Football Retro

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Map individual contributions, collaborative support needs, and role clarity across four distinct reflection prompts.

Use it when: At the end of a sprint, release, or milestone when a team wants to examine both personal achievements and peer-to-peer collaboration.

Skip it when: When a team is resolving severe interpersonal conflict, or when team members strongly dislike athletic metaphors and prefer literal review categories.

Group arrangement: Individual reflection followed by small-group clustering in triads or quads, ending with full-group review.

Timing: UWT suggested duration for a complete 35-minute retrospective session; the source provides only prompt headings.

Materials and tools

• Whiteboard or wall space divided into 4 columns labeled Shoot, Assist, Pass, Position
• Sticky notes (at least 10 notes per participant)
• Fine-tip dry-erase markers or felt pens (1 per participant)
• Digital whiteboard tool if running online or hybrid

Before participants arrive

1. Draw 4 columns on a shared wall or board: Shoot (What have I achieved?), Assist (How could I help my team members?), Pass (How can I get help from my team members?), and Position (What is my role on the team?).
2. Distribute sticky notes and markers to all participants before starting.

Say this to open

Welcome to our retrospective. Today we are using four football metrics to inspect our recent cycle: Shoot covers what you achieved. Assist covers how you could help teammates. Pass covers how you can get help from teammates. Position looks at your current role on the team. Take five minutes to write your thoughts quietly on sticky notes.

How to run it

1. Introduce prompts and silent writing 6 minutes

   Explain the four columns using the opening script. Participants write quietly, one point per sticky note, placing their notes into any or all of the four categories. Writing is private until posted, and participants may write as few or as many notes as they choose.

2. Post and review in small groups 10 minutes

   Divide participants into small groups of 3 to 4. Group members place their notes on the board in the corresponding columns. In their small groups, they read through posted notes, ask clarifying questions, and group similar notes together.

3. Cluster patterns as a whole room 10 minutes

   Bring the full room together. Walk through each column from Shoot to Position. Invite each small group to highlight one prominent cluster or cross-cutting pattern they noticed. Focus discussion on the balance between Assist and Pass notes.

4. Select team commitments 9 minutes

   Guide the group to identify one or two concrete adjustments based on the Assist, Pass, and Position columns. Write these agreements on the board with designated owners. Run a quick debrief using the prompt questions.

Debrief questions

• Looking at Pass and Assist, where do our offers of help match our actual requests for help?
• What did the Position column reveal about role overlap or missing responsibilities?
• Which single adjustment from today will make the biggest difference in our next work cycle?

Finished output: A board of categorized reflections with clustered themes and one or two documented action items for the upcoming cycle.

Remote

Set up a digital canvas with four columns: Shoot, Assist, Pass, and Position. Give participants 5 minutes of quiet digital note entry. Use breakout rooms of 3 to 4 people for 10 minutes to group similar sticky notes. Bring everyone back to the main room to review themes and document actions.

Hybrid

In-person participants and remote participants share a single digital whiteboard. Remote participants post directly to the board while in-person participants use laptops or assign an in-person scribe to transcribe physical notes. Breakouts can be paired across locations or grouped by modality.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may submit notes anonymously if preferred.
• Any participant may pass on speaking during the whole-room share without explanation.
• Metaphorical headers are accompanied by plain-language descriptions on every board.

If the session gets stuck

Participants confuse Assist (offering help) with Pass (requesting help).

Remind the room with an explicit example: 'Assist is what I offer outward to help you finish your task; Pass is where I ask you to hand off something or give me input.'

Notes in Position show conflicting views of who owns a particular duty.

Note the ambiguity as a key finding. Schedule a separate 15-minute alignment check rather than attempting to renegotiate full job descriptions during the retrospective.

Terms used here

• Shoot: What an individual achieved or completed during the cycle.
• Assist: How a person offered or can offer direct help to teammates.
• Pass: Where an individual needs or requested help from teammates.
• Position: The specific function or responsibilities one holds in the team.