Stop Boring Retrospectives: 18 Fun Templates to Spark Change

Did you know that the most searched term on Google related to “agile retrospective” is actually “agile retrospective templates”?

It seems that many Scrum Masters, Agile Team Leads, and Engineering Managers who facilitate retrospectives value variety in their sprint ceremonies. As I mentioned in my recent post, “Top 5 Retrospective Board Tools: Which Is Most Fun?”, these search trends point to an interesting insight: Changing the retrospective questions, formats based on different retrospective ideas can significantly boost team engagement and productivity in your retros.

If you’d prefer to skim through this post, the table below highlights some of the best retrospective templates - based on my own subjective rating after participating in a few hundred agile retrospectives. It also includes the estimated duration. Scroll down to see the actual retrospective questions 🙂

But is simply varying your retrospective template the only step you should take? Of course not. Regardless of whether your retrospectives are remote, hybrid, or co-located, there are a few common challenges I have seen in agile teams:

• 💡 Team members don’t share improvement ideas - even when issues are obvious
• ✅ There’s no time left at the end of the retro to brainstorm meaningful action items
• 😮 The team agrees on action items, but they’re rarely implemented
• 📊 There’s little or no data to measure whether retrospectives are actually effective

With that in mind, the goal of this article is twofold:

1. To introduce 18 fun and engaging retrospective templates designed for virtual, hybrid, and co-located teams
2. To share six practical tips that address these higher-level challenges in retrospectives (at the end of this post)

Some of the fun retrospective formats and ideas we’ll explore include the Mad Sad Glad Retrospective, the What Went Well Retrospective, The Battery Retrospective and the DORA Metrics Retro. Let's go!

18 Fun Retrospective Templates & Ideas

Let’s start exploring engaging and creative retrospective formats. I’ll briefly revisit what I consider the “classic” – and admittedly, a bit boring – retrospective formats at the beginning, so you can compare them with the more creative ideas that follow.

Pro tip: If you’d like to try any of these retrospectives with your team, I’ve included a direct link to each template on the Echometer retrospective software board tool. By clicking the link, you can preview the template directly online in the tool (no login required).

Transparency note: I am a co-founder of Echometer, the retrospective software referenced in this post. I only recommend products that I genuinely believe support agile teams in improving their retrospectives.

The (Boring!) Classic Retrospective Templates

Why do I consider the following agile retrospective templates a bit boring? Because if you’ve worked in a Scrum team for a few years, you’ve likely used these formats and questions many times before. They work – but they don’t always provide the fresh perspective your team might need. Let's start with the 4L retro template.

🧠📘 4L Sprint Retrospective Template

The “Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For” (4L) retrospective is one of the better-known classics. It stands out because it explicitly asks about learnings — a great way to foster psychological safety and continuous improvement in teams. The format is built around four simple questions:

Liked: What did you like lately?

Learned: What things did you learn lately?

Loved: What did you have fun with lately?

Longed: What would you have needed lately to be able to work better?

⛵🌊 Sailboat Retrospective Format

The Sailboat Retrospective uses the metaphor of a boat at sea to help teams reflect on their sprint or project. The boat represents the team’s progress, the wind their enablers, and the anchors their blockers.

It works well for both remote and co-located teams, but because it’s been used so widely, it may no longer spark much surprise or creativity.

Imagine that we are a sailboat. Our anchor: What holds us back?

Our shark/iceberg: Which dangers or obstacles approach us?

Our tailwind: What drives us forward?

Our paradise: What achievement or milestones are we working towards?

👍✅ What Went Well Retrospective

The “What Went Well” retrospective focuses on the core questions every team should ask, without adding much creativity. It’s simple and straightforward - perfect for teams that prefer a minimalist approach or are just starting out with retrospectives.

What are 3 recent things that went particularly well in your opinion?

What are 3 recent things that did not go so well in your opinion?

What should we improve?

😡😢😊 Mad Sad Glad Retrospective Format

The Mad Sad Glad format helps teams explore their emotions from the past sprint. It’s a timeless structure that encourages open communication - though again, many teams have used it so often that it might feel repetitive.

Glad: What made you happy?

Sad: What made you sad or disappointed you?

Mad: What made you mad?

Engaging & Fresh Retrospective Templates

Now, let’s move from the classics to some more creative and engaging retrospective templates and ideas.

🔋⚡ Battery Retrospective Template

What did you do yesterday? You probably charged your battery - whether it was your phone, laptop, or yourself.

That’s what makes the Battery Retrospective such a relatable format. The metaphor is simple and universally understood, which helps teams gauge their energy levels, motivation, and overall health. It includes four reflective questions.

What's your personal battery’s charge percentage currently?

What's been draining your battery lately?

What's been recharging your battery lately?

What would help you save energy in the next weeks?

🗝️🚪 Escape Room Retrospective Format

This one’s especially fun. The Escape Room Retrospective invites your team to think like players trying to escape a locked room. What challenges are keeping you trapped? What tools or clues do you already have to get out?

It’s a creative, problem-solving format that sparks fresh thinking with four engaging questions.

What puzzles do we still have to solve?

Where are we running out of time?

Where could communication in the team be better?

Which challenges did we master pretty well?

🪄🧙‍♂️ Harry Potter Retrospective Idea

Have Harry Potter fans on your team? Then this format will be a hit.

The Harry Potter Retrospective uses familiar elements from the magical world of Hogwarts to help teams reflect on their sprint from a new perspective. Even for those unfamiliar with the series, the questions are easy to follow and encourage meaningful discussion.

What is our "firebolt" (Harry's broom), that helps us achieve our goals?

What surprising message did messenger owl Hedwig have in her package for us?

Based on your work, what would you see when you look into the Mirror of Erised? The mirror shows your heartfelt wish.

Which recent memories would you like to save in a Pensieve to relive later?

🐷🏠 Three Little Pigs Retrospective Idea

The Three Little Pigs Retrospective uses the classic children’s story to examine the strength of what your team has built. Are your processes made of straw, sticks, or bricks?

Even if you don’t know the story, the metaphor - and the three guiding questions - are easy to grasp and provoke valuable insight.

House of straw: What do we do that is just holding together, but could topple over at any moment?

House of sticks: What do we do that is relatively stable, but could be improved?

House of bricks: What do we do that is rock solid?

🎈🎯 Bonus: Retrospective Waiting Room Game

This isn’t technically a retrospective template, but it’s a fantastic retrospective icebreaker to kick things off.

In Echometer’s remote retrospective tool, your team can start with a playful mini-game in the waiting room - everyone competes to pop as many balloons as possible (see image below). It’s a lighthearted way to boost energy, spark laughter, and refocus before diving into the session.

You can select a retrospective template via this link. Once you click “Start Retro Now,” you’ll enter the waiting room to try out the game - no login required.

Team Health Check Retrospectives

Team Health Check Retrospectives are a bit more advanced. They combine reflection with lightweight data collection to measure how “healthy” your team feels.

Typically, participants respond to statements using emojis or a numerical scale (for example, 1 to 7). I recommend collecting these responses anonymously, as it encourages honest feedback - and that honesty leads to richer discussions.

Why Try Health Check Retrospectives?

• They spark conversations about important topics that might otherwise go unspoken
• They help you track trends in team dynamics over time
• Anonymous responses reveal insights that might not surface in open conversation
• You can easily add health check questions alongside your regular retrospective prompts

Let’s start with one of the best-known examples - the Spotify Health Check.

📊💚 Spotify Health Check Retrospective Format

The Spotify Health Check is one of the most popular formats for agile teams. It uses eleven core questions to gauge how a team is performing and feeling. Team members rate each statement on a 1-7 scale, then collectively decide where improvements are most needed.

It’s especially useful for Scrum teams aiming to stay customer-focused and continuously improve.

We love going to work, and have great fun working together.

We always get great support & help when we ask for it!

We are a totally gelled super-team with awesome collaboration!

We’re learning lots of interesting stuff all the time!

We are in control of our destiny! We decide what to build and how to build it.

We know exactly why we are here, and we are really excited about it.

We get stuff done really quickly. No waiting, no delays.

Our way of working fits us perfectly.

We deliver great stuff! We’re proud of it and our stakeholders are really happy.

We’re proud of the quality of our code! It is clean, easy to read, and has great test coverage.

Releasing is simple, safe, painless & mostly automated.

📈💻 DORA Metrics Retrospective Idea

If you’re a Scrum Master or Engineering Manager, you’ve likely heard of the DORA metrics: four key indicators that measure software delivery performance.

Reflecting on your team’s DORA metrics in a retrospective helps connect qualitative insights with quantitative data. You can also benchmark your team’s performance here. This format includes eight questions - four based on DORA’s “health check” metrics and four exploring your team’s subjective experience.

Our code deployments very rarely cause errors in production.

I am really satisfied with how often we release to production.

After the code has been committed, we are very quick to push it to production.

In case an error occurs in production, we are able to fix it very quickly.

What would improve our deployment frequency?

What is our bottleneck to push changes to production quickly?

What would make our deployments less prone to errors?

What helps us to fix errors in production quickly?

🧩🤝 Psychological Safety Retrospective Format

As a psychologist, I’m thrilled to see how Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety has become so influential in the agile community. Yet many teams still struggle to address it effectively.

As the saying goes: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” This retrospective template does exactly that - it measures psychological safety through seven statements inspired by Edmondson’s validated approach.

Your team rates each statement, and the higher your average score, the safer and more open your team environment is. For additional context and tips, see my six tips for better agile retrospectives further below.

People on this team feel comfortable challenging each other about their plans and approaches.

Members of this team are able to flag problems, even if doing this slows progress.

People on this team won't reject others for thinking differently.

It's safe to take a risk or propose a weird idea with this team.

I feel comfortable giving constructive criticism to people on this team.

It's always easy to ask team members for help, even when they are busy.

No one on this team would deliberately undermine my efforts.

😊💪 Team Morale Health Check Retrospective

How’s the morale in your team? The Team Morale Health Check Retrospective explores this question through six diverse prompts touching on motivation, satisfaction, and teamwork. You can also combine it with open-ended questions to deepen reflection - as with all other health check formats.

I have enough room for breaks in which I can draw new energy.

Our meetings are well structured, yet leave room for creativity and new ideas.

In my team, each team member passes on their individual knowledge and experience.

We value the performance and contributions of our colleagues.

Everyone in my team knows who is currently working on what.

There is a trusting working atmosphere in our team.

🚗⛽ Bonus Icebreaker: Car Check-In

When running a Team Health Check Retrospective, consider starting with a fun icebreaker. The Car icebreaker Check-In template in Echometer lets teams visualize how their sprint performed - whether they felt more like a racing car or a car running on empty (see image below).

You can select a retrospective template via this link. Once you click “Start Retro Now,” you’ll be able to enter this icebreaker and see this template - no login required.

Seasonal Retrospective Templates

An easy way to keep retrospectives fresh is to match them with the current season or holiday. Below are four themed templates to help your team celebrate the moment - while still reflecting on their work.

💌🌹 Valentine’s Day Retrospective Idea

Great teamwork is built on trust and strong relationships. So, does your team feel the Valentine’s spirit? Find out by asking these three lighthearted yet meaningful retrospective questions.

What has been the best moment in our team relationship so far?

What didn't feel romantic at all since the last retro?

What do we still need to work on in our relationship?

🐰🥚 Easter Retrospective Format

Easter means crunch time for the Easter Bunny - just like delivery pressure in your sprints. This fun retrospective uses three questions to reflect on how well your team met its goals and handled delivery challenges.

We are the Easter Bunny Team: What didn't go well with the delivery of the Easter eggs?

What influenced our Easter egg delivery positively or negatively?

How can we make the delivery process smoother next time?

🎃👻 Halloween Retrospective Template

Did your last sprint feel like a horror story? The Halloween Retrospective helps your team process what went wrong and identify action items to ensure there’s nothing to fear next time.

Fright: What has been your fright moment since the last retro?

Treats: What treats have we prepared for our stakeholders?

Tricks: Which tricks (potentially being played on us) do we need to watch out for?

☃️🎁 Christmas Retrospective Template

“Do you wanna build a snowman?” Totally, Anna. The Christmas (or Winter) retrospective uses four questions to help your team reflect on collaboration, delivery quality, and celebration during the holiday season.

Lower ball: What is the base on which we can build?

Middle ball: What holds us together?

Head: In which direction do we want to look? What do we want to keep in mind?

Hat: What nice-to-haves would be great?

5 Non-Intuitive Tips: How to Have a Great Retrospective

You now have a selection of great retrospective templates. But as I mentioned earlier, there’s more to a great retrospective than just the format.

Here are a few unintuitive, often undervalued tips for what many consider the most important Scrum meeting. I believe many teams can benefit from them - let’s dive in.

