Runs on PeopleBlog / Retros · 2 min read
Seven retro formats that get past "what went well"
Start, stop, continue has stopped working because everyone knows the answers before they arrive. Here are seven formats that get a team thinking again, and when to use each.
Why retros go stale
A retro stops working when it becomes predictable. Same three columns, same three people talking, same action that never gets done. The team isn't lazy. They've simply learnt what the meeting wants to hear.
Changing the format isn't a gimmick. A new question makes people look at the same fortnight from a different angle, and that's where the honest answers come from.
The seven formats
| Format | Best when | The question it asks |
|---|---|---|
| Sailboat | The team feels stuck | What's pushing us forward, and what's holding us back? |
| 4Ls | You want reflection, not complaint | What did we like, learn, lack and long for? |
| Timeline | After a long or messy project | What actually happened, in order, and how did it feel? |
| Circles of control | People feel powerless | Which of these can we change ourselves? |
| Pre-mortem | Before a big push | It's three months from now and this failed. Why? |
| Appreciation round | Morale is low | Who helped you this sprint, and how? |
| One-word check-out | Energy is low, time is short | One word for this sprint. Why that word? |
How to run the best three
Sailboat
Draw a boat. Wind behind it: what helped. Anchors: what slowed us down. Rocks ahead: risks we can see coming. The island: where we're trying to get to. Ten minutes of silent sticky notes, then group them. The rocks column is where the useful conversation usually is.
Circles of control
Draw three circles: control, influence, neither. Put every frustration in one of them. Spend your actions only on the first circle, and one on the second. This turns a complaining session into a plan, and it's honest about what's out of the team's hands.
Appreciation round
Everyone names one person who made their sprint easier, and says specifically how. It takes ten minutes and changes the mood of the room. Do it once a quarter at least, and every time things have been hard.
The people trap
The format matters less than two habits:
- Silent writing first. Everyone writes before anyone speaks. Otherwise the most confident person sets the agenda.
- One action, one owner, one date. And open the next retro by checking it. A retro whose actions never happen teaches people that talking is pointless.
In the frameworks
Try this week
Swap your next retro to circles of control. Only commit to actions in the inner circle.
Think about it
If your team could predict exactly what would be said in your next retro, what is the retro for?
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