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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: 60bb5e15886f62d5a46302aaedbc4781de0c9fd8cea9ee491d1eadb64249835f

# Sprint Retrospective: Went Well, To Improve, Action Items

A structured sprint retrospective meeting where team members capture successes, identify friction points, and commit to concrete action items for the next sprint.

**Time:** 45 minutes. UWT recommended 45-minute standard time box for small teams; source recommends timeboxing each retrospective.
**People:** 3 to 12. Whole group silent generation followed by clustering and action planning

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Reflect on a completed work cycle to identify practical workflow successes and agree on specific improvements for the next cycle.
**Use it when:** At the conclusion of a project cycle, sprint, or work milestone to review team performance and refine operating processes.
**Skip it when:** When a team is in the middle of an active production outage or crisis that requires immediate operational recovery rather than process reflection.

## Materials and tools

- Sticky notes in two colors (one for successes, one for improvements)
- Fine-tipped markers (one per participant)
- Dot stickers or markers for voting
- A whiteboard or wall divided into three columns: Went Well, To Improve, Action Items
- Countdown timer

## Before participants arrive

1. Draw three vertical columns on the board labeled 'Went Well', 'To Improve', and 'Action Items'.
2. Place pads of sticky notes, voting stickers, and markers at each seat.

## Say this to open

Welcome to our sprint retrospective. Our goal today is to look at our recent work cycle, identify what went well and what needs improvement, and agree on concrete action items for the upcoming sprint. Please write candidly about processes and tools, not personalities.

## How to run it

### 1. Set stage and agenda (5 minutes)

Explain the meeting goal and ground rules using the opening script. Review the three board columns: Went Well, To Improve, and Action Items.

### 2. Generate feedback silently (10 minutes)

Working in silence, each participant writes observations on sticky notes: one point per note. Use one color for things that went well and another for things that need improvement. Participants place their notes in the respective columns as they finish.

### 3. Cluster and review themes (10 minutes)

Group notes into common themes as a whole team. Read each cluster aloud. Neutral example: If multiple notes say 'daily standup ran 30 minutes', cluster them under 'Meeting Length'. Allow participants to clarify wording without debating solutions yet.

### 4. Prioritize focus areas (5 minutes)

Give each participant 3 dot stickers or markers to place checkmarks on the improvement clusters they consider most critical. Focus on the top 1 to 2 clusters receiving the most votes.

### 5. Define action items (10 minutes)

For the top clusters, guide the room to formulate 1 to 3 specific, testable changes. Write each in the Action Items column with an assigned owner and completion date.

### 6. Debrief and close (5 minutes)

Review the finalized action items, confirm team commitment, and close with the debrief questions.


## Debrief questions

- Which improvement item is the highest priority for the next cycle?
- What is one small process change we can test immediately?

**Finished output:** A documented list of 1 to 3 prioritized action items with assigned owners and review dates for the upcoming sprint.

## Remote

Use a digital whiteboard with three columns: Went Well, To Improve, and Action Items. Participants submit digital cards silently during generation, cluster them by theme, and use digital voting dots before assigning owners.

## Hybrid

In-person and remote participants post sticky notes simultaneously into a shared online board. The facilitator reads aloud cards from each category in sequence to ensure equal visibility.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants can write notes silently instead of speaking out loud.
- Anyone may pass during round-robin reading or choose to keep their notes private.

## If the session gets stuck

**The conversation shifts into personal criticism or blame.**

Intervene and redirect the discussion to focus on workflows, tools, handoffs, and shared team agreements.

**The team creates too many action items to complete in one sprint.**

Cap the list at a maximum of three items. Move remaining suggestions to a team backlog for future reviews.


## Terms used here

- Sprint: A fixed time period during which a team completes a set amount of work.
- Sprint Retrospective: A recurring team review meeting held at the end of a sprint to reflect and agree on process improvements.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in EasyRetro guidance documentation on the purpose and structure of Scrum sprint retrospectives.

The source is an informational article by EasyRetro discussing the purpose and best practices of a sprint retrospective, highlighting the Went Well / To Improve / Action Items template. UWT structured this into an operational 45-minute retrospective run sheet with concrete time boxes, turn rules, silent writing, dot voting, and a standard action table.

[EasyRetro](https://easyretro.io/sprint-retrospective/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-sprint-retrospective/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-sprint-retrospective/