What is the SCOR futurespective?
The SCOR futurespective is a tool intended to help teams deliver their strategic plan for their project. Team members define the Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities and Risks they predict they will encounter with their project. The ideas they share build their strategy for their project.
The SCOR futurespective works well for established agile teams. It presents the chance to shape a strategy rather than a step by step guide to embark on the project. This means they have greater scope to deliver creative solutions further down the track.
The SCOR model is a version of the SWOT analysis which sees the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a project defined. The key difference between the two is that SCOR has been designed with team empowerment in mind. Firstly, the SCOR approach sees weaknesses reframed as challenges; so rather than team members potentially listing their inadequacies, they will be sharing their skills to overcome adversity. Secondly, participants are invited to identify risks rather than threats. Not only does this set a far less adversarial tone for the project ahead, participants view them as less ominous and therefore more manageable.
SCOR futurespective format
Strengths
What major strengths do we have? What resources, skills and knowledge do we possess? What gives us confidence?
Challenges
What difficulties or threats could we face? In what areas do we think we may be underequipped? What’s making us nervous?
Opportunities
What can we capitalize on based on our strengths? Where is our chance to shine? What are we finding exciting?
Risks
What risks lie ahead and how can we reduce them? What could threaten our success? What have we seen derail a project in the past? What are our no-go zones?
Suggested icebreaker questions for the SCOR futurespective
- What’s your hidden strength or talent?
- Do you prefer a challenge or an opportunity? Explain why.
- If there was one thing you could predict about the project, what would it be and why?
Futurespective Rehearsal
Apply the SCOR futurespective to impulse buying the latest new release games console. Define the strengths, challenges, opportunities and risks this would represent.
With this in mind, would you do it now?
Ideas and tips for your SCOR futurespective
- Encourage participants to draw on their experience from other projects to fill in the futurespective template.
- Get your project off on the right foot. Consider using the futurespective to define your team’s Definition of Done.
- Allow participants to brainstorm anonymously to help them feel safe when adding their thoughts to the futurespective. People are more likely to engage when they feel they will not be judged.
- Encourage participants to reference the tools, processes and practices they will be using.
- Ben Linders recommends limiting the number of action items coming out of a futurespective to just the few vital ones needed to get started. Further actions will be shaped when the team meets for their regular retrospective.
- Retro your futurespective at the end of your project with a focus on what was learnt.
How to run a SCOR futurespective in TeamRetro
Start your retrospective in a click
Log into TeamRetro and choose your sprint retrospective template.
Discuss the most important things first
You and your team discuss the top voted ideas and can capture deep dive comments. Presentation mode allows you to walk your team through ideas one-by-one and keep the conversation focused.
Review and create actions
Easily facilitate discussion by bringing everyone onto the same page. Create action items, assign owners and due dates that will carry through for review at the next retrospective.
Share the results
Once you have finished your retro, you can share the results and actions with the team. Your retro will be stored so you can revisit them as needed.