Retrospective: A meeting at the end of a sprint where the team discusses what went well, what didn’t and what to change next time. Usually called a "retro".
Example
In the retro, the team agrees to write clearer acceptance criteria because several stories were misunderstood.
Why Retrospective matters for IT interns
Teams use it to improve how they work. Honest, respectful input is welcome — even from interns.
Where you will hear it
You will hear this term in team routines such as stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives. If someone uses it and you are not sure what they mean in your project, it is completely fine to ask; every team uses terms a little differently.
Related terms
- Kanban: A way of managing work on a board with columns such as To Do, In Progress and Done, focusing on a steady flow…
- Product Backlog: The complete, prioritised list of everything that might be built into the product.
- Product Owner: The person responsible for deciding what the team builds and in what order, representing users and business…
- Scrum: A popular Agile framework with fixed-length sprints, specific roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master and the…
- Scrum Master: The person who helps the team follow Scrum, runs the team meetings and helps remove obstacles.
- Sprint: A short, fixed period — usually one to four weeks — in which the team aims to finish a planned set of work.
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Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What is Retrospective?
A meeting at the end of a sprint where the team discusses what went well, what didn’t and what to change next time. Usually called a "retro".
What is an example of Retrospective?
In the retro, the team agrees to write clearer acceptance criteria because several stories were misunderstood.
Why does Retrospective matter for IT interns?
Teams use it to improve how they work. Honest, respectful input is welcome — even from interns.
Explore more internship terms
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About the author
Dhaivat has 16+ years of experience in the IT industry, working on AI and cloud technologies, project delivery, and engineering leadership. He has interviewed and mentored many interns, wrote The Lost Intern, and runs the non-commercial Career Impact Initiative, mentoring students for free.