The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. - Scrum Guide
As mentioned earlier, Scrum is an empirical process control approach, and that one of the aspects it controls is the work process. The Sprint Retrospective where the Scrum team inspects how everything worked during this last Sprint concerning team members, interactions, processes, tools, and the Definition of Done. This event is at the heart of continuous improvement and emerging practices.
It takes place immediately after the Sprint Review and is considered the Sprint closure. While the Sprint Review is intended to review the product, the Sprint Retrospective focuses on the processes. Its duration is a maximum of three hours for a four-week Sprint, being shorter for shorter Sprints.
The Sprint Retrospective demands a safe environment where the Scrum Team members can express themselves freely, without censorship or fear. Using facilitation techniques and root cause analysis, both strengths and opportunities for improvement are sought. Afterward, the Scrum Team decides the improvement actions that will be carried out in future Sprints.