An emotion-led retrospective focused on the team's frustrations, disappointments and wins. Learn more: Retrospective formats.
Explicitly give permission to show emotions. Brief mindfulness exercise: 2 min of silent reflection, then check-in.
Timer, optionally calm music for the mindfulness exercise
Three columns: Mad 😠 (frustration), Sad 😢 (disappointment), Glad 😊 (joy). Silent writing, then share one at a time. Important: no justifying, just listen!
Whiteboard/Miro, sticky notes, pens
Group similar emotions. Ask: what's behind the frustration? What can we learn from it? Don't forget the wins (Glad) – celebrate them!
Focus on Mad and Sad: which topics can we as a team actually influence? Define concrete actions for the ones we can.
Action board
Quick round: how do you feel now? Check whether the retro helped. Alternative format: 4Ls Retro.