⚔️🛡️ Battlefield Strategy
Gear up, strategists! In this war-themed retrospective, assess our campaign’s victories, casualties, and ongoing maneuvers. Let’s rally our forces, abandon failed tactics, and march forward united toward project triumph!
Template Columns
🏹 Launch New Tactics
Suggest new strategies or initiatives we should deploy to strengthen our team’s campaign.
Base column: Start🧨 Cease Fire on Pitfalls
Call out practices or habits that hinder our progress and must be halted for victory.
Base column: Stop🛡️ Hold The Line
Highlight ongoing practices that fortify our team and should be carried into future battles.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Battlefield Strategy retrospective uses a war campaign metaphor to help teams assess new approaches, stop hindering habits, and reinforce winning routines.
When to use this template
Ideal after a challenging sprint or project increment, especially when a team needs to refresh its approach, shed unhelpful habits, and boost team alignment.
How to facilitate
Open with a quick icebreaker: ask everyone to share a recent 'battlefield' moment at work to set the theme.
Introduce the three columns and explain the war metaphor to engage creativity and focus discussion.
Give team members silent time to add thoughts to each column: Launch New Tactics, Cease Fire on Pitfalls, and Hold The Line.
Facilitate a group discussion for each column, clustering similar items and clarifying intentions behind suggestions.
Guide the team to prioritize top action items for new tactics and agree on which pitfalls to actively stop.
Summarize key points and assign owners for action items, ensuring accountability for next steps.
Close with a brief team check-in: how prepared do we feel for the next 'battle', and what support is needed?
Pro Tips
Use dramatic imagery or language aligned with the battlefield theme to make the session more engaging.
Encourage honest discussion about current 'pitfalls', even if difficult, by framing feedback as strengthening the team.
Prompt quieter team members by directly inviting their battlefield 'intel' to ensure all voices are heard.
After prioritization, briefly revisit past action items to celebrate tactical wins and reinforce progress.
FAQ
How do we avoid finger-pointing when discussing 'pitfalls'?
Emphasize the metaphor: focus on tactics and practices rather than individuals, and frame every suggestion as a way to strengthen the unit.
What if the team can’t agree on which new tactics to launch?
Use dot voting or consensus-building techniques so everyone can weigh in and the most promising ideas rise to the top.
How can we keep the session from becoming too playful and losing focus?
Set clear expectations at the outset and keep discussions anchored on actionable outcomes, using the metaphor as a light framing, not a distraction.
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At a glance
- Duration
40–55 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective