Complete firstShared destination
The team understands the desired next state and retrospective period.
Without a destination, wind and anchors are hard to interpret.
Method guideAgile
Sailboat Retrospective
A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.
ComplexityLow
Time45-90 min
Participants4-12
FormatWorkshop
MaturityEstablished
01
Prerequisite
What needs to be finished first
02
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
Boat image or four labelled fields: island, wind, anchors, rocks; cards and experiment note.
People / roles
Affected team and facilitator; external dependencies later receive a named clarification contact.
Pre-read
Select the period and shared goal; explain the visual legend and respectful discussion rules before collecting notes.
Time needed
45–75 minutes; impact review after the experiment
Setup
Clearly label island, wind, anchors and rocks; leave enough space for individual cards and a separate experiment area.
03
Core question
The one question this method answers
What helps our journey to the goal, what slows us today and what danger lies ahead?
04
Flow
Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall
The team examines collaboration as a sailing journey: the island is the goal, wind represents helping forces, anchors are current constraints and rocks represent future risks. A bounded course correction follows.
Sailboat Retrospective· worksheet
Fictional example
The team examines collaboration as a sailing journey: the island is the goal, wind represents helping forces, anchors are current constraints and rocks represent future risks. A bounded course correction follows.
Island: destination
Which shared state do we want to reach?
Fictional: every course registration should be reliably confirmed before the start.
Wind: support
Which observed practice brings us closer to that goal?
Daily support-development pairing clarifies errors quickly.
Anchors: current constraints
What already slows us, with what concrete consequence?
Manual approvals wait in a shared mailbox for up to two days.
Rocks: future risks
Which future development could threaten the goal?
Assumption: volume doubles at the next course launch and overloads approvals.
Course correction and review
Which trial will we run with what owner, period and impact signal?
For two weeks use approval windows at 10:00 and 15:00, owner Lea; then compare waiting times and retain pairing.
All example details are fictional and illustrate the application.
- 1
Island and legend
Island and legend
Goal
Shared journey
Inputs for this step
- Team goal
- Period
Actions
- Name the destination and reviewed period; jointly define wind, anchors and rocks.
- Clarify one example per symbol and briefly revisit earlier experiments.
Output
Shared journey
Does the island describe a shared outcome?
Quality check
Does the island describe a shared outcome?
Pitfall
The island remains a vague improve. Select a visible next state.
Timing: 5–10 minutes
- 2
Wind, anchors and rocks
Wind, anchors and rocks
Goal
Factors and risks
Inputs for this step
- Own experiences
- Destination and legend
Actions
- Silently collect helping experiences, current impediments and future risks on separate cards.
- Place cards at the relevant symbol and name the observation or assumption.
Output
Factors and risks
Are observations distinct from future risk hypotheses?
Quality check
Are observations distinct from future risk hypotheses?
Pitfall
Every negative point becomes an anchor without checking. Ask whether the effect is already happening or may occur later.
Timing: 10–15 minutes
- 3
Clarify impact and influence
Clarify impact and influence
Goal
Selected course lever
Inputs for this step
- Factor map
- Team knowledge
Actions
- Understand cards together, group themes and discuss impact on the destination.
- Select one actionable high-impact theme; examine severe risks even with few votes.
Output
Selected course lever
Are impact and agency named for the focus?
Quality check
Are impact and agency named for the focus?
Pitfall
Only the topic with most cards is addressed. Examine frequency, severity and agency separately.
Timing: 15–25 minutes
- 4
Agree a course correction
Agree a course correction
Goal
Course correction with review
Inputs for this step
- Course lever
- Available capacity
Actions
- Plan a small change to release an anchor or address a risk; protect useful wind.
- Agree owner, duration and later impact review.
Output
Course correction with review
Will we later review impact rather than only completion?
Quality check
Will we later review impact rather than only completion?
Pitfall
Several major improvements are promised at once. Choose one manageable trial and park other ideas.
Timing: 10–20 minutes
05
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Sketch: what the artifact looks like
Form
Sailboat with destination, helping and hindering factors, risks and an agreed course correction with review date.
