Purpose
The method helps clarify sprint backlog, sprint work, and team flow concretely. It prioritizes work by value, risk, and deliverability. The outcome is captured as improvement actions and team agreements.
Agile
Sprint Retrospective
Turns sprint backlog, sprint execution, and team flow into a tangible result through reflecting on the sprint, collecting positives and challenges, and carrying actions into the next sprint.
Which one change to process or system will improve the next sprint most, and who will implement it bindingly?
LowWorkshop45-90 min
How it works
The team follows the steps: reflect on the sprint, collect positives and difficulties, look for patterns and causes, select actions, and carry commitments into the next sprint. Each step is captured visibly. At the end, improvement actions and team agreements are available so decisions, tests, or actions can follow directly.
Visual orientation
Method sketch for a quick mental model.
Flow
- 1Reflect on sprint
- 2Collect what worked and what did not
- 3Look for patterns and root causes
- 4Select actions
- 5Carry over into next sprint
The runsheet guides execution with 5 phases, timeboxes, 6 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
Open runsheetIdeal for
- Scrum teams
- Team improvement
- Process tuning
Not good for
- Roadmap-level decisions
- Blame sessions
Deep dive
In detail
Sprint retrospective follows a clear working logic: reflect on the sprint, collect positives and difficulties, identify patterns and causes, select actions, and carry learning into the next sprint. This turns the method into a visible thinking process rather than only a conversation. Participants move step by step from raw material, observations, or options toward a shared structure. The result is improvement actions and team agreements that make decisions, learning, or further planning actionable.
Facilitation
Prepare a clear focus question, the right information, and a visible workspace. Plan about 45-90 minutes with 3-10 people and use the format in a facilitated workshop. The facilitation stays lightweight; short timeboxes, visible intermediate results, and a parking lot for open questions help.
Output artifacts
Improvement actionsTeam agreements
Artifact templates
Sprint Retrospective Working TemplateCompact working template for Sprint Retrospective with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.markdown
Sprint Retrospective Working TemplateCompact working template for Sprint Retrospective with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
markdownsprint-retrospective-working-template.md
Compact working template for Sprint Retrospective with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
Sprint Retrospective Working Template
Goal
A Scrum event to inspect and adapt collaboration, quality, and process.
Context
When and for what do we use this method?
Input
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Execution
Short notes along the runsheet.
Output artifacts
- Improvement Actions:
- Team Agreements:
Assumptions and open questions
- ...
Decision / Next step
Owner, date, and success signal.
When to choose differently
Short decision aid for existing alternatives.
After-Action Review
Statt Sprint Retrospective, wenn ihr ein abgeschlossenes Ereignis knapp auswerten wollt und keine längere Retrospektive braucht.
Similar methods
All methodsOperations
After-Action Review
Turns workflows, data, causes, and improvements into a tangible result through naming objectives, describing actual execution, and defining actions.
Statt Sprint Retrospective, wenn ihr ein abgeschlossenes Ereignis knapp auswerten wollt und keine längere Retrospektive braucht.
Agile
4Ls Retrospective
Turns backlog, sprint work, and team flow into a tangible result by setting the timeframe, collecting liked and learned items, and selecting actions.
Agile
Sailboat Retrospective
Turns backlog, sprint work, and team flow into a tangible result by defining the destination island, collecting drivers and anchors, and agreeing on actions.
Agile
Starfish Retrospective
Turns backlog, sprint work, and team flow into a tangible result by explaining five categories, collecting inputs, and formulating experiments.
Agile
Start Stop Continue
Turns backlog, sprint work, and team flow into a tangible result by setting context and timeframe, collecting start ideas, and prioritizing actions.
Agile
Mad Sad Glad
Turns backlog, sprint work, and team flow into a tangible result by defining the timeframe, collecting signals of mad, sad, and glad, and deriving patterns and actions.