Retrospective in a sprintwhere it fits and what comes next
See exactly where the Sprint Retrospective sits between the Sprint Review and the next Sprint Planning, with clear timing and attendee guidance.
In Scrum, the Sprint Retrospective is part of the Sprint and is its final event. It follows the Sprint Review and concludes before the next Sprint starts with Sprint Planning. The Review inspects the product and future direction with stakeholders; the Retrospective inspects how the Scrum Team worked.
The Scrum event order
Sprint Planning → work and Daily Scrums → Sprint Review → Sprint Retrospective → next Sprint Planning
Sprint Planning initiates the Sprint. The Sprint contains the other Scrum events. The Sprint Review is second-to-last, the Retrospective concludes the Sprint, and a new Sprint begins immediately after the previous one ends.
Is the Retrospective inside the Sprint?
Yes. Placing the meeting late on the final day does not move it outside the Sprint. Treating it as an optional post-Sprint meeting weakens the inspect-and-adapt cycle and creates pressure to begin planning before the team has reflected.
Review, Retrospective, and next Planning
| Event | Purpose | Participants | Typical output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01Sprint Review | Inspect the Sprint outcome and adapt future product direction. | Scrum Team and key stakeholders | Updated understanding and Product Backlog adaptation |
| 02Sprint Retrospective | Inspect how the Scrum Team worked and plan improvements. | Scrum Team | Changes that improve quality and effectiveness |
| 03Next Sprint Planning | Initiate the next Sprint and create its plan. | Scrum Team | Sprint Goal, selected work, and delivery plan |
How to place it on the calendar
- Run the Sprint Review earlier on the final day when possible.
- Leave a short break so product feedback does not spill into the Retrospective.
- Finish the Retrospective before the next Sprint Planning begins.
- Different calendar days are acceptable only when the defined Sprint boundary preserves that order.
Scrum timeboxes
A Sprint lasts one month or less. For a one-month Sprint, the Sprint Review is timeboxed to a maximum of four hours and the Sprint Retrospective to a maximum of three hours. Shorter Sprints usually use shorter events; a 30–60 minute Retrospective for a two-week Sprint is a practical suggestion, not a separate Scrum rule.
What crosses into the next Sprint?
The Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve effectiveness. The most impactful improvements should be addressed as soon as possible and may be added to the next Sprint Backlog, but Scrum does not require every improvement to become a backlog item.
Common timing mistakes
- Treating the Retrospective as an optional meeting after the Sprint.
- Combining the Review and Retrospective even though they inspect different things with different participants.
- Planning the next Sprint before reflecting on the current one.
- Waiting for the formal Retrospective to fix an urgent problem.
- Automatically inviting Review stakeholders into the Scrum Team’s Retrospective.
For a complete agenda and facilitation flow, use the Sprint Retrospective guide. Teams that do not use Scrum can choose a cadence around flow, milestones, or releases with the agile retrospective guide.