You may remember: In this series of articles, we show how draw.io for Jira can help you with the planning, during the project and also afterwards, picking up everyone involved and making many things easier and faster to access. In the last post, our fictional sketch team was experimenting with the new ones Smart Templates in draw.io. The goal: create customized diagrams that visualize important processes in their AI-driven emote project.
And so the team optimally adapted the diagrams to their needs: shapes and lines were highlighted in color and the font and frame style were changed. This gave the diagrams a personal touch and helped those involved to better understand the processes in the team.
At the end of the project: On to the retrospective!
The team has now reached the end of the current sprint. Time to find answers to important questions: How did it really go? Were the tasks completed in good time before the deadline, or did “last-minute” results predominate? Did everyone on the team feel like they were being listened to? No project, large or small, runs smoothly, so such an inventory can provide important insights. So, what did the Sketch team members think went well, and what could be improved next time?
The team’s retrospective offers the ideal opportunity to address all questions. The Scrum Master therefore starts a retrospective and also takes over the moderation in order to ensure a fruitful and respectful conversation. On the one hand, the successes of the project and the team should be celebrated, on the other hand, space should be given for important lessons learned, as well as for possible future measures.
In the following we will go into two options for retro: in Jira or in Confluence.
Option #1: The Retrospective in Jira (+ draw.io)
To run a retrospective in Jira, the Scrum Master must first create a draw.io retro diagram and save it to their online OneDrive, GoogleDrive or local hard drive. This is the basis for the discussion in the sketch team.
Once the retro template is complete, the Scrum Master invites the rest of the team to a virtual meeting. There, he shares the draft retro diagram through his screen, capturing the team’s ideas and impetus as the discussion progresses.
Once all the input from team members has been incorporated, the Scrum Master can embed the diagram in the Jira epic for the project to capture lessons learned from the retro discussion. From this, Jira tasks and subtasks can be created that everyone involved has agreed on. We’ll go into more detail on this later in the course of assigning tasks in Jira. But first, let’s look at the possibilities of a retrospective in Confluence!
Option #2: The Retrospective in Confluence (also +draw.io)
What about the alternative – i.e. if the team uses Confluence for its retro? Initially, all you need is a simple Confluence page. The advantage here: Each team member can record their own ideas and everyone can work together on the site in real time.
If you want to set up the retro in Confluence, the best way to do it is as follows:
Create a Confluence page. Type /draw anywhere on the page and simply select the “draw.io diagram” macro from the pop-up menu. Now you can start creating a template for your retrospective. Another possibility: In this blog article we have provided you with a few templates – choose one that suits you and download it. Once the template is the way you want it, publish the Confluence page, then click share – this way you can share the page with your team and everyone can contribute content.
Assignment of tasks (action items) in Jira
Once the team has gone through the retrospective and agreed on what action items still need to be addressed in this context, Jira comes into play: Remember – there is a Jira epic for the team’s emote project. The created retro diagram can now be embedded right there. This makes sense for two reasons:
Since it provides an overview of the discussion and the team’s most important learnings, all team members can refer to it at any time. The team can easily add the to-dos from the retrospective to the epic as tasks, determine the responsible processors and schedule them in the next sprint.
After the project is before the next project
The sketch team has now come to the end of their tricky project – but not finished yet. In the next part of our series, we will therefore take a look at how the team’s developers deal with user requests and requests regarding the new feature. After all, success also depends on user (and thus customer) acceptance!
Do you still need a brilliant idea for your next retrospective? Or for a retro in a completely different context? Then you’ll find competent (and tongue-in-cheek) inspiration in this one blog post. And best of all: You can download the templates directly from there!
Enter the world of draw.io
What are you waiting for? Plan your next project now and take the first step Atlassian Marketplace – there you can download your 30-day trial version of draw.io for Jira or download Confluence for free! Emily shows you in the videohow your retro with draw.io becomes a small success story in itself.
Have you been using draw.io for a long time? Then take a look our YouTube channel over: There you will find a complete playlist with everything you need to know about smart templates, retro templates, flowcharts and co. in draw.io.
Or are you looking for new tips and tricks about the app? In this case you are welcome to contact us Social Media follow – our community is very active and other users* also often share their experiences here. We would be happy if you would like to be part of it.
And if you want to get to know draw.io even better – feel free to make an appointment with one of our specialists non-binding demo.
And now: Happy diagramming!
Further information
Project special #2: Mapping the project structure in Jira made easy – with draw.io
Project special #1: Project planning in Jira made easy – with draw.io or: Pimp your project!
D&D Special: The draw.io Adventure (5): On Conflict, Resistance, and Retrospectives (Adventures in Diagramming, Part 5)
Successfully carry out projects with Stakeholder Maps and draw.io
“I 🧡draw.io” #2: How to create UX diagrams in Confluence and Jira