About the Futurespective

The futurespective leverages over 40 years of knowledge gained in positive psychology, the science of success, therapies, individual and team coaching, philosophy, and neuroscience. The Futurespective takes its operative guide from the brilliant work done in solution-focused brief therapy by its founders, Steve de Shazer (1940-2005) and Insoo Kim Berg (1934-2007).

First and foremost, the futurespective is about people; it’s about coaching individuals and teams to realize their independence and interdependence to fulfil the principles and values of agility.

The futurespective has a vision:

Realizing the full potential of every team member to drive one another to fulfil their goals, ambitions and dreams.

The futurespective builds upon successful goal attainment and iterates upon goal after goal until the team’s mission is accomplished and the vision realized.

Rules of engagement

Teams are the experts.

Teams decide where they will go and what they will pursue. The futurespective allows teams to cultivate their own endeavours and goals.

Do more of what works

Teams know best what works and what doesn’t; the futurespective is a session where we find what that is and develop those solutions further.

Look for exceptions

There is no such thing as a persistent problem. Problems have solutions. The futurespective draws on exceptions to issues.

Analyze solutions

We don’t analyze problems. We analyze solutions. We discover what solutions teams have already made and identify goals they can act upon.

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The Mission

The futurespective provides agilists with actionable steps to inspire teams to cultivate a goal-oriented, solution-focused mindset. Agile coaches can equip themselves and fortify their intentions with an iterative goal-attainment approach, resulting in everyday work focused on a success-conscious mindset.

Mission target

Cultivate innovation

Focusing on solutions will help engineer a mindset seeking innovation and experimentation.

Focus on solutions

Focusing on solutions produces a positive atmosphere where ideas can be pursued.

Iterate on objectives

Regularly iterating on objectives helps teams determine what matters to them most.

Focus on purpose

A sense of purpose drives teams to accomplish great things. Purpose brings people together.

Leave the retrospective behind

While futurespectives acknowledge the valuable insights gained in retrospectives, futurespectives do not approach solutions from problems. The retrospective employs similar strategies to elicit solutions; however, retrospectives begin by looking into issues and analyzing them for solutions. You can still use solution-focused approaches in retrospectives. However, you will still be stuck trying to solve problems first, not making solutions.

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Solution-focused team coaching

Solution-focused team coaching (SFTC) is inspired by solution-focused brief therapy, which was developed by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg, and several others between 1980 and 2007. Solution-focused team coaches support teams in attaining their goals. SFTC is about co-creating a future and focusing on the present.

Due to the complexity of human interactions, it is hard to plan which action will result in which change. It is best to stay in experimentation mode. – Kirsten Dierolf

We look closely at the behaviours and processes already working well and get teams to produce more of that. We know small steps can significantly impact—we get teams to take them.

Everyone wants to contribute

Solution-focused team coaches make optimistic assumptions about individuals and interactions with the firm belief that teams want to make a difference, succeed, and accomplish their dreams.

These assumptions include that:

Every team wants to cooperate;
Each team member has their own goals;
No problem happens all the time;
The future is both created and negotiable;
Every participant wants to be appreciated;
No plan survives the crash with reality.

Solution-focused practitioners realize that no participant is beyond reach. We acknowledge negative behaviours as an offer for cooperation. We uncover the goals behind goals, synergize motivations and amplify positive group behaviours.

We encourage teams to view problems and conflicts as situations and develop a solution state with them that they can lean on in times of difficulty and stress (Kirsten Dierolf).

Solution-based thinking

Solution-based thinking begins with a goal or a desired improved state and works towards that future state while learning along the way. This is the meaning of the phrase “begin with the end in mind” (Stephen Covey).

Problem-based thinking begins with a problem. We work towards a problem’s resolved state by separating it and solving each issue until we have solved all the issues.

Problem-based thinking encourages us to investigate who sustains the problem, when and where it happens, and how people can try to overcome it.

Instead of problem-solving, we focus on solution-building. It sounds like a play on words but a different paradigm. We discovered that there’s no connection between a problem and its solution. – Insoo Kim Berg, founder of solution-focused brief therapy

Solution-based thinking lies at the heart of the futurespective.

Highlighting the differences

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The Futurespective agenda

The scrum guide recommends the retrospective as a practice to encourage teams to reflect, inspect, and adapt. The futurespective does that, too, except with a twist: prospect and adjust.

Many agilists use solution-focused approaches in their retrospectives. I did, too, but then I learned I was helping teams solve problems rather than creating solutions. I learned that there is a way for people to go from the end and work their way back to a place they want to be rather than focusing on the problems they want to avoid.

You can still begin working from a solution-future state backwards in retrospectives, but how will you implement a way for them to achieve that future state? The typical retrospective agenda, setting the stage, gathering data, generating insights, deciding what to do, and closing the retrospective needs to be revised to engineer an environment for solution-based thinking. This approach makes better sense for exploring problems.

