🎲 Bingo Bonanza
Eyes down for a full house! In this bingo-inspired retro, we'll daub the successes, mark the misses, and line up improvements to call out a winning team performance.
Template Columns
✅ Lucky Numbers
Celebrate the winning calls—our highlights and achievements this sprint.
Base column: What Went Well❌ Missed Squares
Spot the missed numbers—challenges and blockers that kept us from a bingo.
Base column: What Went Wrong🔄 Next Game Strategy
Share tactics for a better card—ways we can improve for our next round.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
Bingo Bonanza is a playful, bingo-themed retrospective that motivates teams to celebrate wins, surface blockers, and strategize for continuous improvement.
When to use this template
Use this format when your team could benefit from a fresh, engaging approach to reflection or when you want to energize routine retros with a game-like twist.
How to facilitate
Introduce the Bingo Bonanza theme, explaining the columns and encouraging a playful mindset.
Set the stage by asking each team member to reflect on the sprint and jot down notes for all three columns.
Invite sharing for 'Lucky Numbers', capturing key achievements and highlights as team members 'call them out'.
Move to 'Missed Squares', collecting challenges and blockers—encourage honesty and open sharing.
Focus on 'Next Game Strategy', brainstorming concrete improvements or new tactics for future sprints.
Cluster similar ideas, discuss root causes for blockers, and prioritize actions as a group.
Agree on clear next steps or action items and assign ownership to ensure follow-through.
Wrap up by celebrating participation and reflecting on the bingo analogy—did you get close to a 'full house' this sprint?
Pro Tips
Use a bingo board visual as a backdrop to spark engagement and reinforce the theme.
Encourage shy team members by letting everyone submit notes anonymously at first, then discuss as a group.
Ask the team to pick 'winning lines'—patterns of improvements that could lead to greater team success.
Rotate who leads each column discussion to increase involvement and variety.
Celebrate small wins as enthusiastically as big ones—every marked square counts.
FAQ
What if our team feels the bingo theme is too lighthearted.
Emphasize that the playful theme boosts engagement but the focus stays on real reflection and improvements. Adapt the tone as needed for your team.
How can we make sure all voices are heard in a larger group?
Divide into breakout rooms for initial sharing, then reconvene to highlight key themes and actions. Use chat for quieter participants.
What if we struggle to come up with improvements for 'Next Game Strategy'?
Prompt the team with specific questions or revisit blockers to brainstorm realistic, incremental changes.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective