How do you apply the learning matrix game to capture and share your agile team's learnings?

Last updated on Oct 4, 2024

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The learning matrix game is a simple and effective way to capture and share your agile team's learnings during a sprint retrospective. It helps you identify what worked well, what didn't, what you learned, and what you want to try next. In this article, you'll learn how to apply the learning matrix game to your agile environment and how to use it to improve your team's performance and collaboration.

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The learning matrix is a potent retrospective that encourages the sharing of personal feelings. Its distinctive feature of expressing gratitude significantly enhances team cohesion. In this game, teams collaborate to identify what they liked and disliked about a past project, as well as point out whom they appreciated and what they believe should be altered for the future. Whether analyzing the results of a conference, product, or meeting, Learning Matrix can help you uncover your top-priority items to enhance your iteration.
Apply the learning matrix game by having your agile team categorize learnings into a matrix with axes such as "Impact" and "Ease of Implementation." Collect individual insights, then discuss and prioritize them based on these categories. Share outcomes via visual boards or summaries, and integrate key learnings into future sprints. This structured approach fosters reflection, prioritizes actionable insights, and encourages knowledge sharing.
It uses a four-quadrant grid to organize team feedback: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For during a sprint retrospective. The Liked section describes what was appreciated, the Learned section describes new skills or knowledge, the Lacked section describes gaps or needs, and the Longed section reflects wishes or hopes. Each team member writes a sticky note for each quadrant, which is then discussed and grouped by a facilitator to generate actionable insights for future sprints. Quadrants: 😊 Liked: Appreciated aspects. 🎓 Learned: New knowledge or skills. 🕳️ Lacked: Missing elements. 🌟 Longed For: Desired improvements.
he Learning Matrix Game is a strategic tool used to facilitate group learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. The learning matrix game is a sprint retrospective game that utilizes a four-quadrant grid to gather and organize the team's feedback.The aim is not just to "win" but to learn through the process of discussing options, evaluating outcomes, and understanding the broader context of the problem.The Learning Matrix Game can be adapted to fit various topics, making it a flexible tool for deepening understanding in a collaborative and engaging way.
To apply the learning matrix game to capture and share my agile team's learnings, I create a matrix with quadrants labeled "What Went Well," "What Didn’t Go Well," "What We Learned," and "What We Will Improve," then schedule a dedicated session in a non-judgmental environment where team members individually write down and share their thoughts for each quadrant; I facilitate discussions to understand context, identify patterns and themes, prioritize improvements, document key learnings and action items in a shared repository, and regularly review progress to ensure continuous improvement and adaptability based on feedback and evolving team dynamics.
Through the Learning Matrix game, agile teams receive positive, constructive feedback and are recognized for their contributions. By emphasizing learnings and areas for improvement, it promotes a growth mindset, stimulates creativity, and builds alignment and collaboration by creating a shared understanding of goals, challenges, and achievements. Key Benefits: 👍 Encourages constructive feedback. 🌱 Fosters a growth mindset. 💡 Stimulates creativity and innovation. 🤝 Promotes alignment and collaboration.
The Learning Matrix game is a strategic tool for Agile teams due to several key benefits. 📚 Enhanced Learning: It facilitates structured reflection on past actions, helping identify what worked and what didn’t. 🔄 Continuous Improvement: Encourages ongoing improvement by systematically capturing lessons learned and areas needing attention. 👥 Team Collaboration: Promotes team collaboration and builds a culture of collective responsibility for learning and growth. 🎯 Actionable Insights: Provides a clear framework for turning reflections into actionable steps, driving progress and development.
The matrix game is awesome because it encourages everyone to speak up. It’s not just about the good stuff, there’s space to talk about what’s frustrating or confusing too. The format is laid-back, so it doesn’t feel like a formal meeting. Plus, because everyone’s input is visible, you can spot patterns and come up with ideas to improve. It’s all about collaboration, learning, and making things better for the team.
This game offers several benefits. Firstly, it promotes structured yet engaging participation from everyone in the team. Secondly, the clear categorization helps identify areas for celebration, improvement, and future exploration. In my experience, it leads to a more focused and actionable retrospective discussion.
It encourages team reflection, fosters continuous improvement, and helps capture valuable insights and lessons learned.
The Learning Matrix game requires preparation and ground rules. To make and share the four-quadrant grid, you'll need a large whiteboard or a digital tool like Miro or Mural. The facilitator ensures active participation and respect, while a timer keeps activities focused. Provide sticky notes, markers, or digital note options for each team member. The ground rules include being honest, respectful, specific, and concise with feedback, limiting each sticky note to one idea, and encouraging open-minded listening. Preparation Checklist: 📝 Set up a physical or digital grid. 🕒 Use a timer to maintain focus. 🧑🏫 Have a facilitator to guide. 🗣️ Establish respectful, concise feedback rules.
Preparing for the Learning Matrix game in an Agile environment involves several key steps. 📝 Define Categories: Set up the matrix with categories such as What Went Well, What Didn’t Go Well, Ideas for Improvement, and Puzzles or Questions. 🧐 Gather Materials: Ensure you have all necessary materials such as sticky notes, markers, and a large board or digital tool to display the matrix. 🤔 Engage the Team: Brief your team on the purpose and process of the game, encouraging everyone to think about recent experiences and learnings they can share. ⏰ Schedule Appropriately: Choose a time when all team members can participate without rushing, ensuring thoughtful discussion and reflection.
Schedule dedicated time: Set aside a specific time during sprint retrospectives or regular team meetings to conduct the Learning Matrix Game. Define dimensions: Determine the categories or dimensions you want to focus on, such as successes, failures, lessons learned, and actions. Provide context: Share the purpose and objectives of the game with the team to ensure everyone understands its importance and how it fits into the agile process.
