Start/stop/continue

This approach to a retrospective (a meeting whose goal is to reflect on the results and events during one iteration of work, e.g., software development; an artifact in the Scrum methodology) assumes discussing 3 aspects of work in an iteration with the team.

Start: What behaviors, attitudes, things, approaches should, according to team members, start happening in the team/project, e.g., an additional review meeting of marketing-sales teams so that everyone is up to date.

Stop: Analogously, what should end, e.g., meetings that are too long.

Continue: One thing per participant that is worth continuing from the previous sprint, or the general approach to the project.

Step 1:
Prepare a table and cards

Create a table with 3 columns start/stop/continue – virtually e.g., on Miro, or physically e.g., on a flipchart. Distribute post-it notes to participants, assign tiles in Asana, or somehow otherwise give them a chance to write down thoughts on each of the 3 topics so that they can be assigned and discussed.

Step 2:
Set a time limit for this exercise

Give the team 5-10 minutes per column. They must place at least 1 post-it in each column.

Step 3:
Discussion

Everyone discusses their notes, in the order of the column → the whole team discusses e.g., “start” and you move to the next column.

Step 4:
Voting round

In the next round, you can assign each team member 1-3 dots, or points, to vote for one action from the “start” and/or “stop” section.

Step 5:
Designating actions

Assign actions to yourself and help the team implement changes during the next sprint

Other tools in the area of
Progress Monitoring

What went well, what can be improved

A simple tool stimulating reflection on a completed task, project, when assessing progress, or a feedback conversation. Many applications, all related to development. Is there anything you can improve in your team’s work?

Wishes / Appreciation / Risk / Puzzles

A simple tool to use with your team when discussing a completed project, sprint, task, or goal. It’s also useful for everyday team discussions about collaboration. Do you know what your team perceives as risk?

Skill Matrix

A skill matrix is a graphical representation of the skills relevant to a given individual’s job and the entire team. The tool can be simple or highly complex. Do you have matrices available for your colleagues’ positions in your organization?

The Sailboat Retrospective

This section of the Toolbox shows an example of a creative approach to the retrospective through a playful metaphor of a boat or sailboat. This approach uses the metaphor of a voyage to help the team see what drives their progress and what hinders it.