Using a Three Horizons Retrospective for Agile Teams

The Three Horizons Retrospective is an innovative approach to team reflection and strategic planning that can significantly enhance your agile processes. This powerful technique helps teams look beyond immediate concerns and consider long-term goals and opportunities. By examining your team’s journey through three distinct “horizons,” you can gain valuable insights and create a roadmap for continuous improvement.

Let’s dive into the three horizons and how to use this retrospective technique effectively:

Horizon 1: The Present

The first horizon focuses on your team’s current state. This is where you examine your existing processes, tools, and methodologies. It’s about understanding what’s working well and what needs improvement in your day-to-day operations.

To explore Horizon 1:

1. Start by listing your team’s current practices, technologies, and workflows.
2. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your current approach.
3. Discuss any immediate challenges or pain points.
4. Consider short-term improvements that can be implemented quickly.

Questions to ask:

• What’s working well for us right now?
• What are our biggest challenges or bottlenecks?
• Are there any quick wins we can achieve to improve our processes?

Horizon 2: The Near Future

The second horizon represents the transition phase between your current state and your long-term vision. This is where you explore emerging trends, new technologies, and potential innovations that could shape your team’s future.

To explore Horizon 2:

1. Identify industry trends and new technologies relevant to your work.
2. Discuss potential process improvements or methodologies you could adopt.
3. Consider how your team’s skills and capabilities might need to evolve.
4. Brainstorm ideas for experiments or pilot projects to test new approaches.

Questions to ask:

• What emerging trends or technologies could impact our work?
• How might our processes evolve in the next 1-2 years?
• What experiments could we run to test new ideas or approaches?

Horizon 3: The Long-Term Future

The third horizon is all about your team’s long-term vision and aspirations. This is where you think big and consider transformative changes that could reshape your team’s work and impact.

To explore Horizon 3:

1. Envision your ideal team state 3-5 years from now.
2. Discuss potential disruptive technologies or methodologies that could revolutionize your work.
3. Consider how your team’s role might evolve within the organization.
4. Identify long-term goals and aspirations that align with your vision.

Questions to ask:

• What does our ideal future look like?
• How might our industry or work be fundamentally different in 5 years?
• What long-term goals should we set to work towards our vision?

Now that we’ve explored the three horizons, let’s walk through how to conduct a Three Horizons Retrospective:

1. Set the Stage: Begin by explaining the concept of the Three Horizons to your team. Emphasize the importance of thinking beyond immediate concerns and considering long-term possibilities.

2. Create a Visual: Create three themes or columns, representing the three horizons. Label them “Present,” “Near Future,” and “Long-Term Future.”

3. Brainstorming: Give team members time to silently brainstorm ideas for each horizon. Capture these thoughts as topics.

4. Sharing and Clustering: Have team members share their ideas for each horizon. Group similar ideas together to identify common themes.

5. Discussion and Prioritization: Discuss the ideas and themes that emerged for each horizon. Prioritize the most important or impactful items.

6. Action Planning: For each horizon, identify specific actions or next steps:

• Horizon 1: Quick wins and immediate improvements
• Horizon 2: Experiments or pilot projects to explore new ideas
• Horizon 3: Long-term goals and strategic initiatives

7. Review and Follow-up: Set a timeline for reviewing progress on action items and revisiting the Three Horizons Retrospective periodically.

The Three Horizons Retrospective offers several benefits for agile teams:

1. Balanced Perspective: It encourages teams to consider both short-term improvements and long-term aspirations.
2. Innovation Catalyst: By exploring future possibilities, it sparks creativity and innovation within the team.
3. Strategic Alignment: It helps align the team’s efforts with broader organizational goals and industry trends.
4. Continuous Improvement: Regular use of this technique fosters a culture of ongoing reflection and adaptation.

To make the most of your Three Horizons Retrospective:

1. Encourage open-mindedness: Create a safe space for team members to share ideas without judgment.
2. Balance practicality and vision: While it’s important to think big, also focus on actionable steps.
3. Involve diverse perspectives: Include team members from different roles and backgrounds to enrich the discussion.
4. Follow through: Ensure that action items and insights from the retrospective are integrated into your team’s work.

By incorporating the Three Horizons Retrospective into your agile practices, you’ll empower your team to think strategically, adapt to change, and continuously improve. This powerful technique bridges the gap between day-to-day operations and long-term vision, helping your team stay focused on what matters most while remaining agile and innovative.

Remember, the key to a successful Three Horizons Retrospective is balancing reflection on the present with exploration of future possibilities. By regularly engaging in this exercise, your team will develop a shared vision for the future and a roadmap for getting there, one horizon at a time.