Retree

Retro template

4Ls: Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for

4 questions that cover more ground than a went-well board.

Start a 4Ls: Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for retroAll templates

Liked

What did you like?

  • Pairing turned 2 days into an afternoon
  • Triage rotation kept support off everyone

Learned

What did you learn?

  • The rate limiter counts retries, so backoff hurt
  • Our largest account exports every Monday

Lacked

What was missing?

  • No staging data, so the import was blind
  • Acceptance criteria arrived on day 6

Longed for

What did you wish for?

  • A test suite under 10 minutes
  • One sprint without a change of priority
  • 4 lanesPrefilled the moment you start.
  • Writing timer 10 minSuggested for the preparation stage.
  • Best forThe end of a project or a quarter.
  • OriginMary Gorman and Ellen Gottesdiener published the 4Ls in 2010.

How it runs

  1. Preparation

    Give the team 10 minutes for 4 lanes.

  2. Grouping

    Group Lacked with Longed for first. A wish names a gap.

  3. Voting

    3 votes each, at least one on a Lacked group.

  4. Discussion

    Retree queues groups by votes. Record an owner per gap.

  5. Finished

    Copy the Learned cards out of the recap.

Column by column

  • Liked

    What did you like?

    What you enjoyed. Keep it concrete enough for the team to repeat.

    • Pairing turned 2 days into an afternoon
    • Triage rotation kept support off everyone

  • Learned

    What did you learn?

    What you know now that you did not know at the start.

    • The rate limiter counts retries, so backoff hurt
    • Our largest account exports every Monday

  • Lacked

    What was missing?

    What was missing. Name the gap, not the person.

    • No staging data, so the import was blind
    • Acceptance criteria arrived on day 6

  • Longed for

    What did you wish for?

    What you wish the team had, even when nobody can grant it.

    • A test suite under 10 minutes
    • One sprint without a change of priority

Best for

  • The end of a project or a quarter.
  • Teams that want the learning written down.
  • Mixed groups with stakeholders, because no question accuses anyone.

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Tips

  • Keep Learned personal. "I learned" beats a general statement nobody owns.
  • Say which period the board covers before people write.
  • Move a wish into Lacked when the team can close it.

Questions

  • What are the 4Ls in a retrospective?

    The board asks what the team liked and learned. It then asks what was lacking and what people long for.

  • Who created the 4Ls retrospective?

    Mary Gorman and Ellen Gottesdiener of EBG Consulting published it in June 2010.

  • When should we use the 4Ls?

    Use it to understand a period rather than decide changes at once.

  • Does it work for a 2 week sprint?

    Yes, though Longed for repeats sprint after sprint. Many teams run it monthly with a shorter board in between.

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