SCOR Futurespective

Look at the work ahead before it starts.

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Strengths

What major strengths do we have?

Our team has deep expertise in cloud architecture
We have strong relationships with key stakeholders
Our agile processes are well-established and efficient
Challenges

What difficulties or threats could we face?

Potential budget constraints in Q3
Growing competition in our market segment
Need to upgrade legacy systems
Opportunities

What can we capitalize on based on our strengths?

Emerging market in AI integration
Potential partnership with an industry leader
New customer segment showing interest
Risks

What risks lie ahead and how can we reduce them?

Key team members might leave the project
Technical debt could slow down development
Market conditions might change rapidly

What is the SCOR Futurespective?

The SCOR Futurespective is a planning session that looks forward. Your team examines its Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities and Risks for the work ahead, so you can prepare for situations before they happen. Most retrospectives review what already happened. This one is about the next project, quarter or change. It follows the shape of a SWOT analysis, with Challenges in place of Weaknesses. Strengths covers the skills, relationships and tools the team can count on. Challenges is for the difficulties you expect to face, Opportunities for what you could take advantage of given those strengths, and Risks for what might go wrong and how to reduce it. Run it before a new project starts, during strategic or quarterly planning, or when the organization is about to change. The output is a short list of actions: a way to use each major opportunity and a mitigation for each serious risk, each with an owner.

SCOR Futurespective format

Strengths

What major strengths do we have?

Ask the team which skills, resources and advantages will help it reach the goals ahead. Push for concrete strengths, like a specific skill or relationship, over general statements.

Challenges

What difficulties or threats could we face?

Keep the discussion of obstacles honest and constructive. Ask about the difficulties further out as well as the ones right in front of you.

Opportunities

What can we capitalize on based on our strengths?

Ask where the team could grow or what it could take advantage of. Focus on realistic opportunities that build on the strengths you've just listed.

Risks

What risks lie ahead and how can we reduce them?

Ask what could go wrong, then ask how the team could reduce each risk. Naming a mitigation alongside each risk keeps the discussion from turning gloomy.

When to use this retrospective

  • Before a new project or initiative starts, to check readiness and spot challenges early
  • During strategic planning, to agree on where the team is heading and what could get in the way
  • Before a significant organizational change, to work out its impact and what to prepare
  • In quarterly planning, to adjust strategy as new trends and challenges appear

Suggested icebreaker questions

  • If you could time travel five years into the future, what's one thing you'd want to know about our team/project?
  • What's one skill you think our success will depend on in the coming year?

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

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

  • Start with strengths so the team has some confidence before it gets to challenges
  • Use dot voting to pick the most important items in each category
  • Ask people to think past the next sprint to longer-term effects
  • Create a specific action for each major risk and opportunity
  • Keep past SCOR boards and review them to see how your predictions played out
  • Spend your time on things the team can act on, not circumstances it can't change

Frequently asked questions

What is a SCOR Futurespective?
It's a forward-looking planning session in which your team examines its Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities and Risks for the work ahead. You finish with actions to use the opportunities and reduce the risks.
What does SCOR stand for?
Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities and Risks. They're the four areas on the board.
How is SCOR different from a SWOT analysis?
SCOR keeps Strengths and Opportunities, swaps Weaknesses for Challenges and Threats for Risks. Run as a futurespective, it's aimed at a specific project or period ahead, and each risk gets a plan to reduce it.
What is a futurespective?
A futurespective is a retrospective held before the work starts. Where a retrospective looks back at work already done, a futurespective imagines the period ahead and plans for it.
When should a team run a SCOR Futurespective?
Run it before a new project, during strategic or quarterly planning, or when an organizational change is coming. It fits anywhere the team needs to prepare for challenges and risks before they arrive.

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