Reflection: Encouraging accountability

Reflection: Encouraging accountability

1. In the last quiz, you reviewed how Peta addressed lack of participation in a retrospective meeting. In this quiz, you will identify the ways Peta encourages accountability in the retrospective.

Peta: In looking at the customer survey, it shows that we didn't hit our goal of decreasing table turn time. I'm sure we'll be able to speed that up as we go, but I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts as to why we're seeing guests spend the same amount of time at the table with the tablets as before we installed them.

Deanna: We might want to look at waitstaff training. The waitstaff might need to adjust how they go about their interactions, which could cut down on turnover.

Gilly: We might also want to look at kitchen speed.

Peta: Let’s look at everything that might contribute, including the kitchen turnaround. I think we all have to do our part to contribute to the goals. I did want to note that Alex, your location actually had a quicker turn time than Gilly's location by about fifteen minutes. Do you have any insights?

Alex: We just encouraged the waitstaff to speed up the visits. That was one of our objectives, and since the tablets sped up checkout, it was easy.

Peta: Gilly, what were you doing differently?

Gilly: I know my customers. I know they want to come to dinner and hang out and have a good time, so I instructed my staff to let them.

Peta: Gilly, I know that the team—including you and me—had discussed that one of the objectives we wanted to hit was speeding up table turn. We know that the tablets create efficiencies to do that, so we need your location to start focusing on that objective.

Gilly: I don't want to rush my customers through dinner.

Peta: I can understand that. But is that all customers? Maybe some customers do want a quick dining experience, while others want to hang out.

Gilly: Possibly. But I don't want the tablets to change the experience, which is why they come to Sauce & Spoon.

Peta: We do want to speed up the dining experience at your location, but we can talk more about ways to identify guests who might want to hang out a little longer and those who would like a more efficient dining experience. Maybe the majority would like a faster dinner, and we could help them get that experience. Would you take the initiative to have your waitstaff speed up dining time but also be sensitive to guests who might want to stay longer?

Gilly: Sure, we can chat more.


Ready to get started?

I’m ready.

2. Describe one strategy Peta uses to encourage accountability during the retrospective and one other strategy Peta might have used. Write 1-2 sentences.

Encouraging the team to think holistically about mistakes and challenges, identifying solutions for the future, and encouraging ownership are all strategies to encourage accountability during a retrospective.

Devendra Kumar

Project Management Apprentice at Google

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