What Went Well Retrospective

• Any sprint where you want a balanced, familiar retro.
• Teams that tend to focus only on problems: it starts with what worked.
• When you have little time to explain a new format.

Purpose: Celebrate wins, surface problems and collect ideas.

• 🌱 Went well

  What made you smile?

• 🧱 Could be better

  What slowed us down?

• 💡 Ideas for next time

  What should we try?

1. 1

   Silent brainstorming · 6 min

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

2. 2

   Share, clarify & group · 7 min

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

3. 3

   Vote · 4 min

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

4. 4

   Discuss top topics · 8 min

   Start with the most-voted card and work down.

5. 5

   Create actions · 5 min

   Turn the best ideas into a few owned actions.

Notes a software team might write:

Expected outcome: A few owned actions and a shared view of the sprint.

• Read the Went well column first to start on a positive note.

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.