Choose Your Retrospective Format
Start · Stop · Continue
Simple, effective, and universally understood. Teams identify what to start, stop, and keep doing.
- What should we START doing?
- What should we STOP doing?
- What should we CONTINUE doing?
4Ls Format
Richer than Start/Stop/Continue — adds nuance around learning and aspirations.
- What did I LIKED about this Sprint?
- What did I LEARNED?
- What did I LACKED (wished we had)?
- What did I LONGED FOR (future desire)?
Sailboat (Metaphor)
Uses a sailing metaphor to make retrospectives more creative and engaging for experienced teams.
- ⛵ Wind: what propelled us forward?
- ⚓ Anchors: what slowed us down?
- 🪨 Rocks: risks ahead to avoid
- 🏝️ Island: our destination/goal
Standard Retrospective Agenda (90 min)
Scrum Master facilitates| Time | Activity | Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | Check-in / Opening Set the tone. Remind the team this is a safe space. Review the Prime Directive. | SM facilitates | "Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could." — Norm Kerth |
| 0:05–0:10 | Safety Check (optional) Anonymous 1–5 vote on psychological safety. If average is below 3, adjust the format accordingly. | Anonymous vote | Use the Safety Check scale below |
| 0:10–0:30 | Data Collection Team silently writes observations on sticky notes (or virtual board). No discussion yet. | Individual → Group | Silence is important — avoids anchoring bias |
| 0:30–0:50 | Insights (Grouping & Discussion) SM facilitates clustering similar themes. Team discusses root causes — not just symptoms. | SM facilitates | Ask WHY 5 times — dig for root causes not surface issues |
| 0:50–1:10 | Decide on Improvements Dot-vote or prioritize the top 1–3 improvements. Convert each to a concrete action item. | Team votes, SM captures | 1 real improvement is better than 10 wishful ones |
| 1:10–1:25 | Action Planning Each action item gets an owner, a definition of done, and a completion date by the next retro. | SM leads | Use the Action Item Template below |
| 1:25–1:30 | Close & Appreciation Each person shares one positive observation about a teammate. SM thanks the team. | Everyone | Ends on energy — critical for psychological safety |
Psychological Safety Check
Ask at start of retroAsk each team member to privately write a number 1–5 representing how safe they feel to speak openly. Average the results and share only the average — never individual scores.
If the average is below 3, do not run a standard retrospective. Instead, work 1:1 with team members to understand concerns, or use anonymous written formats that do not require speaking aloud.
Action Item Template
Fill in during retroSprint ___ Retrospective — Action Items
Date: ____________At the START of every retrospective, review the previous Sprint's action items. Ask: "Did we complete them? What was the impact?" This builds accountability and shows the team that retrospectives lead to real change.
Common Retrospective Mistakes
❌ Retrospectives That Fail
- No action items — just venting with no outcomes
- Same format every Sprint — team disengages
- Skipping retros when the team is "too busy"
- Manager or stakeholders present — team self-censors
- Action items have no owners or due dates
- Never reviewing previous action items
- SM dominates — team barely speaks
✅ Signs of a Great Retrospective
- Everyone speaks — not just the loudest voices
- Previous action items are reviewed first
- 1–3 specific, owned, time-bound improvements
- Team leaves energized — not drained
- Root causes discussed — not just symptoms
- Honesty with psychological safety
- Format varies — team looks forward to it