🔥🎇 Bonfire Night Blaze

Gather ’round the flames to spark insights, extinguish blockers, and keep the glow of our successes burning bright in this bonfire-themed retro.
45–60 min
4-12 people
Based on: Start, Stop, Continue
🔥🎇 Bonfire Night Blaze

Template Columns

🔥 Ignite New Sparks

Light up fresh ideas and practices to fuel our next sprint.

Base column: Start
🚫 Douse Dead Embers

Identify and extinguish habits that dim our progress.

Base column: Stop
✨ Keep the Flames Alive

Maintain the practices that keep our momentum glowing.

Base column: Continue

About this template

A bonfire‑themed retro that ignites new ideas, douses unhelpful habits, and keeps winning practices burning bright.

When to use this template

Use when the team needs a fresh burst of energy, wants to celebrate successes, and clear obstacles that dim progress.

How to facilitate

1

Set the stage by sharing the bonfire theme, explaining the three columns and the goal of sparking insight.

2

Ask participants to write down fresh ideas or practices they want to start and place them in the Ignite New Sparks column.

3

Collect items that represent habits or blockers to stop and add them to the Douse Dead Embers column.

4

Gather the practices that are working well and should continue, placing them in the Keep the Flames Alive column.

5

Facilitate a quick dot‑vote or emoji reaction on each column to surface the most important items.

6

Turn the top‑voted items into concrete action items with owners and due dates, then close with a brief reflection on the session.

Pro Tips

Use a timer for each column to keep energy high and prevent over‑discussion.

Encourage visual metaphors – participants can add fire‑related emojis to highlight excitement.

After the retro, create a shared “bonfire board” that stays visible for the sprint to remind the team of commitments.

FAQ

What if the team runs out of ideas for the Ignite column?

Prompt with open‑ended questions like “What could make our next sprint smoother?” or pull in recent customer feedback to spark new suggestions.

How do we handle strong disagreement on items in the Douse column?

Facilitate a brief “pros‑cons” discussion, then use a quick poll to decide if the blocker should be addressed or re‑examined later.

Can this retro be used for a mid‑sprint check‑in?

Yes, shorten the session to 30 minutes, focus on one or two high‑impact items per column, and treat the outcomes as immediate adjustments.

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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

team motivation
continuous improvement
action-oriented
fun
reflection

Ready to get started?

Use this template to run your next retrospective