💡⚡ Brainstorm Blast
Welcome to the creative storm! Let's spark new ideas, clear away unhelpful habits, and keep the innovation flowing as we supercharge our team’s momentum. Ready to ignite your thinking and refresh our agile process?
Template Columns
🌱 Idea Seeds (Start)
Suggest fresh approaches and actions we should plant for future success.
Base column: Start⛅️ Dispel the Clouds (Stop)
Identify habits or blockers that cloud our creativity and should be blown away.
Base column: Stop🔋 Power the Current (Continue)
Highlight practices and energizers we should keep feeding into our brainstorm.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Brainstorm Blast retrospective fuels team creativity by inviting fresh ideas, removing creative blockers, and doubling down on energizing practices. Use it to recharge your process and spark innovative thinking.
When to use this template
This retrospective is best when your team needs a creative boost, is entering a new project phase, or feels stuck in routines. It's ideal for teams aiming to refresh ideas and foster continuous innovation.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team and share the retrospective’s energetic goal: unblocking creativity and generating actionable ideas for your process.
Briefly explain the three columns—Idea Seeds for new ideas, Dispel the Clouds for habits/blockers to stop, and Power the Current for practices to continue.
Give everyone a few minutes of quiet time to individually jot down thoughts for each column, encouraging wild and practical ideas alike.
Invite team members to add their suggestions to the board anonymously if possible, to boost candor and reduce groupthink.
Review and discuss the entries as a group, clustering similar items and clarifying intent.
For each column, invite the team to prioritize which ideas, blockers, or practices are most impactful to address.
Collaboratively decide on 2–3 concrete actions to try or experiment with in the next sprint, assigning owners where needed.
Wrap up by reflecting on the energy in the session, thanking contributors, and recapping next steps.
Pro Tips
Offer inspiring prompts or a quick lightning round if idea generation stalls.
Mix up groupings—pair people up or use breakout rooms to surface quieter voices.
Encourage bolder thinking by reminding the team that even wild ideas have value during brainstorming.
Revisit outcomes from previous retros to illustrate how changes can spark lasting improvement.
FAQ
What if the team struggles to propose new ideas?
Prime with fun prompts, examples, or quick rounds to loosen up thinking. Remind everyone that all ideas are welcome, and perfect solutions aren’t needed now.
How do we handle ‘negative’ feedback when dispelling clouds?
Frame it as clearing the way for creativity—not criticism. Encourage constructive discussion and focus on positive change.
How can we make sure the actions stick after the retrospective?
Assign clear owners and check in on progress at the next retro. Celebrating experimentation keeps momentum strong.
At a glance
- Duration
35–50 min
- Team Size
3-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective