# Quarantine Retro

A themed sprint retrospective where team members review sprint data, post observations across pandemic-metaphor categories, group and vote on priorities, and commit to next-sprint actions.

**Time:** 35 minutes. UWT operational timing. The source specifies 5 minutes for writing but leaves discussion and action commitment unbudgeted; 35 minutes provides a workable full-team session for up to 24 people.
**People:** 4 to 24. Whole team for data review, individual silent writing, then paired or small group sorting with whole-room action voting.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Identify process successes, missing resources, and confusing information from an iteration to produce concrete next-sprint action commitments.
**Use it when:** At the end of a sprint or project milestone when a team needs a structured way to separate protections, shortages, and confusing signals before setting action items.
**Skip it when:** When team members find pandemic or quarantine metaphors stressful, or when a quick two-minute checkout is needed instead of a full retrospective.

## Materials and tools

- Physical or digital retrospective board with 5 columns: Mask, Toilet Paper, Media, Kudos, Action Items
- Sticky notes (at least 15 notes per person)
- Felt markers (1 per person)
- Voting dots (3 per person)
- Pre-gathered sprint data summary or dashboard

## Before participants arrive

1. Prepare the sprint data summary (burndown, completion rates, or key milestone metrics).
2. Draw five columns on a whiteboard or set up an online board: Mask (What protected you and helped you succeed?), Toilet Paper (What did you want, but didn't have?), Media (What was unclear or confusing?), Kudos (Appreciation for teammates), Action Items (Decisions to commit to).
3. Ensure all participants have writing materials or digital board access.

## Say this to open

We are running the Quarantine Retro to review our recent sprint. We will start with a brief look at our delivery numbers. Then you will write sticky notes under four reflective categories: Mask for what protected our focus and helped us succeed, Toilet Paper for what we wanted but lacked, Media for what was confusing or noisy, and Kudos to thank colleagues. After that, we will cluster themes, vote on top issues, and agree on clear actions.

## How to run it

### 1. Review sprint data and achievements (5 minutes)

Present the sprint data points and milestone metrics. Invite participants to call out key accomplishments and factual context from the cycle. Keep this step strictly factual.

### 2. Write silent notes (5 minutes)

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Everyone silently writes sticky notes and places them under the relevant categories: Mask, Toilet Paper, Media, and Kudos. Participants may contribute as many notes as they wish, or write only in categories they choose.

### 3. Cluster, discuss, and vote (15 minutes)

Read through notes category by category. Merge duplicates and cluster related topics with the group's consent. Give each participant 3 voting dots to allocate across any items needing immediate team attention.

### 4. Agree on action items (10 minutes)

Focus on the top-voted topics. Formulate concrete action items, assign an owner and target timeline for each, and record them in the Action Items column. Confirm that the team agrees to commit to these actions for the upcoming sprint.


## Debrief questions

- Which item under Mask should we make a standard part of our working agreements?
- What missing resource from Toilet Paper is within our control to fix this sprint?
- What is the single most important action item we committed to today?

**Finished output:** A prioritized retrospective board with grouped observations and a list of committed action items assigned to owners for the next sprint.

## Remote

Use an online collaborative whiteboard configured with the five category columns. Share sprint metrics via screen share. Participants post notes simultaneously during the 5-minute silent window. Use built-in dot voting or emoji reactions for prioritization. Record action items directly in the shared document.

## Hybrid

In-person members use sticky notes on a wall while remote members post to a shared digital board. Assign a co-facilitator to mirror remote digital cards onto the physical board, or have in-person participants work directly on the digital board from individual devices. Remote and in-person votes are pooled before choosing action items.

## Access and participation choices

- Writing and speaking are optional; participants may post cards anonymously, pass during discussion, or focus strictly on Kudos.
- If the quarantine theme feels uncomfortable to any participant, provide the direct functional labels alongside the metaphors: Protective Practices, Missing Resources, Confusing Information.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants spend the discussion complaining about outside factors without proposing solutions.**

Refocus the room by asking what part of the issue the team can directly control or mitigate during the next two weeks.

**Too many action items are suggested, risking zero follow-through.**

Cap the commitments at two or three prioritized items and ensure each has a named owner.


## Terms used here

- PI: Program Increment, a timeboxed planning interval commonly used in scaled agile frameworks.
- Dot voting: A quick decision method where participants place a fixed number of sticky dots or marks on items to reveal team priorities.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on EasyRetro as a retrospective template attributed to Carlina Bliss.

Retained the five core categories (Mask, Toilet Paper, Media, Kudos, Action Items), the data review opening, the 5-minute writing constraint, and the clustering/voting flow from Carlina Bliss's template on EasyRetro. UWT added explicit time budgeting (35 minutes total), debrief prompts, hybrid instructions, access options, and neutral guidance.

[EasyRetro](https://easyretro.io/templates/quarantine-retro/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/quarantine-retro/