We augmented the stages (except “gather insights”) found in the seminal work of Esther Derby and Diana Larsen’s “Agile Retrospectives” (2006) and adapted them towards solution-focused ends.

The agenda

Set the stage

‍Identify what teams have completed/not completed and discuss the next steps.

‍Decide what to do

‍Teams choose what key results they will go for and devise a plan.

‍Gather data

‍Teams assign each other tasks and agree on goals they want to accomplish in the coming iteration. They gather data about the aspects of those goals using SMART criteria.

‍Close the futurespective

‍The facilitator recaps what has been decided and what key results will be achieved in the future iteration. A commitment is made towards these goals.

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Getting started

The Futurespective encourages teams to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset to succeed in the world of possibilities. Scrum masters incorporate solution-focused models, methods and language into their everyday coaching practices. Teams realize that a solution-focused mindset is essential to their success. They make a commitment to solutions! Teams operate according to working agreements.

To get started, we recommend scrum masters and other agilists introduce the futurespective so that teams have a team charter, a mission, a vision, objectives and key results. Coach teams to focus on solutions and elicit solutions at all times. Tie them to goals as often as you can.

Teams are at the forefront of great discoveries, inspirational ah-ha moments, and the solution to the next big challenge. Teams are more motivated to commit to solutions and achieve their objectives.

The requirements

Teams can’t be expected to work together; they must agree to work together. Therefore, creating a sense of belonging to a group and purpose is essential for creating the atmosphere that cultivates solutions.

‍Create team charter

‍Teams identify a common purpose, why and how they should work together.

‍Identify team mission

‍Teams figure out the direction they want and the relevant objectives.

‍Identify team vision

‍A future state is developed so that a solution-focused mindset can be effectively developed.

‍Define Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

‍Objectives and key results are defined so teams can better track their ambitions and goals.

‍Focus on solutions

‍Engage groups by eliciting answers and making use of solution-focused methods.

‍Express appreciation

‍Teams share goal completion and overall success with one another.

Transitioning

As they say, the start is always the first challenge, but once the ball gets rolling, you and your teams will be better off! They will try and fall back to their previous habits; that’s to be expected.

Improvement takes time, so give the team some time.

First, recap the retrospective one last time (don’t do a timeline retrospective). Gather present issues and inform your team that you and them will work on them together.

Introduce the futurespective in the last retrospective session.

Send your teams the futurespective meeting and educate them about the tasks ahead (see the previous page). Encourage solutions at every turn and let the team become familiar with them.

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Example first futurespective invitation:

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Hello team,

We’ve been retrospected for a long time, and it’s time we tried something different, our work from a different perspective.

The futurespective is much like the retrospective. What’s different is that we don’t look in the past for answers; we look for the answers in the future.

I’d like to begin with the closure of our retrospectives and introduce you to the futurespective, the goals moving forward, and our next steps as a team.

Agenda:

– Retrospective closure

– Introduction to the futurespective

– The next steps with our futurespectives

Let’s start today!

Your friendly neighbourhood Scrum Master.

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Sample sessions

The futurespective is no longer a single retrospective facilitation technique; it’s a whole event. If you start the futurespective, we recommend continuing it. The futurespective replaces the retrospective in the team’s schedule. Both scrum events are reflective; however, their vantage point is different. Thus, we do not encourage you to mix a retrospective and a futurespective. From time to time, it might be interesting to do a retrospective. We encourage that, too, but sparingly. A timeline retrospective makes sense twice a year. Still, when facilitating a retrospective, we encourage you to do it with a solutions-focused mindset.

It is optional to facilitate a retrospective for some time before introducing futurespectives. Futurespectives follow their own introductory phase, which scrum masters encourage. Futurespectives can be carried out anytime, even if the team is intensely used to retrospectives. If you have a new team, start with the futurespective directly—this way, you don’t have to resolve unfinished issues found in retrospectives.

We will be able to do to futurespective agenda after the third session. We need to first establish the goals of the teams. Knowing this, you can start the futurespective.

Executing the sessions

First session: Establish closure of retrospective (90 min)

The goal of this session is “closure.” Teams should feel that they are “starting from scratch” or that they can “get past” their issues. Remind them that they are there for a purpose. Introduce the futurespective. Activities I’ve done are augmented telos thinking, the hero’s journey, presenting the futurespective prime directive, and comparing with the Norm Kerth prime directive.

Tasks to accomplish:

Put up the Futurespective Prime Directive on a flipchart. Read aloud and have the team reflect
Put up the Retrospective Prime Directive on a flipchart.
The section compares and contrasts the two prime directives.
What approach does the futurespective use? (explain solution-focused team coaching)
Express the next steps and what will be achieved using this approach.
Explain that you are looking for solutions, not ruminating on problems.

