HKSM

A quick, anonymous retrospective technique that gauges how participants feel about attending: Explorers are eager to learn, Shoppers want a few useful ideas, Vacationers are disengaged, and Prisoners feel forced to be there. Used at the start of a Retrospect Sprint meeting to adapt facilitation and improve psychological safety.

Key Points

• ESVP is a fast sentiment check for retrospective participants.
• It is normally used at the start of the Retrospect Sprint in SBOK.
• Votes are anonymous to promote psychological safety.
• Results help the Scrum Master tailor activities and timeboxing.
• It is not a performance metric and must not be used to judge individuals.
• Outputs include a simple distribution of categories and actions to improve engagement.

Purpose of Analysis

The goal is to understand attendee mindset so the Scrum Master can choose facilitation techniques that fit the energy in the room. It helps surface hidden resistance, boredom, or eagerness, enabling a more effective retrospective. It also sets a tone of openness and choice, which supports continuous improvement.

Method Steps

1. Explain the four categories with brief, neutral examples: Explorer, Shopper, Vacationer, Prisoner.
2. Ask each person to privately select one category and submit it anonymously (sticky note, card, digital poll).
3. Collect and tally the counts by category; display totals without names.
4. Acknowledge the distribution and discuss what it implies for the retrospective design.
5. Adjust the agenda, activities, and timeboxes to match the mood; restate working agreements for safety.
6. Proceed with the retrospective, revisiting the plan if energy shifts.

Inputs Needed

• Retrospective timebox and attendees for the Sprint or Release.
• Clear, shared descriptions of Explorer, Shopper, Vacationer, and Prisoner.
• Anonymous voting mechanism (cards, sticky notes, dots, or online tool).
• Team working agreements and meeting purpose.

Outputs Produced

• ESVP distribution summary (counts or percentages by category).
• Adjusted retrospective plan tailored to participant mindset.
• Immediate facilitation actions to raise engagement and safety.
• Optional improvement actions for future retrospectives (e.g., shorter timebox, varied formats).

Interpretation Tips

• Many Explorers: proceed with deeper analysis and broader idea generation.
• Many Shoppers: focus on practical, high-yield improvements and quick wins.
• Many Vacationers: shorten, energize, and use interactive activities to reengage.
• Some Prisoners: clarify purpose, reaffirm choice and safety, and co-create the agenda.
• Track trends across sprints to see if engagement is improving or declining.

Example

A Scrum Team of 9 votes anonymously: 4 Explorers, 3 Shoppers, 2 Vacationers, 0 Prisoners. The Scrum Master balances the session with a brief warm-up, focused brainstorming on two hot topics, and a tight dot-voting step to select one improvement for the next sprint. Working agreements are refreshed, and the team commits to a single actionable experiment.

Pitfalls

• Breaking anonymity or asking people to justify their choice.
• Labeling individuals instead of adapting the meeting design.
• Ignoring the results and running the retrospective as planned anyway.
• Overusing the technique every sprint without variety, causing fatigue.
• Sharing raw distributions with external stakeholders in a way that discourages honesty.

PMP/SCRUM Example Question

At the start of a Retrospect Sprint meeting, the Scrum Master wants a quick, anonymous read on how willing participants are to engage so the facilitation can be adapted. Which technique should be used?

1. Explorer, Shopper, Vacationer, Prisoner (ESVP).
2. Mad Sad Glad.
3. Five Whys root cause analysis.
4. Planning Poker.

Correct Answer: A — Explorer, Shopper, Vacationer, Prisoner (ESVP).

Explanation: ESVP is designed to gauge attendee mindset and tailor the retrospective. The other techniques focus on emotions, root cause analysis, or estimation, not engagement readiness.