🌊🏄‍♂️ Baywatch with The Hoff
Suit up, lifeguards! Channel your inner David Hasselhoff as we patrol the project’s beaches—celebrating saves, sharing discoveries, and rescuing what needs improvement. Let’s make every sprint a blockbuster Baywatch episode!
Template Columns
🏅 Heroic Saves
Celebrate the Baywatch-worthy moments and wins that made our team shine.
Base column: Likedđź“ş Lessons from the Sand
Share new skills and beach wisdom picked up while on duty this sprint.
Base column: Learned⛑️ Rescue Needed
Highlight the support or resources that went missing and where our watch could improve.
Base column: Lacked🏖️ Dream Beach Moments
Imagine what would make future sprints as smooth and epic as a Baywatch montage.
Base column: Longed ForAbout this template
The Baywatch with The Hoff retrospective uses fun, beach-themed prompts to help your team celebrate wins, share learning, identify improvement areas, and envision a brighter future—making continuous improvement feel like a team adventure.
When to use this template
Best after a sprint or project where energy needs a boost, or when you want to combine reflection with creative thinking. This format is a great pick to shake things up if your team feels retrospective fatigue.
How to facilitate
Set the scene with a playful Baywatch introduction, encouraging team members to embrace the theme and keep things light.
Review each column’s prompt, clarifying what belongs—highlighting both achievements and areas ripe for rescue.
Give everyone time (5–7 minutes) to add reflections to each column, using real examples and honest feedback.
Invite team members to briefly present their cards, grouping similar ideas together to spot themes and patterns.
Guide a group discussion on columns with the most resonance, focusing on Rescue Needed and Dream Beach Moments for improvement ideas.
Help the team prioritize actions based on these discussions and decide who will be their 'lifeguards'—owners for each takeaway.
Wrap up by celebrating the team’s Heroic Saves and sharing any lessons from the session to improve future retrospectives.
Pro Tips
Leverage energetic music or Baywatch visuals to set a fun, inviting tone that relaxes the group.
Turn 'Heroic Saves' into short shout-outs, letting teammates recognize each other's contributions publicly.
Encourage specifics—not just what needs rescue, but exactly what support or resources could have helped.
If discussions get stuck, use the Baywatch metaphor to loosen things up (e.g., 'Who do we need on our beach patrol next time?').
FAQ
What if no one wants to embrace the Baywatch theme?
Keep the tone light and optional—focus on the positive framing and creative prompts, but don’t force anyone to perform or role-play.
How can I avoid the session turning silly or off-topic?
Use the theme to energize but always circle back to the column prompts; remind the team that fun helps creativity, but outcomes still matter.
What should we do if 'Rescue Needed' items recur sprint after sprint?
Flag repeating issues for immediate action and review as a group to find new approaches, or escalate if needed.
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