During Sprint 3, our team continued working on the project, but this sprint was more challenging due to dependencies on other teams. A lot of our progress relied on updates from teams like the pipeline and Keycloak teams, which caused delays. Compared to Sprint 2, this sprint felt less productive at times because we had to wait, but I still tried to stay engaged and learn as much as possible. This retrospective reflects on what went well, what could be improved, and how I can grow both as a team member and as an individual.
What Worked Well
What worked well during this sprint is that our team continued communicating and supporting each other even when we were blocked. Everyone stayed responsible and kept working on what they could. I also made an effort to stay involved by asking teammates about what they were working on, which helped me understand different parts of the project such as pipeline issues and authentication. This allowed me to still learn even when I was not actively working on my job.
What Didn’t Work Well
One of the main challenges during this sprint was the amount of waiting required due to dependencies on other teams. Since we were relying on updates from other parts of the system, there were times when there was not much work I could do directly. Personally, I felt bad that I was not able to contribute as much as I wanted during those moments. Communication could also feel delayed because we were waiting on responses or progress from others, which slowed down the overall workflow.
Improvements as a Team
To improve as a team, we could focus on identifying blockers earlier and planning alternative tasks when we know we might have to wait. This could include working on documentation, testing, or smaller independent tasks while waiting on dependencies. Improving communication with other teams and following up more consistently could also help reduce delays and keep progress moving forward.
Improvements as an Individual
As an individual, I can improve by being more proactive when I am blocked. During this sprint, even though I had to wait at times, I tried to ask questions and understand what others were doing so I could learn from their issues. Moving forward, I want to continue doing that while also looking for additional ways to contribute, even if it is through smaller tasks or supporting teammates. I also want to be more confident in stepping in and helping wherever possible.
Apprenticeship Pattern: “Be the Worst”
The pattern I selected is “Be the Worst” from the Apprenticeship Patterns book. This pattern encourages putting yourself in environments where you are not the most experienced person so that you can learn from others and grow.
This pattern is relevant to my experience during Sprint 3 because there were times when I felt like I was not contributing as much due to waiting. Instead of disengaging, I tried to use that time to observe, ask questions, and learn from my teammates. By doing this, I was able to gain a better understanding of areas like pipeline debugging and authentication, even though I was not directly responsible for them.
Having read this pattern earlier, I would have been even more intentional about learning during those moments. Instead of focusing on the lack of tasks, I would have fully embraced the opportunity to grow by learning from others. This mindset can help me become a stronger developer over time.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Sprint 3 was more challenging than Sprint 2 due to external dependencies and delays. Even though there were moments where progress felt slow, the sprint still provided valuable learning opportunities. I made an effort to stay engaged, learn from my teammates, and contribute where possible. Moving forward, I want to be more proactive and continue improving both my technical skills and my role within the team.
There is no Gitlab link because the job I worked on had to do with cross communication with other teams which I did in person or in our discord chat.
Maria Delia 