Software Governance Using Retrospectives: A Case Study

In this paper we present our study on the implementation of the retrospective practice in software development projects. Specifically, we describe the retrospective practice and present its impact on the development process of a specific large-scale project. Our study shows that a team can steer its process evolution systematically by retrospectives, identifying process issues, discussing their nature, and deciding on mechanisms for their improvement. For the purpose of our research, we use five process elements: work procedures, policies, metrics, roles, and decision rights. Based on the data analysis of the retrospectives conducted in our case study, we illustrate each category and demonstrate how it is refined along the project timeline. We suggest using the retrospective practice as a qualitative data gathering tool that assists the governance process of a development project.