What is the primary difference between a demo/review and a retrospective?

What is the primary difference between a demo/review and a retrospective?

• A. Demo/reviews are only done by teams that build products, and retrospectives are done by all teams.
• B. Retrospectives happen at release boundaries, while demos/reviews happen at least monthly.
• C. There's not a difference; they're interchangeable.
• D. The first inspects and adapts the product or service, and the second inspects how the team works.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that the two ceremonies focus on different targets: the product versus the team’s way of working. A demo or review centers on the product; the team shows the latest increment to stakeholders, gathers feedback, and uses that to adapt the product backlog and plan next steps. A retrospective, on the other hand, concentrates on the team’s process and collaboration—what went well, what didn’t, and concrete actions to improve how the team works in the next iteration. Timing and participants reflect this difference: demos typically occur at the end of a sprint with stakeholders watching and providing product-focused input, while retrospectives are usually team-only (often with a facilitator) to reflect on the team’s practices. So the key distinction is product inspection and adaptation versus team-process inspection and improvement.

The main idea here is that the two ceremonies focus on different targets: the product versus the team’s way of working. A demo or review centers on the product; the team shows the latest increment to stakeholders, gathers feedback, and uses that to adapt the product backlog and plan next steps. A retrospective, on the other hand, concentrates on the team’s process and collaboration—what went well, what didn’t, and concrete actions to improve how the team works in the next iteration.

Timing and participants reflect this difference: demos typically occur at the end of a sprint with stakeholders watching and providing product-focused input, while retrospectives are usually team-only (often with a facilitator) to reflect on the team’s practices. So the key distinction is product inspection and adaptation versus team-process inspection and improvement.