Sailboat retrospective
The team is a boat. Wind is what pushes it forward, anchors hold it back, rocks are the risks ahead and the island is where it wants to get to.
Start this retro
Wind
What pushed us forward
Anchors
What held us back
Island
Where we want to get to
When to use it
Use it when you want the team to think ahead as well as back, for example at the start of a quarter or before a big release.
How to run it
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1
Start a boardGive it a title and share the link. Your team joins without signing in.
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2
WriteEveryone adds responses to each column. They are anonymous.
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3
VoteEach person votes for the responses that matter most to them.
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4
Discuss and agree actionsTalk through the top-voted responses and write down action items with an owner.
Tips
- Start with the island so everyone agrees what the goal is before listing what helps or hinders.
- Rocks are risks that have not happened yet. Keep them separate from anchors, which are slowing you down today.
- For each top-voted anchor, ask what would cut it loose and turn that into an action item.
Other retrospective formats
