4Ls Retrospective

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Gather feedback across four distinct viewpoints to agree on practical process adjustments for an upcoming cycle.

Use it when: Use at the end of a sprint, project phase, or event when a team needs to examine both actual delivery hurdles and aspirational wishes.

Skip it when: Skip when the team is in mid-delivery crisis requiring immediate operational triage rather than reflective review.

Group arrangement: Individual reflection, followed by paired or whole-group clustering and full-team review

Timing: Source recommends 30 to 60 minutes based on team size; 45 minutes fits a standard team of up to 12 people.

Materials and tools

• 4 large chart posters labeled Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For
• Sticky notes (at least 2 pads per table)
• Dark felt markers (1 per participant)
• Low-tack wall tape
• Dot stickers for voting (3 per person) or markers to place dot votes

Before participants arrive

1. Hang the four labeled posters on a flat wall with walking room around them.
2. Distribute sticky notes and markers at each seat.
3. Write an explicit prompt under each category heading on the posters.

Say this to open

We are looking back at our recent work cycle across four categories: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. Liked covers what worked well and brought value. Learned covers new insights or discoveries, technical or interpersonal. Lacked covers things missing or obstacles that slowed us down. Longed For covers wishes, whether possible today or not, that would improve our work. Take sticky notes and write one point per note. You may contribute to any category or choose to focus on just one.

How to run it

1. Introduce categories and set ground rules 5 minutes

   Read the opening script. Post one neutral example on a display board to show the difference between Lacked and Longed For: 'Lacked: timely code reviews from our tech lead' versus 'Longed For: an automated staging test suite that runs in under two minutes'. Remind participants that silent reflection ensures everyone can contribute without interruption.

2. Silent individual note writing 8 minutes

   Participants write their observations on sticky notes, one idea per note, in silence. Everyone works at their own seat. Participants may write as many notes as they wish, or choose to submit none.

3. Post and sort into clusters 10 minutes

   Invite participants to walk up and place their notes on the corresponding posters. Once all notes are posted, direct the group to cluster related ideas within each category. Invite two volunteers to help shift notes and name each major thematic group aloud as it takes shape.

4. Prioritize topics with dot voting 7 minutes

   Give each participant 3 dot stickers (or invite them to mark up to 3 dots with their pen). Instruct everyone to vote on the themes or individual notes that most urgently require action or team agreement in the next cycle. People may place all votes on one item or spread them out.

5. Review top themes and capture actions 15 minutes

   Facilitate a discussion focused on the 2 or 3 clusters with the highest votes. For each top topic, ask the room to define one concrete adjustment, an owner, and a check-in date. Document these actions directly on a visible flip chart.

Debrief questions

• Looking at the Lacked notes versus the Longed For notes, what is one immediate fix we can handle without outside help?
• What is one positive practice from the Liked column that we need to protect during the next cycle?
• Which new insight from Learned should change how we plan our upcoming work?

Finished output: A wall of clustered feedback across the four categories with 1 to 3 assigned action commitments for the next work cycle.

Remote

Use an online whiteboard divided into four columns: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. Run the silent writing phase with private notes or an off-screen notepad, then paste them simultaneously. Use built-in digital voting pins for prioritization. Speak in turn using a hand-raise queue during the discussion.

Hybrid

Provide remote participants access to a mirrored digital board while in-room participants write on physical sticky notes. Assign a dedicated co-facilitator to scribe in-room physical notes onto the digital board and read remote submissions aloud during clustering. Combine dot votes digitally by having in-room attendees vote on physical charts and transcribing totals.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may submit notes in writing, state ideas verbally to a scribe, or observe without posting.
• Anyone may skip voting or pass on speaking during the final action planning without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

Participants confuse Lacked and Longed For, putting duplicate ideas in both.

Remind the room that Lacked is about missing necessities that caused friction, while Longed For is an open wish for future capabilities or tools.

Discussion derails into extended venting about organizational issues outside the team's control.

Acknowledge the frustration, place the item in a separate 'External Influences' box on the wall, and redirect focus to steps the team can execute independently.

Terms used here

• Dot voting: A simple prioritization method where people place adhesive dots on ideas to show which ones they care about discussing first.
• Sprint: A fixed time window during which a team completes a set amount of planned work.