4Ls Retrospective

• End of a project, milestone or release, when lessons matter most.
• Teams that learned something new (a tool, a domain, a way of working).
• When you suspect the team is missing skills, time or support.

Purpose: Reflect on achievements, learning, missing resources, and unmet expectations.

• 💚 Liked

  What did we enjoy or find valuable?

• 🎓 Learned

  What did we discover?

• 🕳️ Lacked

  What was missing or insufficient?

• 🌠 Longed For

  What did we wish we had?

1. 1

   Frame the review · 2 min

   Name the period or project you're reviewing and explain the four Ls in one sentence each.

2. 2

   Silent brainstorming · 6 min

   Keep the room quiet so everyone thinks on their own first. Remind people one idea per card.

3. 3

   Share & group cards · 8 min

   Ask each person to briefly read their cards. Clarify, don't debate. Move duplicates next to each other or into the right column.

4. 4

   Vote · 4 min

   Everyone spends their votes on what matters most. Totals stay hidden until you move on.

5. 5

   Explore top lessons & gaps · 10 min

   Focus on the most-voted Learned, Lacked and Longed For cards. What would close the gap?

6. 6

   Agree on actions · 5 min

   Turn the biggest gaps into actions, and share key lessons beyond the team if useful.

Notes a software team might write:

Expected outcome: Key lessons learned, unmet needs, and actionable improvements.

• Learned cards are great to share with other teams.
• Lacked = what was missing; Longed For = what we wished for.

Each prompt is a column on a shared board. Everyone writes silently, then the team groups notes, votes with hidden totals, discusses the top cards and turns them into actions with owners.

Each stage comes with instructions for the facilitator and the participants and a suggested timer you can adjust. Teammates join with a link and their name; no account needed.