Choosing the Right Retrospective Template

Retrospectives are an important tool for remote teams, allowing for the analysis of past events and planning future actions. Choosing the right retrospective template can significantly affect its effectiveness. The choice of a retrospective template should be based on the current needs of the team and the goals of the discussion. It's important to regularly change templates to avoid monotony and maintain a high level of team engagement. Let's consider the most popular templates: Start/Stop/Continue, 4Ls, and Mad/Sad/Glad.

Start/Stop/Continue

This template is ideal for teams striving for continuous improvement. It divides the discussion into three categories:

• Start: What should the team start doing?
• Stop: What should the team stop doing?
• Continue: What is the team doing well and should continue doing?

This template is suitable for teams that want to clearly identify areas for improvement and maintaining success.

4Ls: Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For

The 4Ls template helps participants focus on the emotional and learning aspects of their work. These four components help the team to figure out the following:

• Liked: What did participants like in the last cycle?
• Learned: What did participants learn?
• Lacked: What was the team missing?
• Longed For: What did participants wish for or expect?

This template is suitable for teams that want to focus on personal and professional growth.

Mad. Sad. Glad

This is an emotionally oriented template that helps teams understand the emotional climate within the group. Participants share their feelings associated with three categories:

• Mad: What caused frustration or anger?
• Sad: What caused sadness or disappointment?
• Glad: What brought satisfaction and joy?

This template is recommended for teams that want to improve intra-team understanding and emotional climate.