Sprint retrospectives ideas
Here is the place to look for new ways to keep your retrospectives fresh and engaging. We have collected many different retrospective ideas over the years with our users and we want to share them with you! Here is a list of sprint retrospective ideas and techniques. Click on it to learn more and to create your first board.
Take a look on all 107 of 216 templates that have been used 701,251 times 🚀
- 0 usesWent Well - To Improve - Action ItemsThis technique is the most basic template you can use for your retrospective. It's very simple to use and understand. First, the team needs to brainstorm what went well in the previous sprint. After t...
- 0 usesStart - Stop - ContinueStart Stop Continue is a great format to focus on the things that are working (continue), things that are not working (stop) and things that the team should start doing (start). It focus on the past, ...
- 0 uses4Ls RetrospectiveThe 4Ls Retrospective model is an attempt to capture the natural thoughts that team members might have that can lead to continuous improvement. We naturally tend to think and share in terms of things ...
- 0 usesSailboat RetrospectiveImage with a sailboat dragging an anchor heading towards rocks. This retrospective technique uses a sailboat as a metaphor for the team. The team identifies anchors (that are holding us back) and wind...
- 0 usesMad Sad GladMad Sad Glad is an example of an organization tool that is employed by a team in order to encourage discussion of pertinent issues. It is a great way to list down all the strengths that a team exhibit...
- 0 usesLean CoffeeHaving been started in Seattle in 2009, Lean Coffee is a new format of holding meetings. It is extremely easy to learn and to adopt. As with all other business operations, when the word “Lean” is asso...
- 0 usesThumbs up, Thumbs down, new ideas and recognitionThe main idea is to pass the common retrospective dynamics like thumbs up and down. Including new ideas (team brainstorming) and recognition to continue grateful of people around.
- 0 usesOriginal 4Norman Kerth created this technique and retrospectives as well.
- 0 usesStarfish RetrospectiveBetter known as the Starfish retrospective, this technique was developed by Patrick Kua with the intention of helping teams carrying out a job better understand what they did wrong and how they can ma...
- 0 usesThree Little PigsBased on the story of the three little pigs and their quest for at strong house to live in.
- 0 usesSpeed Car RetrospectiveSimple retrospective using a Speed Car metaphor. Engine - Things that are moving is faster. Prachute - Things we believe are slowing us down and we can change.
- 0 usesHappy - Meh - SadVery similar to Mad - Sad - Glad, but a little more focused on the sentiment graduation
- 0 usesHarry PotterIn this retrospective, your team will use Harry Potter spells and artifacts to brainstorm and improve. Felix Felicis! The good things that happened on the sprint. Baruffio's Brain Elixir! The things ...
- 0 usesKALM RetrospectiveThings that your team need to keep, things you need to add, things that you need more of and things you need less of.
- 0 usesMarie Kondo MethodThis retrospective template was inspired by the KonMari method, created by Marie Kondo and described in her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up".
- 0 usesGame of ThronesThis retrospective format is inspired by the series Game of Thrones. Your team should reflect on what are you great at, what are the current issues on the team, what could make you better as a team an...
- 0 usesLove - Want - Hate - LearnShare what you love, want, hate and learn from the iteration phase
- 0 usesPros and ConsAt one point or the other, we are all faced with difficult decisions that require taking immediate action. Sometimes, we are even convinced that we know the best solution to a problem, so we make quic...
- 0 usesDAKIDAKI retrospective is a technique that allows a team to assess the areas that it needs to work on while also adopting new methodologies in the way they function. DAKI is an abbreviation for: Drop, Add...
- 0 uses3 L'sAccounts for what the team thought went well, what they learned and benefited from and what we can improve upon
- 0 usesSprint DiagnosticsA technique to analyse team's behavioural and technical changes, challenges, achievements over the sprint.
- 0 usesKudos RetrospectiveThis technique consists of the basic retrospective template (What went well, Things to improve and action items), but it adds an extra column for the team to create Kudo Cards to give recognition of a...
- 0 usesThe Good - The Bad - The UglyUsed for project retrospective for team members to share feedback - the good is what went well or worked well, the bad is what didn't go as planned or problems that surfaced, the ugly are things tha...
- 0 usesThe PacmanBased on this information, what could be some actions to improve?
- 0 usesSix Thinking HatsThe Six Thinking Hats is an efficient technique that uses different points of view to look at decisions. It helps us see a different outlook from the usual styles of thinking to a more rounded view of...
- 0 usesHot Air Balloon RetrospectiveImagine your project is a hot-air balloon and there are a couple of forces in place. The sandbags and storms are the things holding the project back and the hot air and fire are pushing the project fo...
