🧀 Cheese Extravaganza
Let’s craft the ultimate cheese board of our team’s journey! Slice up new ideas, discard moldy habits, and savor what’s working best. Get ready for a retrospectively gouda time!
Template Columns
🧂 Add New Flavors
Suggest what fresh ingredients or innovations we should start mixing into our process.
Base column: Start🚫 Drop the Moldy Bits
Point out the habits, tools, or patterns that have soured and need to be tossed away.
Base column: Stop🧀 Savor the Classics
Highlight the processes or techniques we want to keep enjoying in our work platter.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Cheese Extravaganza retrospective uses a cheese board metaphor to help teams identify which practices to add, remove, or continue. It’s a fun way to encourage innovative thinking and reflective celebration of the team’s journey.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when your team needs a creative way to brainstorm improvements or after a period of significant change. It’s great for energizing sessions and sparking candid, constructive feedback.
How to facilitate
Begin by introducing the cheese board metaphor and setting a positive, engaging tone for the session. Clarify the goal: refreshing team practices and savoring successes.
Explain the three columns: Add New Flavors (new ideas to try), Drop the Moldy Bits (things to stop), Savor the Classics (what’s working well).
Give everyone a few minutes to jot down their thoughts for each column individually.
Have team members share their notes in the main board, grouping similar ideas as they go.
Invite open discussion, asking participants to elaborate on their suggestions and exploring any patterns or surprises together.
Guide the team to prioritize which new flavors to try, which moldy bits to drop immediately, and which classics are core to your culture.
Decide on action items with clear owners, timing, and how results will be reviewed.
Wrap up by highlighting the variety on your 'cheese board' and celebrating participation.
Pro Tips
Kick-off with a lighthearted cheese trivia or joke to loosen up the group and set a fun tone.
Encourage specificity in each column so improvements are actionable, not vague.
If energy lags, have participants vote for their favorite 'classic' or 'new flavor' to spark discussion.
FAQ
What if the cheese theme feels too light for serious issues?
Reframe columns in plain terms as needed—focus on engagement, but keep underlying goals clear regardless of theme.
How can we prevent the session from becoming just a complaint list?
Guide conversation toward constructive solutions and highlight wins in the 'Savor the Classics' column.
Is this approach suitable for very large teams?
For groups over 10, divide into sub-teams for discussion, then reconvene to share key findings and actions.
At a glance
- Duration
40–55 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective