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Prime Directive

What It Is:

The Prime Directive in the context of Agile retrospectives is attributed to Norm Kerth, and it is a guiding principle used during retrospectives. The Prime Directive is formulated as follows:

“Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.”

How to Use It:

Using the Prime Directive in Agile Coaching:

  1. Creating a Safe Environment:
    • Emphasize the Prime Directive at the beginning of retrospectives to establish a safe and non-blaming environment. This encourages team members to share openly without fear of judgment.
  2. Focusing on Improvements:
    • Use the Prime Directive to shift the focus of retrospectives from blaming individuals to identifying areas for improvement. Frame discussions in terms of learning and adapting rather than assigning blame.
  3. Encouraging Open Communication:
    • Remind team members of the Prime Directive when discussing challenges or issues. Encourage open communication and active listening, emphasizing that the goal is to understand and improve, not to lay blame.
  4. Building Trust:
    • The Prime Directive contributes to building trust within the team. When team members genuinely believe that everyone did their best, it fosters a collaborative and supportive atmosphere.
  5. Individual Reflection:
    • Encourage team members to reflect individually on the Prime Directive. This self-reflection can help individuals recognize their efforts and contributions, fostering a positive mindset.

Applying the Prime Directive in Agile coaching contributes to creating a positive and constructive team culture. By embracing the belief that everyone did their best given the circumstances, teams can focus on learning, continuous improvement, and building a resilient and collaborative environment.

References:

  1. “Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews” by Norm Kerth:
    • Norm Kerth’s book “Project Retrospectives” provides an in-depth exploration of retrospectives, including the Prime Directive. It offers practical guidance on conducting effective retrospectives.
  2. Articles and Blogs:
    • Search for articles and blogs that discuss the Prime Directive and its application in Agile retrospectives. Many Agile practitioners share their experiences and insights related to this guiding principle.


Visit the Agile Coach’s Toolkit for more definitions, models, theorems and stuff.

  • ACI’s Agile Coaching Competency framework
  • Appreciative Inquiry 4D Cycle
  • Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid model
  • Brooks’ Law
  • Bus-Length Communication Principle
  • Cone of Uncertainty
  • Conway’s Law
  • Cynefin framework
  • Dialogue model from Crucial Conversations
  • DiSC
  • Double-Loop Learning
  • Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance model
  • Dunbar’s Law (aka The Dunbar Number)
  • Dunning-Kruger effect
  • Effects of Project Switching (aka The Law of Raspberry Jam)
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Empathy Map
  • Five Dysfunctions of a Team
  • Flexible Framework for Agile Retrospectives
  • Golden Circle
  • Goodhart’s Law
  • Hawthorne Effect (aka Observer Effect)
  • Helpful Rule
  • Hierarchy of Needs
  • Immunity to Change (Immunity Map)
  • Imposter Syndrome
  • Integral Theory
  • Ladder of Inference
  • Leadership Agility
  • Motivation 3.0
  • Nine Levels of Learning
  • Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
  • OCAI Competing Values Framework
  • Prime Directive
  • Reinventing Organizations
  • Results Pyramid
  • Rule of the Second Floor
  • Rule of Three
  • Satir Change Model
  • Schneider Culture Model
  • Shu Ha Ri
  • Six Thinking Hats
  • Sources of Self-Efficacy
  • Stacey Matrix
  • System of Profound Knowledge
  • T-shaped People/Skills
  • Ten Fatal Leadership Flaws
  • Thinking Fast and Slow
  • Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode
  • Tree of Agile High Performance
  • Tribal Leadership
  • Tuckman Model of Group Development
  • Types of Power
  • Wisdom of Crowds
  • World After Midnight
  • Yerkes-Dodson Law
  • Zeigarnik Effect

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