Retree

Retro template

Went well, To improve, Ideas

The usual sprint retro board. It splits what worked from what to fix, and keeps a column for ideas.

Start a Went well, To improve, Ideas retroAll templates

Went well

What went well?

  • The release went out with no rollback
  • 2 people reviewed every migration

To improve

What could have gone better?

  • Staging data was 3 days stale
  • The API contract changed mid-sprint

Ideas

What should we try next?

  • Announce contract changes in the channel
  • Reseed staging every Monday
  • 3 lanesPrefilled the moment you start.
  • Writing timer 8 minSuggested for the preparation stage.
  • Best forThe regular sprint retro, with nothing to explain first.

How it runs

  1. Preparation

    All 3 columns open at once, so ideas land beside their observation.

  2. Grouping

    Group To improve first, since it holds the most duplicates.

  3. Voting

    3 votes each, spent on what the team wants to discuss.

  4. Discussion

    Retree walks the groups in vote order and records action items.

  5. Finished

    The recap lists the discussed groups and every action item.

Column by column

  • Went well

    What went well?

    Record what worked and the effect it had. Facts age better than praise.

    • The release went out with no rollback
    • 2 people reviewed every migration

  • To improve

    What could have gone better?

    Name what cost the team time or trust. A card here needs no solution attached.

    • Staging data was 3 days stale
    • The API contract changed mid-sprint

  • Ideas

    What should we try next?

    Propose something to try next sprint, whether or not it answers a card above.

    • Announce contract changes in the channel
    • Reseed staging every Monday

Best for

  • The regular sprint retro, with nothing to explain first.
  • Mixed sprints where several things went well and one clearly did not.
  • Teams new to retros who recognize the columns from other tools.

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Tips

  • Write Went well first. Teams that open with problems tend to stay there.
  • Keep To improve about the work, not about the person who missed a handover.
  • An idea nobody votes for is not dead. Leave it for the next retro.

Questions

  • What is the Went well retrospective?

    A 3 column retro board. The team records what worked, then what to fix and what to try.

  • How does it differ from Start, Stop, Continue?

    This board separates what happened from what to do about it. The other asks for a proposal in every column.

  • How long does the retro take?

    About an hour for 6 people. Teams that run it every sprint often finish sooner.

  • What if nothing went well?

    Ask for the smallest thing that held, such as a review that caught a bug.

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