Review past work collaboratively with this retrospective template
Retrospectives are one of the most critical meetings for agile teams. If done well, they bring clarity on what’s working, what needs to be improved, and what steps need to be taken in order to foster a more effective and productive team.
With this sprint retrospective template, you can run engaging retrospectives regularly with your agile team. Plus, by using a reusable and customizable template in Freehand, you can cut down on preparation time and maintain a healthy rhythm without adding additional (costly) overhead.
You don’t need to start from scratch. Use InVision’s retrospective template to reflect on:
- A sprint
- A project
- Your team’s last week, month, or year
How to use this retrospective template
Step 1: Make the retrospective part of your sprint
Retrospectives are most powerful when you’re doing them regularly. The most common way to incorporate a retrospective is to conduct them at the end of a sprint.
For product teams, the sprint retrospective provides a time to regularly reflect and iterate on teamwork, processes, and practices. It’s less about what work has been done and more about how the work is being done.
If you’re not using agile methodology, consider committing to a bi-weekly or monthly retrospective to maintain momentum and build trust.
Step 2: Prepare before the retrospective
If you are facilitating the retrospective, take a few minutes before the meeting to prepare so you can make the most of your time together. Consider inviting cross-functional participants from product, engineering, or design to create an inclusive conversation.
Step 3: Create a welcome environment
At the start of every retrospective, take time to explain the format to participants. Consistently setting expectations about how to engage helps create an environment where everyone feels empowered to speak up.
Make it clear to your team that this is a safe space to share honest feedback. Constructive feedback is the key to a better shared future.
Step 4: Reflect on successes
After you’ve set the stage, start the discussion by giving everyone time to write down wins on sticky notes. You can start by writing down wins quietly and independently or share in a more ad hoc fashion.
After everyone has had time to write down or share their wins, group them into themes within the first column.
Step 5: Identify areas of improvement
Now, take time to write down or share areas that need improvement on sticky notes. Share with an open mind and encourage team members to embrace a growth mindset while avoiding blame.
If a comment needs more clarification, ask open ended questions and encourage active listening.
Step 6: Plan next steps
Lastly, write down or share concrete next steps for improvement. Assign task owners and due dates for ultimate clarity and accountability. If you have more action items than what could be accomplished before the next retrospective, take a moment to vote on the top items.
At the end of your retrospective, your team should feel heard and have a clear understanding on how to improve moving forward.
With this agile retrospective template, you can run more impactful and productive sprint retrospectives without any heavy lifting.
Collaborate in real time with an online whiteboard. InVision Freehand empowers your entire team to create together, all in one place.