🎂🎉 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!
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: ContinueAbout 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
Begin with Kick‑off Candles by having each participant share one fresh idea they want to try in the next sprint
Move to Party Crashers and ask everyone to note behaviors or processes that are hindering progress and should be stopped
Transition to Keep the Cake where the team lists practices that are working well and should continue
Group similar items together and conduct dot voting to surface the top two items in each column
Facilitate a discussion on concrete actions for the selected Start ideas and Stop items, assigning owners and due dates
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
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective