Ada Lovelace Retrospective

Celebrate coding wins and fix the bugs in your process.

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Breakthroughs

What coding wins or innovations did we achieve?

We finally cracked the performance bottleneck in the data pipeline. It's running 3x faster now.
The new API integration went live without a single incident. Really proud of how the team coordinated.
I managed to refactor that legacy module everyone was afraid to touch. Feels great to have it cleaned up.
Bugs in the System

What bugs or mistakes crept into our process or code?

We merged a breaking change to main without enough review, so we need a stronger branching strategy.
The environment config differences between dev and prod caused a last-minute scramble before release.
I underestimated the complexity of the task and didn't flag it early enough. Scope crept up on us.
Infinite Loops

What blockers or obstacles kept us stuck in a loop?

We're still waiting on access to the production environment. This has been blocking us for two sprints.
Unclear acceptance criteria at the start of the sprint meant we had to go back and forth with the product owner multiple times.
The CI/CD pipeline keeps failing intermittently and no one has had time to investigate the root cause.
Next Algorithm

What should we design or improve in our next iteration?

Let's set up a proper mock server for third-party APIs so we can test independently of rate limits.
I'd like us to trial mob programming for one complex story next sprint. It could be a great learning experience.
We should schedule a dedicated session to tackle the auth module tech debt before it gets worse.

What is the Ada Lovelace Retrospective?

Ada Lovelace was a mathematician who worked with Charles Babbage on his Analytical Engine, a mechanical computer that was never built. Her 1843 notes on the machine include what is often called the first published computer program, and she saw that it could work with symbols as well as numbers. The Ada Lovelace Retrospective uses her story as the theme for an engineering retro. It fits Ada Lovelace Day, held on the second Tuesday of October, and it works in any sprint. The board has four columns. Breakthroughs is for the coding wins and clever solutions from the sprint. Bugs in the System covers the mistakes that crept into your code or your process. Infinite Loops is for the blockers that kept the team going round in circles, and Next Algorithm is where you decide what to design or improve in the next iteration. The coding language gives engineers a familiar way to talk about problems that go beyond the code, like an unclear API contract or a week lost to meetings. Use it with development teams that want something other than a plain "what went well, what didn't" board. The theme gives you a light way in, and the four columns still end with actions the team owns.

Ada Lovelace Retrospective format

Breakthroughs

What coding wins or innovations did we achieve?

Celebrate the team's technical wins from the sprint. Ask for specifics: features shipped, clever fixes, skills people picked up. Naming wins tells the team what to keep doing.

Bugs in the System

What bugs or mistakes crept into our process or code?

Surface the issues that caused friction this sprint, in the code and in the way you work. Keep it blame-free and curious: a bug is something to understand before it's something to fix. Prompt for recurring issues, unexpected regressions and communication breakdowns.

Infinite Loops

What blockers or obstacles kept us stuck in a loop?

In code, an infinite loop never reaches its end condition. Teams get stuck the same way when a blocker goes unresolved sprint after sprint. Use this column for impediments and dependencies, and prompt people to think about unclear requirements, tooling and friction with other parts of the organization. Then ask what it would take to break out of each one.

Next Algorithm

What should we design or improve in our next iteration?

This column looks ahead: what should the team try or improve next sprint? Process changes, technical investments and new practices all belong here. Use what came up in the other three columns to land on a few concrete next steps with owners.

When to use this retrospective

  • After a sprint with notable technical wins or setbacks, when the team would get more from a themed format than the usual board.
  • Around Ada Lovelace Day, the second Tuesday of October, for engineering and development teams that want to mark it.
  • When technical debt, process bugs or blockers keep coming back and the team needs a safe place to raise them.
  • When morale needs a lift. Starting with Breakthroughs puts the wins on the table before the problems.
  • In any sprint where your team wants a change from the standard formats and enjoys a bit of story.

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If you could give your code from this sprint a dramatic Ada Lovelace-era title, like 'A Note Upon the Analytical Engine's Capacity for Infinite Loops', what would it be?
  • If Ada Lovelace could join your team for a day, which part of your tech stack do you think would impress her most, and which would horrify her?

Want a warm-up your team plays, not just answers out loud? Browse free icebreakers →

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Set the scene with one fact about Ada Lovelace, such as her 1843 notes on Babbage's Analytical Engine, which include what's often called the first published computer program.
  • Keep Bugs in the System blame-free. The question is what the team can learn from a bug, not who caused it.
  • Timebox each column to 10–12 minutes, and give Next Algorithm a little longer for action planning.
  • Make sure Next Algorithm ends with assigned action items, not vague intentions. Capture owners and due dates in TeamRetro before the session ends.
  • Watch for a board full of code bugs and nothing about how people work together. Ask the team: "Are there any bugs in how we work together?"
  • With a large team, group similar ideas before discussion and use dot voting to decide which bugs and blockers to tackle first.

Frequently asked questions

What is an Ada Lovelace Retrospective?
It's a coding-themed retrospective named after Ada Lovelace, often called the first computer programmer. Your team reflects on the sprint in four columns: Breakthroughs, Bugs in the System, Infinite Loops and Next Algorithm.
When should you run an Ada Lovelace Retrospective?
Ada Lovelace Day, the second Tuesday of October, is the obvious time, and a good one for engineering teams that want to mark the achievements of women in tech. Any team can use it for a regular sprint retro, though.
What's the difference between Bugs in the System and Infinite Loops?
Bugs in the System is for mistakes, things that went wrong in the code or the process. Infinite Loops is for blockers that keep the team stuck, like a dependency or an access request that's been open for two sprints.
How long does an Ada Lovelace Retrospective take?
About an hour. Allow 10–12 minutes per column and a little extra at the end of Next Algorithm to agree on actions.
Does the team need to know about Ada Lovelace to use it?
No. A one-minute introduction at the start is enough, and the columns make sense to anyone who writes software.

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