Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: e387f6c907b446d0619b41a045bac3bf1906daf740b029b29a5589d95744a870

# The Grinch Retrospective

Team members post reflections across four Grinch-themed categories, cluster patterns, and agree on concrete actions for the next cycle.

**Time:** 45 minutes. UWT suggested duration for a standard 45-minute sprint retrospective
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual silent writing, followed by whole-room clustering for 4 to 8 people or 4 column teams for 9 to 24 people, then full-group action planning

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Collect structured feedback on team drivers, risks, fresh ideas, and peer appreciation from a recent work period.
**Use it when:** Sprint reviews, end-of-quarter retrospectives, or seasonal project closeouts where a playful metaphor helps structure review.
**Skip it when:** Serious post-mortems after severe operational failure, or with teams unfamiliar with or resistant to seasonal cartoon themes.

## Materials and tools

- Whiteboard or wall space divided into 4 columns
- Sticky notes (at least 15 notes per participant)
- Dark felt-tip pens (1 per participant)
- Digital whiteboard board (for remote or hybrid delivery)

## Before participants arrive

1. Draw 4 columns on a shared wall or board: Roast Beast, The Grinch, Cindy Lou, and Max.
2. Write the guiding prompt under each column header.
3. Place sticky notes and pens within reach of all participants.

## Say this to open

Welcome to our retrospective. Today we are using four categories inspired by the Grinch story to review our recent work. Roast Beast covers what fueled our work. The Grinch highlights what was toxic, risky, or to be avoided. Cindy Lou captures fresh ideas we should try. Max recognizes people who supported us no matter what. You will write your observations quietly before we cluster them and choose action steps.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce prompts and silent writing (8 minutes)

Read the column prompts aloud. Give an explicit neutral example for clarity, such as 'Roast Beast: daily standups kept blockers clear; The Grinch: manual deployment errors'. Direct everyone to write one idea per sticky note across any of the four columns. Participants may contribute as many or as few notes as they wish, or choose not to post on specific topics.

### 2. Post and group notes (12 minutes)

Invite participants to post their notes under the matching columns. For 4 to 8 people, cluster notes as one full room. For 9 to 24 people, divide into exactly 4 column teams of roughly equal size (2 to 6 people each), assigning one team per column. Each team clusters duplicates and names themes for its assigned column. Allow 2 minutes for everyone to read the full board.

### 3. Discuss themes and select focus (15 minutes)

Facilitate a room discussion on the major clusters. Spend roughly 4 minutes on successes and recognition (Roast Beast and Max), and 11 minutes analyzing problems to avoid and new proposals (The Grinch and Cindy Lou). Select 1 to 2 critical themes to address next cycle.

### 4. Draft concrete actions and close (10 minutes)

Ask the team to write clear action items for the selected themes. Each action item must state a concrete task, a single owner, and a deadline. Close the session by recording the final commitments in the team tracker.


## Debrief questions

- Which blocker in The Grinch category poses the greatest risk if left unaddressed?
- What positive habit from Roast Beast or Max should we make standard practice?
- Which Cindy Lou idea can we test within the next two weeks?

**Finished output:** A board of categorized team feedback and a written list of 1 to 3 owned action commitments for the next work cycle.

## Remote

Set up a digital board with four columns: Roast Beast, The Grinch, Cindy Lou, and Max. Run the silent writing phase with video on and microphones muted. Use digital grouping tools to cluster notes by theme. Use an open mic or chat queue for discussion and log the agreed action items on a dedicated board panel.

## Hybrid

Provide a shared digital whiteboard accessible to both in-person and remote participants. In-person participants type on their own devices or post physical notes transcribed by a designated volunteer scribe or co-facilitator. A remote co-facilitator monitors chat and brings remote comments into room discussions before each column transition.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may submit anonymous notes via a digital link or plain sticky notes.
- Any participant may opt out of sharing personal recognition or private concerns without explanation.
- Clear printed column headers ensure readability for people who prefer text prompts over cultural references.

## If the session gets stuck

**Team members do not know the Grinch story and are confused by the column names.**

Ignore the story lore and refer directly to the functional questions: what fueled us, what to avoid, new ideas, and helpful support.

**The Grinch column turns into personal blaming or complaints about individual coworkers.**

Step in immediately. Remind the group that The Grinch category addresses systemic blockers, bad processes, or external friction, while interpersonal feedback belongs in private 1-on-1 check-ins.


## Terms used here

- Sprint: A defined, repeatable work period (often 1 to 4 weeks) in agile project management.
- Post-mortem: A formal retrospective review conducted after a project concludes or after a major failure.

## Participant material: The Grinch Retrospective Prompts

Column 1: Roast Beast - What fueled this sprint?
Column 2: The Grinch - What would you not touch with a 39.5 foot pole?
Column 3: Cindy Lou - What new ideas should we consider?
Column 4: Max - Who was supportive and helpful no matter what?

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on EasyRetro website as a community template created by user Anna.

Retained the four core Grinch categories and prompt questions observed on EasyRetro (attributed to user Anna). UWT added standard facilitation timing, four-step structure, hybrid accommodation with clear scribe designation, explicit subgrouping logic for 4 to 24 participants, neutral examples, debrief questions, and risk boundaries regarding blame.

[EasyRetro](https://easyretro.io/templates/the-grinch/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/the-grinch/