Agile retrospective templates
Five agile retrospective templates many teams use, each a different way to look back at a sprint. See when to use each one, what its columns are and how to take the conversation to action items. In Squad Reviews, the What went well / What went wrong / What if template is ready to use.
What went well / What went wrong / What if
Three columns: what went well, what went wrong and what to try next. It is the default template in Squad Reviews. It is simple, needs little preparation and fits any sprint.
- What went well
- What went wrong
- What if
When to use it
For every sprint's retrospective, and for the team's first retrospective in Squad Reviews. The three questions are easy to grasp, so nobody has to learn a new format before writing.
How to run it
Ask for concrete cards, one fact from the sprint per card. In Discuss, the top-voted cards in What went wrong and What if lead to the action items. What went well shows what the team wants to keep, so read it aloud before you close.
Start / Stop / Continue
Three columns, three decisions: what the team will start doing, stop doing and keep doing. The most direct format for leaving the retrospective with changes in how you work.
- Start
- Stop
- Continue
When to use it
With a new team, or when the retrospective has to be short. Also when the team needs concrete changes more than a conversation about how things felt. The columns are already decisions, so action items are nearly written.
How to run it
Ask for cards written as actions, such as "Start reviewing code the same day", not as complaints. In Discuss, the top-voted Start and Stop cards lead to the action items. Continue rarely needs one: it is a quick round of recognition.
4Ls
Four columns to look at a whole stretch of work: what the team liked, learned, lacked and longed for. It works well at the end of a release or a quarter, when there is more to say than problems.
- Liked
- Learned
- Lacked
- Longed for
When to use it
At the end of a release, a project stage or a quarter, or after a sprint in which the team learned a lot. It also helps when retrospectives only talk about problems and you want the learning to show.
How to run it
With four columns, give the writing phase a little more time. Action items usually come from Lacked and Longed for. Learned is often worth sharing outside the team.
Mad / Sad / Glad
Three columns on how the team felt: what made people mad, sad and glad. Good after a hard sprint, when talking about how it felt helps you reach what to change.
- Mad
- Sad
- Glad
When to use it
After a hard sprint, an incident or a change that affected people, when the team's mood matters more than the process. It invites feelings, so turn on anonymous mode while trust is still being built.
How to run it
Mad usually points at obstacles the team can change, Sad at disappointments. Group cards across both before voting. Leave Glad for the end of the conversation, so the team leaves knowing what to keep.
Sailboat
The team is a sailboat heading for an island. The wind is what helps, the anchors are what slows you down, the rocks are the risks ahead and the island is the goal. A simple picture that helps you talk about risks before they become problems.
- Wind
- Anchors
- Rocks
- Island
When to use it
When the team has a goal ahead, such as a release, a launch or the quarter's objective, and needs to see what helps, what holds it back and what risks are coming. It also helps when the usual formats keep producing the same cards.
How to run it
Start by writing the goal in Island together, so everyone sails for the same place. In Discuss, Anchors and Rocks lead to the action items. Wind shows what the team needs to protect.
How every template runs
Write
Everyone writes cards in the columns. The facilitator can run a timer and turn on anonymous mode when the topic is sensitive.
Group
The team puts similar cards into groups and names each group.
Vote
Everyone spends their votes, within the limit, on what matters most.
Discuss
The conversation starts with the most-voted cards. Each topic ends with an action item that has an owner.
Close
The facilitator closes the retrospective. It stays in the squad's history, where it can still be read, and only its action items can still change.
Pick the template for your team's next retrospective
Sign in, create your company, invite the team and start with the What went well / What went wrong / What if template.