Team Practices Group/Retrospectives/2015-09-23

The Team Practices Group (TPG) was dissolved in 2017.

Action items from last time edit

Significant events since last time edit

  • 8/27 - SPDPP presentation @ engineering manager's offsite
  • 9/2 - THC presentation to engineering managers
  • ~9/11 - THC rethink conversations
  • ~9/11 - Q2 Goal setting
  • 9/15 - Strategy meeting #1
    • Strategy guinea pigs in Reading Teams
  • 9/22 - SPDPP reboot
  • 9/23 MPL due date
  • CSAT preparations
  • 9/23 - Gerrit cleanup day
  • Kevin started working with Community Tech

Worked well/keep doing? edit

  • Lots of people pitching in on THCs early - ramp up seems earlier
    • don't feel behind (or not as behind, anyway)
    • Kristen making time to talk me down from the THC PO ledge
    • David for offering to help with THC PO
  • Passing the THC torch
  • Was "Phab upstream process getting a TPG PO in the last 4 weeks" in scope for this retro? No.
  • Seemed pretty easy to get teams working with WorkType tags in Phab
    • is there something on TPG mailing list about this? No.
  • Making a Phlogiston backlog aka treating Phlogiston as a real software project to be managed JA
  • Community Tech engagement has been effective and hasn't taken much time KS
  • Kevin's being rigorous about identifying multiple interpretations
  • good Tea Time about measuring our value
  • Tea times have been fun and interesting+ KS
  • Enjoyed strategy kickoff KL
    • DS: I liked the book/process DS
  • talking to Grace about Playing to Wolf KL
  • MPL interventions (by Grace) have been appreciated (by others)
  • Clarified difference between Phab Upstream and Phragile/Sprint-Extension
  • Phragile appears to be working now (showstoppers fixed) KS
 ** Reconciled with Phlogiston
  • Patience and Arthur working with Chiefs eventually led to acceptable SPDPP charter JA
  • Strategy process and constructive criticism/feedback
  • Continue to feel invigorated by TPG interaction+1
    • Relishing opportunities to watch TPG'ers work
  • CSAT process and progress KL
  • voting on/organizing top Phab tasks KL+1


Has not worked well/stop doing? edit

  • Gerrit cleanup didn't seem to be communicated/coordinated well. FR-tech was left out of conversations (as far as DS can tell) +++
  • Communication with TPG about the spdpdppp pppsdpsddsp seemed incomplete+
  • general trend around unsustainable bandwidth and challenges with context switch+++++
    • Felt stretched thin, context-switchy
    • Sometimes all or nothing
  • Arthur rumor was troubling
  • We started on the Q1 THC's too late to do a full rethink+
  • SPDPP was go/stop/go/stop/go/slow down/limited go+
    • Very limited access/attention from Terry & Lila
      • Terry is stretched across too many roles
  • The Playing to Win book was unhelpful (should have stuck to the article)++
  • Communication around MPL due dates+
  • relationship and requirements around MPL is unclear++
  • need more time to celebrate our what worked wells ;-)
  • I miss IRL TPG+++++
    • November?

Puzzles us? edit

  • How to navigate number of 90 min meetings already scheduled in Oct+++++
    • Ongoing Tea Time topic: How to help TPGers not be overwhelmed


Action items for next time edit