Tip 1: Do Your Retrospectives Before the Weekend

In an analysis of 30,000 agile retrospectives, the retrospective software Echometer compared ROTI scores (subjective “Return on Time Invested”) by weekday. The result? Mondays had the lowest ROTI, while Fridays scored the highest.

Accordingly, to maximize perceived value, schedule your retrospectives on Fridays when possible.

Tip 2: Have Fewer Action Items

Which is better: implementing one high-impact action item or juggling a list of three mediocre ones, two of which never get completed?

In my experience, follow-through is often limited - both due to quality and quantity of action items. I recommend:

• Limit action items to a maximum of two per sprint
• Avoid building a backlog of unimplemented actions
• Ensure the team believes the items are achievable and impactful

Tip 3: Make “Review of Action Items” Part of the RetroAgenda

Some team members experience “retrospective fatigue,” feeling that retros are a waste of time. One common reason: previous action items are forgotten or ignored.

A simple fix: dedicate a fixed agenda slot early in the retro (after the icebreaker or warm-up) to review and discuss the action items from the last retrospective. This reinforces accountability and engagement.

Tip 4: Have 6 Retro Phases Instead of 5

When you went through the Scrum Master qualification program, you learned to structure retrospectives in 5 phases:

1. Setting the Stage: Check-In
2. Gathering Data (Divergent Thinking)
3. Generating & Prioritizing Insights (Convergent Thinking)
4. Deciding What to Do: Action Planning
5. Closing: Check-Out / Reflection

The thing is, as the Double Diamond design framework recommends, I would strongly recommend to have two divergent and two convergent phases.

What does this mean for your retros? Add a dedicated brainstorming phase for action items before final prioritization. This extra step significantly improves both the quality and implementability of your actions.

Updated 6-Phase Structure:

1. Setting the Stage: Check-In
2. Gathering Data (Divergent Thinking)
3. Generating & Prioritizing Insights (Convergent Thinking)
4. Deciding What to Do: Action Planning

• ✅ Brainstorm Action Items (Divergent Thinking)
• ✅ Prioritize Action Items (Convergent Thinking)

5. Closing the Retrospective: Check-Out / Reflection

Tip 5: Track “Delivery Happiness” in Numbers

Track your team’s satisfaction with delivery over time. For example, ask for agreement to the following statement: “I am super satisfied with our delivery in the last weeks.”

This allows you to:

1. Monitor mood trends visually over time
2. Reflect in each retro whether improvements have been made

For a practical, real world example of this, watch Agustina explain their process in this 5-minute video:

Tip 6: Increase Psychological Safety

High psychological safety encourages team members to raise the “elephants in the room.” Ways to foster it:

• Lead with vulnerability: Show your own mistakes or challenges
• Normalize failure: Celebrate lessons learned or mistakes as learning opportunities
• Encourage open discussion without judgment

For more guidance, see this Overview: Psychological Safety.

Conclusion - Best Retrospective Templates

Don't get me wrong: Not every team needs to change their retrospective template regularly. Always adapt questions and formats to your team’s personality and situation.

But... I truly believe great agile leadership often isn’t about giving orders - it’s about asking the right questions and listening well. Even occasional changes to your retro style or questions can significantly boost engagement. Have fun experimenting!

FAQ - Retrospective Templates & Ideas

Q: Which retrospective templates produce actionable insights?

A: In my experience, the Battery Retrospective and Psychological Safety Retrospective generate questions that lead to meaningful, implementable feedback. If you are a software team, you should consider the DORA Metrics Retrospective.

Q: Which online retrospective tools offer diverse templates?

A: Most tools now provide template libraries. Examples: EasyRetro, Retrium, and Echometer. Personally, my biased recommendation (as a co-founder) is to try Echometer for its holistic approach to engagement, fun, and actionable retrospectives.

Q: Which sprint retrospective template is the most fun?

A: Fun depends on the entire experience - not just the retrospective questions. Icebreakers, waiting-room activities, and engagement matter - and why I like software tools like Echometer which provide templates covering all phases of a retrospective, ensuring a holistic, enjoyable session. How do I pick a retro template for maximum fun? Tailor it to your team’s current mood and interests. Examples: Recent discussion about Stranger Things, current sports events, trending topics your team enjoys or dislikes...