🐝 Buzzing Bee Hive
Step into the hive! Let’s work as a collaborative swarm to share what we should Start, Stop, and Continue to build a sweeter, more productive sprint together.
Template Columns
🌼 Pollinate New Ideas
Suggest fresh actions or habits to help our team thrive like a blossoming meadow.
Base column: Start🛑 Avoid the Stingers
Identify practices or blockers that sting our progress and should be left behind.
Base column: Stop🍯 Keep Making Honey
Highlight the habits and processes that create the sweetest results and should continue.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Buzzing Bee Hive retrospective uses the classic Start, Stop, Continue format with a team-building twist, encouraging every member to collaboratively nurture team success.
When to use this template
Use this template when you want to foster open team dialogue around process improvement and positivity, especially after a challenging sprint or when team morale needs a lift.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team and introduce the Buzzing Bee Hive theme to set a collaborative and upbeat tone.
Briefly explain each column: pollinating new ideas, avoiding the stingers, and continuing to make honey.
Ask everyone to add their thoughts under each column individually and privately for a few minutes.
Invite team members to read through the board and group similar ideas together as a swarm.
Discuss the main themes surfaced in each column, encouraging everyone to share context and suggestions.
As a group, agree on key actions to implement, emphasizing the new ideas to start and old stingers to stop.
Wrap up by celebrating strong ongoing practices and end with a positive note for the team.
Pro Tips
Use visuals or themed icebreakers to energize the team and reinforce the bee theme for a more engaging atmosphere.
Prompt quieter team members ahead of time to prepare insights, leveling the contribution field and avoiding groupthink.
Leverage the 'Pollinate New Ideas' column to inspire out-of-the-box thinking, not just incremental change.
FAQ
What if the team gets stuck generating ideas?
Prompt with specific questions, such as 'What one thing could make our next sprint noticeably better?' to spark input.
How do we avoid repeating the same points every retro?
Reflect on past retros and ask the team to build on or update previous insights, focusing on action and results.
How do you ensure everyone is heard in a virtual setting?
Use round-robin or chat prompts to invite contributions from all participants, not just the most vocal.
At a glance
- Duration
30–40 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