🎂🎉 Birthday Bash Retro

Gather around the birthday cake of our project, share the sweet successes, slice away the stale issues, and plan the next celebration of continuous improvement!
45–60 min
4-12 people
Based on: Start, Stop, Continue
🎂🎉 Birthday Bash Retro

Template Columns

🎈 Kick‑off Candles (Start)

Identify fresh ideas to light up our next sprint, like adding new candles to the cake.

Base column: Start
🚫 Party Crashers (Stop)

Highlight habits that dim the celebration and should be stopped.

Base column: Stop
🥳 Keep the Cake (Continue)

Celebrate practices that keep the party sweet and should continue.

Base column: Continue

About this template

A celebratory retro that highlights new ideas, stops unproductive habits, and reinforces what’s working, using a birthday‑cake metaphor.

When to use this template

Use when the team needs a fun, energizing check‑in after a milestone or at the start of a new sprint to boost morale.

How to facilitate

1

Begin with Kick‑off Candles by having each participant share one fresh idea they want to try in the next sprint

2

Move to Party Crashers and ask everyone to note behaviors or processes that are hindering progress and should be stopped

3

Transition to Keep the Cake where the team lists practices that are working well and should continue

4

Group similar items together and conduct dot voting to surface the top two items in each column

5

Facilitate a discussion on concrete actions for the selected Start ideas and Stop items, assigning owners and due dates

6

Close the retro by thanking the team and visualizing the next celebration when the improvements are realized

Pro Tips

Use virtual sticky notes with emoji reactions to keep the birthday theme lively

Limit discussion time per item to maintain energy and keep the retro moving

Encourage participants to bring a real or virtual cake image to the meeting for extra fun

FAQ

What if the team struggles to generate Start ideas?

Prompt with specific questions like “What could make our next sprint smoother?” or review past blockers to spark suggestions.

How do we handle dominant voices during the discussion?

Use a round‑robin format or time‑boxed speaking turns to ensure everyone contributes equally.

Can this retro be used for non‑sprint periods?

Yes, it works well after any project milestone or at the end of a quarter to celebrate achievements and plan next steps.

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At a glance

  • Duration

    45–60 min

  • Team Size

    4-12 people

  • Columns

    3 columns

  • Base Format

    Start, Stop, Continue

Tags

celebration
team morale
action-oriented
continuous improvement
fun

Ready to get started?

Use this template to run your next retrospective