Talk about the differences between the retrospective and futurespective prime directives.

Conduct brainstorming sessions that allow teams to uncover the differences between the two directives and what goals these prime directives seek.

Second session: Establish team charter (90 min)

This is one of the most important sessions you will conduct. This session creates a draft of the operating agreement that manifests as the team’s charter. Teams document all their findings and arrangements in their tool and look at it every futurespective session.

Tasks to accomplish:

Inform the team about the futurespective again (put up the futurespective prime directive).
Review results produced in the last futurespective session.

Share the agenda with the team:

Identify team values
Identify the team’s mascot (character)
Identify the team’s principles
Identify all aspects that comprise the team charter
Create a draft team charter

‍Third session: Establish Goals with OKRs (180 min)

The team presented their working draft of the team charter they had developed in the previous session. The team is introduced to Objectives and Key Results.

Tasks to accomplish:

Inform the team about the futurespective again (put up the futurespective prime directive).
Present team charter in its draft state. Completion of the alliance will follow after OKRs.
Inform the team of the sentence they declared their ultimate purpose (telos thinking).
Inform the team of the purpose they have expressed in their team charter.
Inform the team of the customer they have identified in their team charter.
Inform the team that the third futurespective will be about setting goals.
Introduce OKRs. Get the team to produce OKRs and add them to the team charter.

This session is critical because teams connect their vision and mission to the OKRs. They answer the question, “What do we have to accomplish in order to achieve our mission?”. Not only that, this allows teams to frame their goals in a concrete way that reflects what they want to achieve.

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Engaging teams

We all know how to ask questions that reveal underlying symptoms, causes, and effects of a problem, but how many of us are versed in “solution-talk”? Engaging in a solution-focused way is critical when doing futurespectives. We’ve all heard of the miracle question; it’s no surprise!

“Suppose tonight, while you slept, a miracle occurred. When you awake tomorrow, what would be some of the things you would notice that would tell you life had suddenly gotten better?”

There are all sorts of questions we can ask in solution-focused team coaching. These questions help us elicit solutions and tie them to goals. They also function as our tools and help teams better visualize the goals and tasks. These questions enable us to stimulate possible solutions from complex scenarios.

Cultivate the environment

Speak the language of your teams

‍This includes the vernacular they use and the way they speak. Build rapport.

Listen carefully when teams talk about solutions

‍Follow up with their solution intent regularly. Tie solutions to goals, tie their talks to goals.

Assume the “not-knowing” position

‍This will encourage us to have solution-talk with teams: “what else?”

Asking the right questions

Suppose you have reached your goal. How would you start noticing it?
I can see this has been very difficult. How have you been able to cope?
Which next step in the direction of 10 would you notice?
What else would you do differently than you are doing now?

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Futurespective tools

The futurespective uses the same tools as solution-focused brief therapy to encourage teams to be focused on creating solutions and experimenting with them.

Miracle Questions

‍This is a good goal-setting question when the team does not know their preferred future.

‍Scaling Questions

‍Team self-assessment to elicit reflection about motivation, hopefulness, sadness, and progress.

‍Coping Questions

‍Questions that remind individuals of their resilience despite all their difficult situations and experiences

‍Exceptions & Resources

‍A problem doesn’t happen all the time. We explore when it doesn’t happen (exception) to uncover a solution.

‍Appreciative Feedback

‍Positive feedback encourages their efforts and acknowledges their concerns and situations.

‍Focus on Goals

‍Facilitators support teams with refining solutions by focusing on purpose and their respective goals.

End note

The futurespective was created in response to solving the prevailing anti-patterns found in retrospectives and to leverage knowledge found in coaching, psychology, human behaviour and the science of success. The futurespective is the culmination of years of knowledge gleaned in human social science.

This guide has been written to train scrum masters and agilists to cultivate an environment of solution-building rather than problem-solving.

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Acknowledgements

People

SPF Consulting AG has been instrumental in investing, cultivating, and developing the futurespective. Peter Stevens, Ilja Thieme, Ulrich Stürzlinger and Jan Železný have been supportive with their feedback and refinement of the futurespective as a scrum event. Klaus Bucka-Lassen, Stefan Meier, John Styffe, Léo Davesne, Chunfeng (Breeze) Dong, and Marc Rodriguez Sanz have provided great opportunities for exposing the futurespective to worldwide audiences.

History

During his assignment with a client, Sufi Mohamed researched the concept of the futurespective after having had enough of the stagnant nature of retrospectives. His background in communications and sociology, his fascination with the science of success, and his affinity for the solution-focused approach have resulted in synthesizing these approaches. The result became an alternative retrospective meeting (the perspective) used in several teams.