15 Retrospective Formats Your Team Will Actually Enjoy

"What went well? What didn't? What should we improve?"

If your team groans when they hear these questions, you're not alone. The same retrospective format, sprint after sprint, breeds apathy. Team members check out. Insights dry up.

The solution? Variety.

Quick Reference: Choosing the Right Format

| Situation | Recommended Format | |-----------|-------------------| | New team or project kickoff | Team Radar, Working Agreements | | After a difficult sprint | Mad Sad Glad, DAKI | | Celebrating a big win | Celebration Grid, Starfish | | Strategic planning needed | Sailboat, Mountain Climber | | Team conflict brewing | Appreciations, Team Health Check | | Remote/async team | Async 4Ls, Timeline |

Format 1: Start, Stop, Continue

Best for: Teams new to retrospectives, straightforward process issues

Three simple categories:

• Start: What should we begin doing?
• Stop: What should we stop doing?
• Continue: What's working that we should keep?

Format 2: Mad, Sad, Glad

Best for: Emotionally charged sprints, surfacing feelings

• Mad: What frustrated or angered you?
• Sad: What disappointed you?
• Glad: What made you happy?

Format 3: Sailboat

Best for: Visual teams, identifying blockers and accelerators

Draw a sailboat on the ocean:

• Wind (sails): What's propelling us forward?
• Anchors: What's slowing us down?
• Rocks: What risks lie ahead?
• Island: What's our goal?

Format 4: Four Ls (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For)

Best for: Learning-focused teams

• Liked: What did you enjoy?
• Learned: What new knowledge did you gain?
• Lacked: What resources were missing?
• Longed For: What do you wish had been different?

Format 5: Starfish

Best for: Nuanced discussions, detailed analysis

Five categories:

• Keep Doing: What's working well?
• Less Of: What should we reduce?
• More Of: What should we amplify?
• Stop Doing: What should we eliminate?
• Start Doing: What new things to try?

Format 6: DAKI (Drop, Add, Keep, Improve)

Best for: Action-oriented teams

• Drop: What should we stop?
• Add: What new practice to introduce?
• Keep: What's working to continue?
• Improve: What's good but could be better?

Format 7: Timeline

Best for: Complex sprints, incident reviews

1. Draw a horizontal timeline
2. Add significant events
3. Add emotion indicators
4. Identify patterns
5. Discuss peaks and valleys

Format 8: Celebration Grid

Best for: Innovation-focused teams

A 2x2 grid:

• Did it right + It worked = Celebrate!
• Did it right + Didn't work = Learn & iterate
• Got lucky + It worked = Understand why
• Got lucky + Didn't work = Avoid in future

Format 9: Team Radar

Best for: Team health checks

Rate aspects 1-5: Collaboration, Communication, Technical Excellence, Fun, Clarity, Psychological Safety

Format 10: Mountain Climber

Best for: Long-term projects, milestone celebrations

Draw a mountain showing: Base camp, Summit, Current position, Obstacles ahead, Equipment needed

Format 11: Lean Coffee

Best for: Self-organizing teams

1. Everyone writes topics
2. Vote on topics
3. Discuss in priority order
4. Time-box each topic
5. Vote to continue or move on

Format 12: Speed Car / Abyss

Best for: Identifying risks

Draw a race car at the edge of an abyss:

• Engine: What powers us forward?
• Parachute: What slows us down?
• Abyss: What risks could destroy us?
• Bridge: How do we cross safely?

Format 13: Hot Air Balloon

Best for: Visual variety

• Burners: What lifts us up?
• Sandbags: What weighs us down?
• Storm clouds: What threatens us?
• Sunny skies: What's going well?

Format 14: Happiness Door

Best for: Quick pulse checks

Three doors: Happy, Neutral, Unhappy

Format 15: Appreciation Retro

Best for: Team bonding, after high-stress sprints

Focus on positives: thank teammates, recognize contributions, celebrate wins, share proud moments.

The Bottom Line

Rotate formats to maintain engagement. Match format to situation. Time-box rigorously. Follow through on actions. Create psychological safety.

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