- 0 usesFacebook ReactionsThe template is based on emoji comment reactions from Facebook. The team uses the six categories based on the emoji faces- what they liked, what they loved, what made them laugh, what surprised them, ...
- 0 usesThe Elvis RetrospectiveThe Elvis retrospective is most suited to development teams (in the broadest sense of the word) as not all elements might apply equally to run teams or groups that simply have to coordinate their sepa...
- 0 usesOne word - Battery CheckQuick retrospective to determine any issues a team might have had and gage the team members mood going into next sprint
- 0 usesMore Better Different LessGo through each column in turn More, Better, Different, Less and then vote on them.
- 0 usesRose Bud ThornRose Bud Thorn is a technique used in Design Thinking to understand what's working, what is not and areas of opportunity. "Rose" is for things that are working well and positive things. "Bud" is for t...
- 0 usesGenie in a BottleThis technique is inspired by the story of Genie in a bottle. What is the one wish you would like to ask for your team?
- 0 usesGood Bad Better BestSection is called "Good, bad, better, best" https://backlog.com/blog/three-ways-run-productive-retrospective/
- 0 usesFuturespectiveDon't look back in anger. Look forward in hope
- 0 usesFLAP RetrospectiveAs good practice, remember to set the stage and ensure that people are reminded that is not a process of blame, but for identifying potential areas for change. If you have run this retrospective metho...
- 0 usesLikes / Wishes / WondersThings you liked, things you wished went different, thing you still wonder about the team / process
- 0 usesWWWThe WWW is a great data gathering activity for retrospectives. The 3 Ws stand for: Worked well, kinda Worked, didn’t Work.
- 0 usesNailed It!End of project retrospective to know what people learnt / enjoyed most on this project
- 0 usesWell Better Try PuzzleWhat went well? (What were you pleased with or produced good outcome?) What could have gone better? (What went wrong or what areas do you see for improvement?) What do we want to try? (What innovative...
- 0 usesWRAP RetrospectiveInspired by Actions for Retrospectives from Innovationgames, this technique is good for keeping the team engaged and make the retrospective more fun.
- 0 usesFirst FeelThis technique gets the initial honest thoughts about the iteration from the scrum team
- 0 usesEnd of the year retroEnd of year Team Retro focused with holiday themes
- 0 usesTeam topicsThis template focuses on gathering feedback on 4 team topics: - Speed / Velocity - Definition of Ready & Definition of Done - Workflow - Communication
- 0 usesLearning MatrixAfter discussing the data from Gather Data The team members can add their input to any quadrant. One thought per sticky note. Cluster the notes. Hand out 6-10 dots for people to vote on the most i...
- 0 usesHero's JourneyHero's Journey the hero; who is the person or the group going through the journey the guide; the people and things guiding the hero the cavern; the challenges ahead the treasure; the awards and achie...
- 0 usesFuturespective Grow ModelThe goals you wish to achieve.The realities you should consider in the context of the decision process.The options open to you in order to decide.Your way forward; your specific action plan to maximiz...
- 0 usesWinning-Puzzling-ImprovingRecurring Retro for larger groups. Participants will highlight wins for the period, what still puzzles them and what can be improved on.
- 0 usesPre Mortem RetroAnalyze what could go wrong in the next release
- 0 usesGoldilocksBased on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairy tale, this takes a new spin on Start, Stop, Continue. What are the things that are Too Cold that we need to turn up the heat on (start doing); What ar...
- 0 usesSSS - Start Stop SupportTo get commitment from the team members to change their behaviour in the coming sprint to improve ways of working and increase transparency on expectations on each others. Very powerful tool to use!
- 0 usesSharks and ChimpsThis is based on a technique described in Radical Candor, and is designed to facilitate communication and openness about risk-taking. (In Radical Candor it's described as Tigers and Monkeys I believe...
- 0 usesCoffee Appreciation ActionsThis technique is very much based on lean coffee and enables the team to add items to discuss and be voted on, however, it also enables the team to add Kudos cards as well as track any actions that ne...
- 0 usesQuintuple As RetrospectiveAwesome - What were the things you liked or thought went well during the sprint? Aggravation - What were the things you did not like or were a source of aggravation during the sprint? Adjust - What ...
- 0 usesYour sprint as a movieThink of the sprint as a movie and tell us title and genre of it For instance "Back to the future" - sci-fi The main proplem found was not knowing if everything was going to work as expected to s C...
- 0 usesRetro StarWarsThis template is based in Star Wars. The idea is to change the classical Good, Bad, Actions with The Light, The dark side, Padawns (optional) & the actions to reach the force
- 0 usesA Night at the OscarsThink of this Retrospective as a "Night at the Oscars".
