🛶🌊 Canoe Expedition
Grab your paddles and glide through our sprint’s currents—celebrate smooth strokes, spot eddies, and chart the next course together.
Template Columns
🚣♂️ Paddle Forward
Identify new practices to launch us into smoother waters.
Base column: Start🛑 Drop Anchor
Highlight habits or blockers we need to halt to avoid capsizing.
Base column: Stop🌟 Keep Rowing
Reinforce the effective flows we’ll maintain on our journey.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A collaborative sprint review that uses a canoe metaphor to highlight new ideas, stop harmful habits, and reinforce what’s working well.
When to use this template
Best for teams that need a clear, visual way to differentiate between starting new practices, halting blockers, and continuing strengths.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by sharing the canoe metaphor and explaining each column
Give each participant three minutes to write their thoughts on sticky notes for each column
Collect and cluster similar ideas on the virtual board under Paddle Forward, Drop Anchor, and Keep Rowing
Facilitate a group discussion, starting with Paddle Forward, then Drop Anchor, then Keep Rowing, encouraging owners for each action
Vote on the top three items in each column to prioritize
Create concrete action items for the selected Paddle Forward and Drop Anchor items, assigning owners and due dates
Close the session by summarizing commitments and thanking the team
Pro Tips
Use colored virtual sticky notes matching column colors to keep visual consistency
Limit each participant to three items per column to keep discussion focused
Assign a timebox for each column discussion to stay on schedule
Encourage the team to phrase actions as experiments rather than mandates
FAQ
What if the team runs out of ideas for a column?
Encourage quiet members to share, use prompting questions, or allow a brief brainstorming round to surface hidden insights.
How do we turn Paddle Forward items into actionable steps?
Select the most impactful ideas, define a clear experiment, assign an owner, and set a short‑term deadline for review in the next sprint.
Can we combine this with other retrospective formats?
Yes, you can start with a quick check‑in or end with a confidence vote to blend the Canoe Expedition with other techniques.
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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