Stop Doing: Practices that are ineffective and should be halted.More of: Actions or strategies that have potential and should be increased.Less of: These are things that are overdone or have a lesser ROI than expected.Keep Doing: These are the practices that currently benefit the team and should be continued.Invite each team member to contribute their thoughts on sticky notes for each category. This model is excellent for balanced reflection, as it encourages teams to acknowledge what is working well in addition to areas of improvement.ĭraw a large starfish with five arms labeled with the categories mentioned above. The Starfish Retrospective allows the team to categorize their feedback into five distinct areas: Keep Doing, Less of, More of, Stop Doing, and Start Doing. Discuss each point, and collaboratively decide on the actions to optimize the wind, navigate around the rocks, and cut loose from the anchor. Have team members write their thoughts on sticky notes and place them in the respective areas on the sailboat picture. Anchor: What is holding us back? Maybe it’s a cumbersome process, lack of resources, or a skill gap within the team.Rocks: What risks are we currently facing? This can include tight deadlines, technical debt, or external market pressures.
Wind: What propelled us forward? It could be anything from great teamwork, a successful product launch, or innovative problem-solving strategies.Ask the team to reflect on the following: It helps teams to visualize their progress, identify obstacles, and define the forces that push them forward or hold them back.ĭraw a large sailboat in the middle of a whiteboard, with wind at its sails, rocks or a reef to represent obstacles, and an anchor to signify what is slowing the team down. The Sailboat Retrospective is a visually stimulating activity that draws a parallel between a team’s project journey and a sailboat’s voyage. These five fun and engaging retrospective ideas will not only revive your Agile team but also enhance collaboration and drive better results.
However, if the word “retrospective” is met with heavy sighs, it’s time to infuse some energy back into your team. For Agile teams, retrospectives are a fundamental part of the process-a time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve.
Project management can often be a juggling act of tasks, timelines, and team dynamics.