- 0 usesOlympic ResultsThis is somewhat akin to the 'three little pigs' retro, but with olympic medals to represent how well we are doing something, plus a 'personal best' column to allow everyone to share a specific succes...
- 0 usesLiked - Lacked - ChangeLiked-Lacked-Change Retrospective is a retro exercise to help team members not only express what's been good or bad recently, but what they need to change individually and collectively in order to imp...
- 0 usesCelebrating success and failureCelebration Grid: Celebrate both success and failure. We are learning equally from the both. This helps to stop, think and analyse.
- 0 usesAppreciation RetroThe purpose of retrospectives * Continuous improvement of the team and its processes * Foster an empathetic team culture where members are unafraid to ask hard questions and have courageous conversa...
- 0 usesGlad - Wondering - Bad - Action - AppreciateEnhances the classic 3-column (went well, could've been better, action items) format with 2 additional columns: "I'm wondering" is meant for thought-provoking questions, like "Are we getting value fr...
- 0 usesDonut ShopThe Donut Shop Retro is best when done in person (you can bring actual donuts in) but also easy to run virtually. It helps teams reflect on what has hidden value, what can be improved upon and what is...
- 0 usesGood, Bad, Learned, and Learning4 columns for what went well, what didn't go well, what was or was expected to be learned, and I plan to learn next sprint.
- 0 usesPlus Delta TemplateA plus delta template is a simple way to objectively evaluate your team or project's status. Here’s what it looks like, how to use it and why you should. What is the plus? + The plus is an operator ...
- 0 usesWow Wonder WorriedWow- what went well? Wonder- what needs improvement or any new learning? Worried- what did not go well?
- 0 usesQuarantine RetroTo start the retrospective, the facilitator will share the team’s key data points to provide insight on the team's progress throughout the sprint and current PI. The team will then discuss the data p...
- 0 usesEnergy LevelsThe energy levels retrospective asks team members to reflect on which parts of their work they feel excited about (high energy), which they feel good about (medium energy) and which parts they find di...
- 0 usesGlad / Sad / How Might We / We Will1) The team lists things that happened during the sprint that made them Glad / Sad (first 2 columns). 2) Come up with challenges to the current operation in the "How might we ... ?"* format (3rd colum...
- 0 usesAre we happy?This is also a possible opportunity to make your retrospectives a bit more fun. But could be done separately to the standard ceremonies. You won’t believe some of the funny things that can come out. ...
- 0 usesSnow WhiteBased on Snow white fairytale and the most known retrospective technique - what went well / what to improve? - Seven dwarfs - a column to write positive actions and things during previous sprint - P...
- 0 usesFestive Christmas End Of Year RetroTeam to add cards in each column before the meeting, at the start of the meeting team will vote on the cards. Cards then discussed in order of the most votes first.
- 0 usesAvengers-themed retrospectiveEach team member bring their own perspectives and “super powers” for collaboration and teamwork.
- 0 usesWhat a Good / What a Pity / What ifFirst column you present good things that happened in the last sprint and you want to keep it Second column you say things you think were not good Third you suggest ways to solve what you think was ...
- 0 usesFootball RetroThe template consists of the following metrics, which are also used in a football statistic Shoot: What have I achieved? Assist: How could I help my team members? Pass: How get I help from my team mem...
- 0 usesThe Easter Egg RetrospectiveEaster time is here, so why not skip the standard retro formats a little? The Easter Egg Retrospective can be used in the Review stage or as a Brainstorming activity. There's no limit on the size of...
- 0 usesAmong UsBased on the popular game currently (in 2020) Among Us. The team would all jump in a round of Among Us to lift the mood. And then we start the Retro.
- 0 usesSomething PositiveTake a positive look back at the previous sprint, while still giving space to share learnings and to vent.
- 0 usesThe 4Ls - QA FocusedIs quality assurance important to your product? How about to your brand? If the answer is yes then perhaps it’s time to think about offering your QAs the spotlight at the retrospective table. Hold a ...
- 0 usesRelease Retro TemplateThis is a post-mortem after the release to capture not only the good, bad, ugly but also what and how to improve before the next release
- 0 usesNew Hire ConnectionsRetro on employees new hire experience when creating connections at work
- 0 usesWho Moved My Cheese?Retrospective template based on the quotes from the book "Who Moved My Cheese?". With this retrospective you and your team are going to reflect on: - What worked well this sprint? - What status quo c...
- 0 usesEasy as a Pie we loveThe Easy as a Pie we love Retrospective Game can be used on the Review stage or as a Brainstorming activity. There's no limit on the size of the group that can participate in this exercise. We consid...
