Agile Retrospective

Agile

The Agile Retrospective is perhaps the simplest and most well known retrospective format: What went well, What didn't go well, What needs to change. These three questions are at the heart of most issues any team might face, and what must be done to address them. This format is a natural one and suited for teams that are new to retrospectives or to seasoned teams that wish to skip right to the important questions.

We have added 2 additional columns that we have found useful when running our own retros: How do you feel, and Shout outs. People are often all too ready to share their feelings, and asking explicitly is a polite way to give them a platform to express themselves, and also to vent their concerns, which is a large part of what retrospectives are about. Be sure to capture concrete actions using TeleRetro's Actions features to make sure any existing issues are addressed.

Finally, shout outs are a great way to acknowledge who is doing a great job and is deserving of recognition.

Warm up

After introducing the columns, and inviting people to submit their notes, considering using our IceBreaker feature to play background music. This can be great fun and creates a relaxed atmosphere in which to generate ideas. Pause the music when you're ready to talk through the feedback shared as a team.

😅 How do you feel

Are you frustrated or delighted? Let your team know.

🙂 What went well

What went really well recently that we should do more of?

🙁 What didn't go well

What didn't go well that we should drop or improve?

💪 What needs to change

What are your suggestions what could help us work better?

🌟 Shout outs

Who is doing a great job and why?

Start an Agile Retro View all retro templates

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Agile retrospective template?

The Agile retrospective template is the foundational retrospective format that emerged from the Agile Manifesto's 12th principle - "At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly." This classic three-question format (What went well, What didn't go well, What needs to change) distills retrospectives to their essence - celebrate successes, acknowledge failures, and commit to improvements. This version includes two additional dimensions - "How do you feel" for emotional check-ins and "Shout outs" for explicit recognition - addressing the reality that retrospectives are as much about people as processes.

When should you use the Agile retrospective template?

Use the Agile retrospective template when you want the most universally understood retrospective format. It's essential for teams new to retrospectives because its simplicity teaches the fundamental retrospective rhythm - reflect, learn, improve. It's equally valuable for experienced teams who want to return to basics after experimenting with complex formats. The Agile format works in any situation because its three core questions are universally applicable - every team always has things that worked, things that didn't, and things that need changing. Use it when you need reliability over novelty.

How do you run an Agile retrospective meeting effectively?

To run an effective Agile retrospective, follow these steps:

• Set the stage with feelings - Start with "How do you feel" to give the team emotional permission to be honest. Use a mood check-in or have team members share one-word feelings. This vulnerability primes psychological safety for harder discussions
• Brainstorm - Give 5-10 minutes for silent brainstorming with icebreaker music. Team members add items to What went well, What didn't go well, and What needs to change columns anonymously. Pause music when brainstorming ends
• Group and sort - Group and sort similar items together across all three main columns
• Discuss and vote - Start with "What went well" to maintain positive tone before discussing problems. Review all grouped items and vote to prioritize which issues need action and which successes to amplify
• Create action items - For top-voted "What needs to change" items, assign specific owners and deadlines. Each action should directly address a "didn't go well" or amplify a "went well". Limit to 2-3 actions maximum - retrospectives fail when teams commit to too many changes
• Celebrate with shout outs - End by reading all Shout outs aloud. This ensures every retrospective ends positively, even after difficult discussions
• Share summary - Export and share the retro summary with action items and shout outs

The session typically takes 45-60 minutes. The key to Agile retrospectives is balancing honesty about problems with celebration of progress - the "What went well" and "Shout outs" columns ensure retrospectives don't become complaint sessions.

What makes a good Agile retrospective discussion?

Good Agile retrospective discussions follow the Prime Directive, coined by Norm Kerth: "Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand." This mindset shapes quality discussions:

• How do you feel - Name specific emotions with context. "I feel frustrated about deployment delays" is actionable; "I feel bad" isn't. Feelings are data about team health
• What went well - Be specific about why it worked. "Our pair programming caught 3 critical bugs before production" gives replicable lessons. Celebrate to reinforce desired behaviors
• What didn't go well - Focus on systems, not people. "Our code review process delayed releases by 2 days" invites solutions; "Bob's slow reviews delayed us" creates defensiveness. Assume good intent
• What needs to change - Propose concrete experiments, not vague wishes. "Let's try async code reviews with 24-hour SLA" is testable; "Better communication" isn't. Frame as experiments to reduce commitment pressure
• Shout outs - Be authentic and specific. "Shout out to Maria for staying late Tuesday to unblock the deployment" creates meaningful recognition that generic praise can't match

The Agile format's power lies in its simplicity - three questions that never get old because they address the continuous improvement cycle at the heart of agile thinking.

Why is the Agile retrospective the classic format that inspired all others?

The Agile retrospective is the foundational format because its three core questions - What went well, What didn't go well, What needs to change - represent the irreducible essence of continuous improvement. Every other retrospective format is ultimately a variation on these questions, but they all circle back to the same fundamental cycle - celebrate what worked, acknowledge what didn't, commit to improvement. This format endures because it's built on universal truth rather than creativity or metaphor. The questions work for any team, in any context, at any time because they address the timeless challenge of getting better at what you do. Teams can experiment with other formats, but they always return to the Agile retrospective when they need reliability. It's not the most exciting format, but it's the most trustworthy - the format you can run every sprint for years without it losing effectiveness. The two additional columns (How do you feel, Shout outs) evolved from decades of facilitation wisdom, turning the analytically complete three questions into an emotionally complete five-column format that teams can rely on indefinitely.

What are the benefits of using the Agile retrospective template?

The Agile retrospective template offers fundamental benefits:

• Universal understanding - Everyone immediately grasps what went well, what didn't go well, and what needs to change, eliminating format confusion
• Complete coverage - The three core questions form a logically complete set covering past, present, and future
• Emotional intelligence - "How do you feel" legitimizes emotions in professional settings, preventing emotional debt accumulation
• Explicit recognition - "Shout outs" prevents retrospectives from becoming purely problem-focused, maintaining team morale
• Timeless relevance - Unlike themed or metaphorical formats that can feel gimmicky after repeated use, the Agile format never gets old because its questions are fundamental
• Low facilitation overhead - New facilitators can run effective Agile retrospectives without training because the format is self-explanatory

The Agile format's greatest benefit is teaching teams the retrospective mindset - regular reflection, shared ownership of problems, and continuous improvement. Teams that master the Agile retrospective can adapt to any format because they understand the underlying principles.

What are some alternatives to the Agile retrospective template?

If you're looking for different retrospective formats and templates, consider these alternatives:

• Start Stop Continue - When you want action-oriented language (Start, Stop, Continue) instead of the Agile format's reflective framing (went well, didn't go well, needs to change)
• Mad Sad Glad - When your team needs to surface emotions more directly than the Agile format's "How do you feel" column allows
• DAKI retrospective - When you want the Agile format's clarity but need to separate "Add new things" from "Improve existing things" into distinct categories
• Four Ls retrospective - When you want to add explicit learning capture (Learned, Longed for) beyond the Agile format's implicit learning

The Agile retrospective remains the default choice when you want reliability, universal understanding, and a format that balances analytical rigor with emotional intelligence. Other formats are variations on this theme.