🔥🚩 Burning Feature Flags
Ignite the discussion! Light up our sprint by flagging what to launch, extinguish, or keep blazing, and keep our delivery fire safe and bright.
Template Columns
🚀💡 Ignite New Flags
Identify fresh feature flags to turn on and experiment with in the next sprint.
Base column: Start🛑🔥 Extinguish Bad Flags
Mark flags that caused issues or should be retired to prevent burnout.
Base column: Stop⚡️🏁 Keep Flags Burning
Highlight flags that are working well and should stay active.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A fast‑paced retrospective that reviews feature flags, deciding which to ignite, extinguish, or keep burning for safer delivery.
When to use this template
Use when your team relies heavily on feature flags and needs a regular check on their impact on stability and release speed.
How to facilitate
Explain the purpose of the session and briefly review what a feature flag is and its current role in the product.
Ask each participant to add sticky notes to the three columns: new flags to try, flags that caused problems, and flags that are working well.
Group similar flags together, then discuss each column, focusing on impact, risk, and value of each flag.
Vote or prioritize the top items in each column and decide concrete actions such as turning a flag on, retiring it, or monitoring it further.
Assign owners for each action, record the decisions in your tracking tool, and agree on a follow‑up check in the next sprint.
Pro Tips
Limit each column to the five most critical flags to keep the conversation focused.
Use a quick “thumbs up/down” poll to gauge consensus before deep diving into a flag.
Capture the decision rationale directly on the digital board so the context is preserved for future reference.
FAQ
What if we have too many flags to discuss?
Prioritize by impact and frequency; focus on the top three flags per column and defer lower‑priority items to a later session.
How do we decide when to retire a flag?
Look for flags that consistently cause bugs, have low usage, or no longer provide business value, and agree on a retirement plan with clear rollback steps.
Can this format work for non‑technical teams?
Yes, involve product owners and QA to assess business impact of flags, and keep the language simple so all stakeholders understand the decisions.
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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