assume? How could that have been verified?
  • Information: What information did we have available? How did we make use of it?
  • Time: How did we manage our time?  What could strengthen our preparations?
  • Participation: Was everyone’s voice heard?  Did we check-in with softer voices?
  • Understanding: Did we have a shared understanding?  How did we maintain it?
  • Disagreement: How did we respond to opposing views? How did we leverage them?
  • Feelings: What emotions were present? How did they influence the team?

Deepening Questions

  • What is this really/truly about? 
  • What held attention – what was not seen? 
  • To whom or what was this a solution – and at what cost? 
  • What gets the right of way, what needs to yield?  
  • What previous lessons have changed? 
  • What needs there to be more off? What do you need less of?

Step 3: Connect Insights to Actions

  1. Relate Insights: Consider where, how, and how often the insights from Step 2 show up in your daily work environment.  Assess the type of impact they have on your team.

  2. Select Insight: Choose the insight that you can take even further as a team.

  3. Plan of Action: Create a Plan of Action ensuring it is clear, timely, and feasible.

Relating Insights to Work Environment

  • Where and how do these insights show up in your daily work?
  • How frequently do these situations or behaviors occur?
  • What type of impact do they have on team effectiveness and dynamics?

Developing Plan of Action

  • Clear: Ensure the action is well-defined and responsibilities are clear.
  • Timely: Set a timeframe for implementing the action that will show progress soon.
  • Feasible: Make sure action is achievable within your team’s resources and constraints.
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