--- title: "My Favorite Easter Egg Retrospective" description: "Team members reflect on recent work using three Easter egg themed prompts covering highlights, unexpected discoveries, and future desires. They write notes individually, cluster patterns in small groups, and choose concrete follow-up actions." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/my-favorite-easter-egg-retrospective/" --- # My Favorite Easter Egg Retrospective Team members reflect on recent work using three Easter egg themed prompts covering highlights, unexpected discoveries, and future desires. They write notes individually, cluster patterns in small groups, and choose concrete follow-up actions. **Time:** 35 minutes. UWT suggested duration to allow individual generation, small-group grouping, and whole-group action planning. **People:** 4 to 24. Pairs or trios for warm-up, individual writing, small groups of 3 to 4 for clustering, and whole-room synthesis. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Identify team successes, unpredicted findings, and future wishes from a recent work cycle. **Use it when:** Use at the end of a sprint, project milestone, or quarterly cycle when the team wants a seasonal, lighthearted metaphor to review recent progress. **Skip it when:** Skip when the team is processing severe conflict, critical incidents, or when holiday metaphors feel irrelevant or awkward to participants. ## Materials and tools - Whiteboard or flip chart paper divided into three columns - Sticky notes (three colors recommended, at least 10 pads) - Markers or pens (one per participant) - Wall-safe tape (if using flip chart pages) ## Before participants arrive 1. Label three columns on the wall or board: 'Tastiest Egg' (things enjoyed), 'Best Surprise' (unexpected discoveries), and 'Wished-for Surprise' (future hopes). 2. Distribute sticky notes and markers to all tables. ## Say this to open Today we will run a retrospective using an Easter egg metaphor to review our recent work cycle. We will examine what went best, what surprised us, and what we hope comes next. Let us begin with a brief optional warm-up before writing our reflections. ## How to run it ### 1. Warm-up check-in (5 minutes) Say the opening script. Invite participants to turn to an adjacent neighbor and share their favorite childhood treat, candy, or seasonal food. If there is an odd number of participants, form one trio. Anyone may pass or name a current favorite snack instead. Keep conversations to two minutes total, then bring attention back to the room. ### 2. Individual silent writing (7 minutes) Ask participants to write one clear thought per sticky note across the three categories. 1. Tastiest egg: things they genuinely enjoyed in the recent work. 2. Best surprise: positive or unexpected discoveries from the cycle. 3. Wished-for surprise: hopes or changes they desire for upcoming work. For example, a tastiest egg could be 'fast code reviews on the login sprint', while a wished-for surprise could be 'two clear focus afternoons each week'. Participants may write as many notes as they wish or pass on any category. ### 3. Small-group clustering and posting (10 minutes) Split the room into groups of 3 to 4 people. If an odd participant remains after dividing into trios or quads, form one group of five. Have each group review their sticky notes, find common patterns, and post them in the corresponding column on the main wall. ### 4. Whole-group review and action selection (8 minutes) Walk through the clustered notes on the board. Ask the full group to identify up to two concrete action items arising from the 'Wished-for Surprise' column and assign a volunteer owner for each. ### 5. Debrief (5 minutes) Lead a short closing reflection using the debrief questions. Invite 2 or 3 voluntary contributions from the room. ## Debrief questions - What did this reflection reveal about our daily work habits that we usually overlook? - How did separating planned joys from unexpected surprises change what we noticed about this cycle? - What condition helped our biggest successes happen, and how can we protect it? **Finished output:** A board of categorized observations and one or two agreed action items with designated owners for the next cycle. ## Remote Create an online whiteboard with three columns matching the prompts: 'Tastiest Egg', 'Best Surprise', and 'Wished-for Surprise'. Run the warm-up using video chat breakout rooms or text chat. Give 7 minutes for silent digital note creation, 10 minutes in breakout rooms to combine similar notes, and reconvene in the main room to review clusters and log action items. ## Hybrid In a hybrid setting, all participants use the shared virtual board for note creation so every note is digital and visible to everyone. In-person attendees bring a laptop or use shared room devices to post directly. Form small groups that are either all-remote or all-in-person to avoid audio feedback, and project the shared digital board in the physical room during whole-group steps. ## Access and participation choices - Writing and speaking are optional; participants may post notes anonymously or observe without submitting. - Offer non-candy alternatives for the warm-up, such as favorite savory snacks, seasonal fruits, or childhood hobbies, to respect dietary needs and cultural backgrounds. ## If the session gets stuck **Notes in the 'Wished-for Surprise' column become unrealistic complaints or unachievable wish lists.** Ask the author or the group: 'What is one practical experiment our team can run next week to move closer to that wish?' **Participants struggle to think of surprises because the work felt routine.** Prompt them to consider small things: an unexpected quick fix, helpful support from a teammate, or an insight from user feedback. ## Terms used here - Easter Egg: A metaphor used here for hidden treats, unexpected discoveries, or future wishes inside a project. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in EasyRetro templates, credited to Tchales Jr. Retained the three core prompts ('What was your tastiest Easter egg?', 'What was the best surprise you ever received in an Easter egg?', and 'What surprise would you like to receive in your Easter egg?') and the childhood candy warm-up observed on EasyRetro. UWT added explicit group sizing, timing breakdown, silent writing rules, small-group grouping with odd-number handling, action selection, and debrief prompts. [EasyRetro](https://easyretro.io/templates/my-favorite-easter-egg-retrospective/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/my-favorite-easter-egg-retrospective/