- 0 usesThe Mountain Climber RetroCreate the right setting for a new year retrospective with The Mountain Climber Retro. In every retrospective, it's important to set the right framework. Usually, retrospectives focus on the “sprint”...
- 0 usesThe Fireworks RetrospectiveCreate the right setting for a new year retrospective with The Fireworks Retro. In every retrospective, it's important to set the right framework. Usually, retrospectives focus on the “sprint” as a r...
- 0 usesRelease RetrospectiveA Release Retrospective is a critical event because it captures all the lessons learned and improvements made during the project. The retrospective begins with a team meeting to discuss what worked we...
- 0 usesBaseball RetrospectiveStart off with gauging initial reaction to the sprint with a press conference. Then go into the retro. Picked off - Did anything catch us off guard? Outs - What was not good. Foul Balls - What can w...
- 0 usesESVP (Explorers, Shoppers, Vacationers, Prisoners)The Retrospective Game ESVP is a popular retrospective game that was featured in a widely popular book “Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great” written by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen. Durin...
- 0 usesHolistic Advantages and Impediments Team ReviewSingle or multi-team initiative has completed and it's time to have everyone review the structure of the teams and processes for improvement. This is a relatively longer session because it's meant to ...
- 0 usesFirst retro of the yearShare your wishes to the Team, plan the year with your team and start it in a good mode. It's similar to "Happy-Sad" retro
- 0 usesThe Meaning of Easter RetrospectiveEaster is one of the most widely celebrated holiday seasons across the world. So why not take this season as an opportunity to change your Retro format and try something new? The Meaning of Easter Re...
- 0 usesHappy Diwali RetroRegardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available and the...
- 0 usesThanksgivingThanksgiving Food Theme Theme Theme
- 0 usesChristmas RetroThe Christmas Retrospective has three components, based on Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future.
- 0 usesThe GrinchThis is a great retro for anyone familiar with the Grinch (book, movie or cartoon) and perfect around the holidays. The columns are fairly self explanatory.
- 0 usesGhosts of ChristmasThis template is perfect for a sprint or end of year retro. It also works well as a end or project post mortem tool
- 0 usesEasy As PieEasy As Pie is a good retrospective activity to look for improvements, to apologize for personal mistakes, to present new ideas and to recognise the good things. Humble Pie -Admit a wrong that occurr...
- 0 usesALC RetrospectiveA 4 pronged approach where you can acknowledge the contributions of your team members, call out items that went well, identify areas for improvements and follow up on actions items.
- 0 usesA Thanksgiving RetroWhere does the Thanksgiving Retrospective come into play? In America, as children, we would do a project in school where we would assemble a paper cartoon turkey. We would color it, decorate it, then...
- 0 usesThe Basketball TeamThe Retrospective Game (The Basketball Team) can be used on the Review stage or as a Brainstorming activity. There's no limit on the size of the group that can participate in this exercise. We consi...
- 0 usesMy favorite Easter Egg RetrospectiveEaster season is here, so why not change the format a little bit and start using some Easter retros? My favorite Easter Egg Retrospective can be used in the Review stage or as a Brainstorming activit...
- 0 usesCupid's Retrospective TemplateThis activity was conceived to generate positive discussions and warm the heart of your team members. Cupid retrospective helps you reflect on your last work cycle by emphasizing the positive elements...
- 0 usesAn End of Year Retrospective TemplateThis year maybe has been difficult for many, so celebrate you made it to the end of the year! Use this time to reflect on the year that passed, and consider the possibilities of the year ahead of you...
- 0 usesHappy/Puzzled/Sad - QA FocusedIs quality assurance important to your product? How about to your brand? If the answer is yes then perhaps it’s time to think about offering your QAs the spotlight at the retrospective table. Hold a ...
- 0 usesHypothesis Retrospective - QA FocusedIs quality assurance important to your product? How about to your brand? If the answer is yes then perhaps it’s time to think about offering your QAs the spotlight at the retrospective table. Hold a ...
- 0 usesHalloween Retrospective Template - Spooky Sprint!Happy Halloween! The spookiest day of the year is here, so why not try this Halloween Retrospective Idea (we are never too old, right?)? The Halloween Retrospective Template - Spooky Sprint can be u...
- 0 usesHalloween Retrospective Template - The Halloweenspective!It's Halloween week, so why not do a different Retrospective? Here are a couple of ideas that you can implement during this Halloweenspective: 1. Ask people to wear some costume item, something easy...
- 0 usesRetro WeddingThis is a fun retrospective format that gets your team thinking of things from a different perspective. Source: https://retromat.org/en/?id=89