--- title: "Starfish Retrospective" description: "Participants sort recent team practices across five categories: Stop Doing, Less Of, Keep Doing, More Of, and Start Doing. The team clusters similar points and picks concrete adjustments with volunteer owners." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/starfish-retrospective-keep-doing-less-of-more-of-stop-doing-start-doing/" --- # Starfish Retrospective Participants sort recent team practices across five categories: Stop Doing, Less Of, Keep Doing, More Of, and Start Doing. The team clusters similar points and picks concrete adjustments with volunteer owners. **Time:** 45 minutes. 45 minutes suggested by UWT to cover all five segments thoroughly for groups up to 24; source describes open discussions up to 10 minutes per arm. **People:** 4 to 24. Solo silent writing, followed by posting in waves of 3 to 6 people, ending in full-room discussion. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Sort team practices into five nuanced levels of change to choose specific operational adjustments. **Use it when:** At the end of a sprint, delivery milestone, or project phase when a team needs more options than a simple positive-or-negative review. **Skip it when:** During an active crisis or incident post-mortem requiring strict timeline and root-cause reconstruction. ## Materials and tools - 1 whiteboard or large poster paper pre-drawn with a 5-part starfish diagram (Stop Doing, Less Of, Keep Doing, More Of, Start Doing) - Blue painter tape (for mounting poster paper if used) - Sticky notes (at least 15 notes per person) - 1 fine-tip marker per person - Digital whiteboard template with matching sections for online sessions ## Before participants arrive 1. Draw a large circle divided into 5 equal wedges or a 5-pointed starfish on the whiteboard or poster paper. 2. Label the 5 sections: Stop Doing, Less Of, Keep Doing, More Of, Start Doing. 3. Distribute sticky notes and markers to each participant seat. ## Say this to open Welcome. Today we will reflect on our recent work using the Starfish model. Rather than sorting everything into pass or fail, we have five distinct categories: Stop Doing, Less Of, Keep Doing, More Of, and Start Doing. For instance, under Less Of, you might suggest fewer unscheduled status calls rather than eliminating them entirely. We will write silently first, post by groups, and choose concrete changes. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce categories and write silently (8 minutes) Explain each segment: Stop Doing (eliminate), Less Of (reduce frequency or scope), Keep Doing (proven value, preserve), More Of (helpful practice, increase), and Start Doing (new idea to test). Direct participants to write one concise idea per sticky note. Writing is silent. Anyone who prefers not to share notes publicly may keep private reflections or observe without posting. ### 2. Post and cluster notes in waves (12 minutes) Call participants to the board in waves of 3 to 6 people at a time. Each wave takes up to 2 minutes to post their notes into the matching wedges. With 24 people, 4 waves of 6 post comfortably within this block; with odd counts, form groups of 3 to 5. Invite later waves to place similar notes near existing ones. The facilitator gently clusters shared themes within each wedge. ### 3. Review segments in sequence (15 minutes) Walk through the five sections in order: Stop Doing, Less Of, Keep Doing, More Of, and Start Doing. Spend about 3 minutes per category highlighting clusters aloud. Invite brief clarifying remarks without debate. For candidate Stop and Start items, test team consensus with a quick show of hands before moving forward. ### 4. Select commitments and owners (10 minutes) Ask the room to agree on 1 to 3 high-impact adjustments for the next cycle, focusing on Start Doing, Stop Doing, or Less Of. Test consensus with a quick show of hands. Ask for a volunteer owner and a target review date for each chosen action. Record the commitments and owners on the board. ## Debrief questions - Which pattern under Less Of or More Of provided the most helpful distinction? - What is the single most important habit we will adjust starting next week? - Who will verify our progress on these commitments at our next team check-in? **Finished output:** A populated 5-part starfish diagram and 1 to 3 agreed team commitments with named owners. ## Remote Set up a shared digital canvas with five labeled frames. Give participants 7 minutes to add digital notes privately. Call on participants in small batches or run through frames sequentially over screen share. Consolidate duplicates, test agreement with digital thumbs-up reactions, and record action owners directly on the canvas. ## Hybrid Use the digital canvas as the single master display. In-person participants add notes directly via laptop or an assigned scribe enters physical sticky notes onto the digital board during the posting step. Remote and in-person participants participate equally in show-of-hands alignment verbally or via webcam. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may submit notes verbally, in writing, or via an anonymous digital note queue. - Anyone may choose to pass on speaking or posting publicly without explanation. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants confuse Stop Doing with Less Of, or Keep Doing with More Of.** Clarify that Less Of reduces volume or frequency while keeping the practice, whereas Stop Doing halts it completely. More Of expands a current practice, while Keep Doing maintains its present level. **A vocal participant spends several minutes debating a single sticky note.** Intervene politely: 'Let us capture this nuance as an action item candidate and see if others noted similar points.' ## Terms used here - Starfish diagram: A 5-part chart dividing retrospective feedback into Stop Doing, Less Of, Keep Doing, More Of, and Start Doing. ## Sources and adaptation EasyRetro attributes the Starfish retrospective technique to Patrick Kua. Retained the five classic categories and sequence attributed to Patrick Kua in source records. Adjusted board posting into waves of 3 to 6 participants across 12 minutes to resolve bottleneck arithmetic for up to 24 participants. Harmonized consensus checks to show-of-hands across both in-person and remote settings. [EasyRetro](https://easyretro.io/templates/starfish-retrospective) [EasyRetro](https://easyretro.io/templates/starfish-retrospective/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/starfish-retrospective-keep-doing-less-of-more-of-stop-doing-start-doing/