With remote teams it's important you plan this meeting ahead selecting which digital whiteboard will be used. Jira has confluence, Microsoft Teams has whiteboard others mentioned in the text beside. Consider familiarizing yourself with the tool so you can include an explanation to the team members. Depending on your choice you may customize the visual with a background image to inspire the colleagues sharing their perspectives.
To get ready, set up a board (can be physical or digital) with the four categories: Happy, Sad, Idea, and Puzzle. Let the team know the purpose, and ask them to think about what they’ve experienced during the sprint. Use sticky notes or a tool like Miro or Mural to make it easy for everyone to add their thoughts. The goal is to create a chill, safe environment where everyone feels good about sharing.
Before the meeting, create a 2×2 matrix. Draw a picture in each quadrant to represent a different aspect involved in our retrospective analysis. Provide players with plenty of sticky notes and markers. Allow 5-10 minutes for participants to individually write down their ideas for the four topics on separate notes. After all players are done writing their ideas, ask them to present their sticky notes to the group and post them on the designated sections of the chart. Narrow down the notes to a few requiring immediate attention. Give each player 6 – 10 dot stickers, which they will use to dot vote for the ideas they believe are top priority. Resolve ties by discussing which note is more pressing or having another dot vote.
First, team members have 10 minutes to write sticky notes in each quadrant, in different colors if desired, and place them on the grid. Then, they have 5 minutes to read, group, or mark notes that resonate with them. Following a 20-minute discussion focused on emerging themes and actionable insights, the facilitator leads a discussion starting with Liked and ending with Longed For. To conclude, the team spends 10 minutes prioritizing action items for the next sprint, assigning owners and deadlines, and ranking them by urgency and importance using a voting system. Steps: 📝 Write and place sticky notes (10 min). 👀 Review and group notes (5 min). 🗣️ Discuss themes and actions (20 min). 🎯 Prioritize action items (10 min).
Reflect individually: Give each team member time to reflect on recent experiences and jot down key learnings in each category. Share insights: Go around the room and have each team member share their learnings, discussing them briefly with the group. Capture on a matrix: Use a whiteboard, digital tool, or flip chart to create a matrix with the defined categories and document the team's learnings accordingly. Group discussion: Facilitate a discussion around the insights shared, identifying common themes, and discussing potential actions or improvements.
Prepare the Matrix : Create a matrix with four quadrants on a large whiteboard or digital collaboration tool (like Miro or MURAL). Label the quadrants as: 1) Liked: Things the team enjoyed or found useful. 2) Lacked: Areas where the team felt something was missing. 3) Learned: Insights gained through the sprint. 4) Longed For: What the team wishes could have been different or hopes to implement in the future.
Once everyone’s ready, team members write their thoughts for each category, what went well (Happy), what didn’t (Sad), suggestions (Idea), and things they’re unsure about (Puzzle). Then, the facilitator, PM r scrum Master (will depend on who is running the activity) guides the discussion, focusing on the most important insights. Make sure everyone gets involved and that no one dominates the conversation. The key is to focus on learning and figuring out solutions, rather than just listing problems.
1. Identify areas for improvement and generate actionable ideas. 2. Recognize team members' contributions and foster a positive environment. 3. Prioritize action items based on impact and effort to maximize results. 4. Track progress and celebrate successes to maintain momentum and motivation. 5. Continuously learn, adapt, and share learnings to drive team growth
To maximize the benefits of the Learning Matrix game, monitor the progress and results of action items. Maintain a backlog or board to keep track of these items, and regularly review them at stand-ups and meetings to keep them up to date. At the next sprint retrospective, celebrate successes and recognize contributions, then evaluate outcomes and share insights. Continuous Improvement Tips: 📊 Track and update action items. 🎉 Celebrate successes and contributions. 🔍 Evaluate outcomes and share insights. 🔄 Review progress in regular meetings.
Track Action Items: Create a backlog for action items identified in the Learning Matrix, ensuring they are visible and updated regularly. For example, use a Kanban board to manage tasks. Regular Reviews: Incorporate reviews of these action items into stand-ups or retrospectives, allowing the team to discuss progress and challenges openly. Celebrate Successes: Acknowledge and celebrate completed action items to boost morale. Assess the effectiveness of implemented changes by discussing their impact during the next retrospective, like improvements in team collaboration or project delivery. Share Learnings: Document and share key insights from the Learning Matrix with the broader organization to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
One common oversight in the matrix game is the lack of follow-up. To address this, you can turn identified actions into user stories and prioritize them in your backlog. The concept of 0-point stories can help integrate these actions into your sprint cycle, bringing visibility to them without affecting your deliverables.
Document and Follow Up: Make sure to document the outcomes of the Learning Matrix session. Share the results with the team and relevant stakeholders. Review the implementation of the action items in subsequent retrospectives to ensure continuous improvement.
Make sure everyone feels safe to share openly. The game works best when people feel comfortable speaking their mind without fear of judgment. As the facilitator, keep the vibe positive and focused on improvement, not blame. Also, recommend to tweak the game to fit your team. Some teams might want more focus on ideas, while others need more time to discuss what went wrong.
Iterate Repeat the process in each retrospective. Over time, adjust the categories or the process itself to better suit your team’s needs and to reflect deeper insights into your team’s workings.
The Learning Matrix Game is adaptable. In some cases, I've found it beneficial to modify the categories to better suit the specific needs of the project or retrospective focus. Additionally, timeboxing the game can ensure it remains focused and efficient.
Encourage honesty and transparency to get the most valuable insights. Celebrate successes as well as discuss improvements to maintain a positive team morale. Use the game regularly to build a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

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