🏭 Assembly Line of Progress
Step onto the factory floor and optimize our workflow! Let’s assemble our reflections, inspect what worked, and engineer improvements for an even smoother sprint ahead.
Template Columns
🛠️ Finished Products
Showcase what worked efficiently and brought value to our production line.
Base column: Liked🔧 Tools Discovered
Share new skills, methods, or machinery we’ve learned to operate this sprint.
Base column: Learned⚙️ Missing Parts
Highlight resources, clarity, or support that were lacking and slowed down the factory process.
Base column: Lacked🚀 Innovations Desired
Express hopes for new tools, processes, or features that could turbocharge our next production run.
Base column: Longed ForAbout this template
The Assembly Line of Progress retrospective turns your workflow into a factory floor—helping the team identify operational strengths, new learnings, missing supports, and opportunities for innovation.
When to use this template
Use this format after complex sprints when optimizing team workflow, processes, or tooling is a focus. It’s ideal when you want to balance efficiency with continuous improvement.
How to facilitate
Kick off with a brief overview of the factory theme and explain each column using examples from your team's recent work
Invite team members to add reflections asynchronously or during a quiet 5–10 min writing period, focusing on each category
Group similar items under each column by discussing and clustering them as a team, clarifying context where needed
Guide the team through a focused discussion for each column, celebrating wins, exploring new skills, unraveling blockers, and brainstorming process enhancements
Prioritize the most impactful 'Missing Parts' and 'Innovations Desired' together, selecting a few concrete action items to refine your team’s production line
Document actions, owners, and follow-up plans, and end with a quick team check-in to gather feedback on the format
Pro Tips
Encourage specific examples for each column to uncover concrete process improvements
Reserve extra time to explore 'Missing Parts'—unresolved gaps often affect velocity most
Ask team members to connect 'Innovations Desired' back to pain points they've experienced to ensure proposed ideas are relevant
End by reviewing any unaddressed action items from previous retrospectives for continuity
FAQ
What if the team struggles to fill some columns?
Prompt with specific questions, such as 'Was there a tool you wish you’d had?' or 'Which step slowed us down?' to spark ideas.
How do we ensure action items actually improve our workflow?
Assign clear owners, make actions measurable, and follow up in your next retro. Track impact between sprints to reinforce accountability.
Can this format be used with non-technical teams?
Absolutely. Adapt 'tools' and 'production line' metaphors to fit your team's context and focus on process improvements relevant to your work.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
4 columns
- Base Format
Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective