Hi, I'm Grady, and I lead strategy at Softly. Let me tell you a story. This isn't about our company — it's something I went through at a previous job. See if it sounds familiar.
It was Monday morning, time for the weekly meeting. My team lead asked:
"What did you do last week?"
"Uh... I was swamped with planning work."
"Why was the planning work so hectic?"
"...There was just a lot of this and that to review."
"What is 'this and that'?"
"..."
Being grilled is uncomfortable enough, but trying to answer made me feel even more stuck. If you've been there, you know the feeling. But looking back, this was a conversation neither side got anything out of. The person asking didn't get the answer they wanted, and I, the one answering, didn't know what to say. It was time spent on a wrong question and a wrong answer.
Why Am I Writing This?
In that story, whose fault is greater? The team lead who grills you? The team member who can't answer properly? I don't think it's either. The problem is the 'team' that made such a conversation happen.
A team has to create an environment where members can have a real conversation — one where the question "What did you do?" can actually be answered. A structure where you can say, not "this and that," but "I spent 3 hours on Task A and 2 hours on Task B, and I got stuck on part of B." Only then does the conversation move on to "So how do we solve B?"
At Softly, we believe the answer lies in a culture of 'measurement and retrospectives.'
So that's why I'm writing this. I'll talk about why we value measurement and retrospectives, and how they actually work in practice.
Measurement: The Effort to Turn the Subjective Into Objective Fact
We Make Objective Even the Things That Are Hard to Make Objective
"That's just a gut feeling," "In my experience, that's how it is" — these aren't bad things to say. But that 'gut' and 'experience' are subjective information that lives only in your head. What if you need to convey it to someone? To persuade them? You need objective numbers.
To build decision-making criteria that are sustainable over the long term, we work to make objective even the things that are hard to make objective. And we believe it can be done. Put simply, to develop a better gut feeling, we keep stacking up objectified logic in our day-to-day work.
Example: How Do You Make CX (Customer Experience) Objective?
Softly views the business through the 6 axes of the flywheel (Product, Supply, Design, Funnel, Media, CX). Let's take CX (Customer Experience) as an example.
The common way of saying it:
At Softly, we change it to this:
What Is NPS?
NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a representative metric for measuring customer loyalty. You ask "Would you recommend this product/service to others?" on a 0–10 scale, and subtract the percentage of detractors (0–6) from the percentage of promoters (9–10). Let me give an example.
Before (speaking from gut feeling):
When you put it this way, the listener has no choice but to ask, "So how good is it, exactly?" Because the standard for 'good' differs from person to person.
After (speaking with facts):
Put this way, the situation is clear without any follow-up questions. The number 92%, and the benchmark of a 70% industry average. This is what it means to speak with 'facts' rather than 'gut feeling.'
With measurement, the time it takes to convey the same information shrinks. And you can quickly move on to the next conversation: "So what do we do about it?"
Retrospective: Turning What You Measured Into Direction
Measuring and then stopping there is meaningless. A retrospective is thinking about 'why did that happen?' and 'what do we do next time?' based on what you measured.
What happens if a retrospective is based on feelings? "This week was kind of tough," "Something just didn't go well" — feelings like these make it hard to know exactly what the problem is. But with numbers, specific questions become possible, like "Why did our NPS drop this week?"
What Is a KPT Retrospective?
At Softly, we use the KPT retrospective.
Example: What Happens When Measurement Meets KPT?
Let's take the CX team's monthly retrospective as an example.
[Measurement results]
- This month's NPS: 88% (down 4%p from last month's 92%)
- First response time: increased from an average of 2 hours to 3 hours
- Repeat-complaint rate: increased from 5% to 8%
[KPT retrospective]
Do it this way, and instead of "this month was kind of tough," it becomes "NPS dropped 4%p, the cause is the increased response time, and as a solution I'll request that we plan a response agent." Because there are numbers, the problem becomes visible, and because the problem is visible, you can find a solution.
Direction Comes Before Speed
What we confirm through a retrospective is two things: direction (are we on the right path?) and speed (are we fast enough?). And we always believe checking direction comes first.
If you run fast in the wrong direction, you eventually have to come back. You've just wasted time. Go in the right direction at an appropriate speed, and you reach the goal.
Wait, Isn't This Way Too Intense?
If you've read this far, you might be thinking:
You can do it all once you're in!
The reason we emphasize measurement and retrospectives isn't to hunt down mistakes. It's because we value the worth of stacking up a little bit, day by day. We just want to work while thinking things through each day!
It's not about perfection. What you need is a record that's a little better today than yesterday, a retrospective that's a little clearer this month than last, and a small mechanism to keep from repeating the same mistake.
That's all. The key is not perfection, but improvement with direction.
The Key Points
You'll Be a Good Fit If...
Check yourself. If you relate to the items below, you could be a good fit for Softly:
- Someone who can answer "What did you do today?" specifically ("2 hours on A, 3 hours on B")
- Someone who gets curious about "why?" when something didn't go well
- Someone who thinks about "doing it differently" rather than "trying harder"
- Someone who can ask "Is this the right direction?"
These Teams Run Well
- A team with shared metrics, so the standard for "it's going well" is the same
- A team where you can honestly bring up failures during the retrospective
- A team that can change direction without emotion when the data says "no"
Softly's Measurement and Retrospective System
Closing
The purpose of this article is one thing.
"We want to work with the right people."
When values align, everyone's time becomes denser. This isn't only from the team's point of view; from an individual member's point of view too, you should judge the team culture in advance.
That's the most ideal collaboration.
Measurement and retrospectives aren't just a way of working. They're a promise to understand each other better and to grow together. We keep this promise, and each day we become a slightly better team.
While reading this, did you think "I want to work like this too"? If so, we're already looking in the same direction.
Thank you for reading this long post. Feel free to reach out anytime. Let's grab a coffee and chat!
— From Grady
If you resonate with a culture of measurement and retrospectives
Apply to the Softly Team