Versioning / ownership
Record date and scope; retain the previous version and reason when changing it.
Tool alternatives
- Paper image with cards
- Digital whiteboard
- Four-field document
sailboat-retrospective-working-template.md
Select the period and shared goal; explain the visual legend and respectful discussion rules before collecting notes.
Sailboat Retrospective: Worksheet
Question
To be confirmed
Desired outcome
To be confirmed
Scope
Complete retrospective Time: 45–75 minutes; impact review after the experiment
Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.
Preparation for this scope
Method setup
- Materials: Boat image or four labelled fields: island, wind, anchors, rocks; cards and experiment note.
- Roles: Affected team and facilitator; external dependencies later receive a named clarification contact.
- Advance information: Select the period and shared goal; explain the visual legend and respectful discussion rules before collecting notes.
- Overall time needed: 45–75 minutes; impact review after the experiment
- Setup: Clearly label island, wind, anchors and rocks; leave enough space for individual cards and a separate experiment area.
Prepare for the work steps
Island and legend: Island and legend
- Team goal
- Period
Wind, anchors and rocks: Wind, anchors and rocks
- Own experiences
- Destination and legend
Clarify impact and influence: Clarify impact and influence
- Factor map
- Team knowledge
Agree a course correction: Agree a course correction
- Course lever
- Available capacity
Sailboat Retrospective· worksheet
Island: destination
Which shared state do we want to reach?
...
Wind: support
Which observed practice brings us closer to that goal?
...
Anchors: current constraints
What already slows us, with what concrete consequence?
...
Rocks: future risks
Which future development could threaten the goal?
...
Course correction and review
Which trial will we run with what owner, period and impact signal?
...
Answer the prompts with your own information. Explicitly mark unknowns and assumptions.
Mark Summers: Sailboat Retrospective
Island and legend: Island and legend
Expected artifact: Shared journey
Does the island describe a shared outcome?
Entry:
...
- Does the island describe a shared outcome?
Wind, anchors and rocks: Wind, anchors and rocks
Expected artifact: Factors and risks
Are observations distinct from future risk hypotheses?
Entry:
...
- Are observations distinct from future risk hypotheses?
Clarify impact and influence: Clarify impact and influence
Expected artifact: Selected course lever
Are impact and agency named for the focus?
Entry:
...
- Are impact and agency named for the focus?
Agree a course correction: Agree a course correction
Expected artifact: Course correction with review
Will we later review impact rather than only completion?
Entry:
...
- Will we later review impact rather than only completion?
Open questions and next steps
...
Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/sailboat-retrospective/run-sheet
06
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.
sailboat-retrospective-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Fictional example
Island: destination: Fictional: every course registration should be reliably confirmed before the start.
Wind: support: Daily support-development pairing clarifies errors quickly.
Anchors: current constraints: Manual approvals wait in a shared mailbox for up to two days.
Rocks: future risks: Assumption: volume doubles at the next course launch and overloads approvals.
Course correction and review: For two weeks use approval windows at 10:00 and 15:00, owner Lea; then compare waiting times and retain pairing.
07
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow
- Island and legendThe island remains a vague improve.View in phase
- Wind, anchors and rocksEvery negative point becomes an anchor without checking.View in phase
- Clarify impact and influenceOnly the topic with most cards is addressed.View in phase
- Agree a course correctionSeveral major improvements are promised at once.View in phase
Trap
Island and legend
Symptom
The island remains a vague improve.
What to do
Select a visible next state.
Trap
Wind, anchors and rocks
Symptom
Every negative point becomes an anchor without checking.
What to do
Ask whether the effect is already happening or may occur later.
Trap
Clarify impact and influence
Symptom
Only the topic with most cards is addressed.
What to do
Examine frequency, severity and agency separately.
Trap
Agree a course correction
Symptom
Several major improvements are promised at once.
What to do
Choose one manageable trial and park other ideas.
08
Stop criteria
When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach
If an anchor blames a person, specify behaviour and working conditions. Separate future threats as rocks from observed constraints.
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