What This Template Is For
A retrospective is where your sprint turns into learning. Without a structured format, retros drift into venting sessions or awkward silences. This template gives you a repeatable structure for running effective retros that produce real action items. Not just sticky notes that get forgotten.
It covers the classic What Went Well / What Didn't / Action Items format, plus three alternative formats you can rotate to keep retros fresh across your Scrum team. For the meeting that precedes the retro, see the sprint planning guide and Sprint Planning Template.
When to Use This Template
- End of every sprint: Run a retro within 24 hours of sprint completion while context is fresh.
- After a failed release or incident: Use the template to structure a blameless post-mortem.
- When team morale dips: Retros surface friction that one-on-ones miss.
- New team formation: Establish a feedback rhythm from sprint one.
- Quarterly reset: Run a longer-format retro to review patterns across multiple sprints.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Set the Stage (2 minutes)
State the retro's purpose and ground rules:
- ☐ Timebox announced (typically 45-60 minutes for a two-week sprint)
- ☐ "Vegas rule". What's said here stays here
- ☐ One speaker at a time
- ☐ Focus on process, not people
Step 2: Gather Data (10 minutes)
Each team member writes observations silently. Use the format below or one of the variations. Aim for 2-3 items per person per column. Silent writing prevents groupthink.
Step 3: Group and Discuss (15 minutes)
Read items aloud, group duplicates, and dot-vote on the top 3 topics. Discuss each selected topic for 3-5 minutes. Ask: "What specifically caused this?" and "What would we change?"
Step 4: Define Action Items (10 minutes)
Every retro must produce 1-3 concrete action items. Each action needs an owner and a due date. Add them to your backlog or team tracker. Not a doc that nobody reopens.
Step 5: Close (3 minutes)
Quick round-robin: one word describing how each person feels about the sprint ahead. Thank the team.
The Retrospective Template
Default Format: What Went Well / What Didn't / Action Items
Sprint: [Sprint number]
Date: [Date]
Facilitator: [Name]
Attendees: [Names]
| What Went Well | What Didn't Go Well | Action Items |
|---|---|---|
| [Item] | [Item] | [Action]. Owner: [Name], Due: [Date] |
| [Item] | [Item] | [Action]. Owner: [Name], Due: [Date] |
| [Item] | [Item] | [Action]. Owner: [Name], Due: [Date] |
Variation 1: Start-Stop-Continue
| Start Doing | Stop Doing | Continue Doing |
|---|---|---|
| [New practice to adopt] | [Practice to drop] | [Practice that's working] |
Variation 2: 4Ls (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For)
| Liked | Learned | Lacked | Longed For |
|---|---|---|---|
| [What you enjoyed] | [New insight] | [What was missing] | [What you wish you had] |
Variation 3: Mad-Sad-Glad
| Mad | Sad | Glad |
|---|---|---|
| [Frustrations] | [Disappointments] | [Wins and positives] |
Example
Sprint: Sprint 14
Facilitator: Sarah
Attendees: Sarah, Marcus, Li, Jordan
| What Went Well | What Didn't Go Well | Action Items |
|---|---|---|
| Shipped search feature 2 days early | QA found 4 bugs in staging that should have been caught in code review | Add a code review checklist to PR template. Owner: Marcus, Due: Feb 20 |
| Pair programming on the API layer saved rework | Sprint goal changed mid-sprint after stakeholder request | PM to push back on mid-sprint scope changes. Bring to next sprint planning. Owner: Sarah, Due: Feb 24 |
| Velocity was consistent with last 3 sprints | Stand-ups ran over 15 min on 3 days | Enforce 1-minute-per-person limit, save deep dives for after. Owner: Jordan, Due: ongoing |
Tips
- Rotate facilitators. When the same person always runs the retro, the team hears the same prompts and falls into patterns. Rotate every sprint.
- Track action items across sprints. Start each retro by reviewing last sprint's action items. If they keep rolling over, either they aren't important enough or the team needs help prioritizing them.
- Rotate formats every 3-4 sprints. The default format works well, but teams get retro fatigue. Switch to 4Ls or Mad-Sad-Glad to surface different kinds of feedback.
- Timebox strictly. A 45-minute retro with clear action items beats a 90-minute session that ends with "we should communicate better."
- Make it safe. If people are not surfacing real issues, the retro is not working. Consider anonymous input via sticky notes or a form before the meeting.