Agile Facilitation method

4Ls Retrospective

The 4Ls retrospective sorts experience into Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For and makes next steps visible.

The 4Ls Retrospective makes valued experiences, learning, missing elements, and wishes visible. The shared reflection leads to agreed actions whose impact is reviewed later.

Core question

What did we like, learn, lack, and long for, and which small improvement will we inspect afterward?

Plan session Method guide

Start comparison

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Participants: Team members involved
Time: 45–75 min

Four perspectives structure reflection. Selected findings lead to testable improvements.

A structured reflection surfaces what was liked, learned, lacked, and longed for. It is a conversation format and does not validate actions automatically.

Frame
Clarify period and agreements
Set milestones, period, and conversation agreements without forced disclosure.
Reflect
Collect the four Ls
Collect independently: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For.
Cluster
Discuss patterns
Read contributions, cluster themes, and ask about effects without exposing individuals.
Choose
Choose actions
Choose a few actions with owner, date, and a later check of their effect.
Follow-up
Agree review and ownership
Close by agreeing who observes which signals and by when. Evaluate actual effects after implementation.

Update when new observations, signals, or effects appear.

A good fit when

Use it after a Sprint or project cycle when balanced reflection and a few improvements are useful. Keep contributions voluntary and safe.

Ideal for

Sprint Retrospectives
Project Closure
Learning Reviews

Not good for

Acute incident analysis
Decision workshops without reflection

Outputs

4Ls board and action plan
Concrete outcomes with an owner, effect signal and agreed review date.

Working board

Fictional example

Structured board with a blank workspace and fictional example view.

Liked

Fictional: immediate reservation confirmation

The desk confirms reservations directly.

Learned

Fictional: device check prevents questions

The team learns from a repeatable flow.

Lacked

Fictional: return without network hard to see

A missing offline cue makes work harder.

Longed For

Fictional: clear offline guide

The team wishes for a compact guide.

Actions

Fictional: test guide with two returns

Kim checks the effect next cycle.

Safe and voluntary: Contributions describe work and effects; personal disclosure remains voluntary.

The 4 Ls Retrospective Technique | Atlassian

First step

Start with a clear period, goal, and safe frame.

Open the method guide

Where to go next?

Operations

Learning Review

Deepens the captured Learned points into a structured learning report.

Decision Making

Impact Filter

Sharpens the agreed longed-for measure into a concrete next step weighed by impact and risk.

Deep dive

Purpose

When a sprint should not only be assessed but also learned from, it captures experience in clear learning categories. It records what worked, what's missing, and what should run differently next time.

How it works

It bundles feedback into four viewpoints and condenses them into concrete areas for development. Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For separate assessment, insight, deficiency, and wish, so learning doesn't tip into mere praise or complaint.

In detail

The 4Ls Retrospective looks at experience in a differentiated way and makes ambivalences visible that get lost in simple pro and con lists. Good facilitation makes sure Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For each get filled with concrete examples. This creates a balanced picture of strength, loss, insight, and wish, from which solid improvements are easier to derive.

Facilitation

Open with a short review of the period under review, so the four perspectives share the same reference point. The tipping point shows when a Learned item points directly to a Lacked or Longed For. Close with two to three changes that noticeably act on these connections.

The method guide walks execution through 5 phases, timing, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.

Open method guide

Your perspective

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Your feedback helps shape the next improvements to methodatlas.

Sources and topics

Topics

Retrospective Learning Reflection Team

Sources

The 4 Ls Retrospective Technique | Atlassianatlassian.comAtlassian Team Playbook; explains the four categories Loved, Loathed, Longed for, Learned and how to run a 4Ls retrospective.

Artifact templates

4Ls Retrospective: WorksheetPlan purpose, period, and the next work block.

markdown

4ls-retrospective-working-template.md

Plan purpose, period, and the next work block.

4Ls Retrospective: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Whole flow Time: In one session

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

Materials: Board, Stickies, Timer
Roles: The facilitator explains the four Ls and protects voluntary contributions; participants write independently first; the scribe clusters themes and records actions.
Advance information: Collect the Sprint or project cycle, milestones, and relevant artifacts beforehand.
Overall time needed: 60 minutes
Setup: Prepare four blank columns: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. Contributions are voluntary and describe work and effects.