🌸 Cherry Blossom Reflections
Embrace the serene beauty of cherry blossoms to review and refine our workflows. Let's celebrate what blooms well, prune what hinders growth, and plant seeds for improvement. Together, we'll nurture a thriving garden of ideas.
Template Columns
🌺 Blossoming Ideas
Highlight the ideas and initiatives we should nurture and start to help our project flourish.
Base column: Start🍂 Falling Petals
Identify the habits or processes that no longer serve us and should be let go.
Base column: Stop🌳 Evergreen Practices
Recognize and share the practices that have consistently supported our growth and should continue.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A themed retrospective designed to evaluate team workflows using metaphors of nature, aiding in recognizing effective practices, identifying inefficiencies, and nurturing new ideas.
When to use this template
Ideal for teams seeking to improve workflows while appreciating their progress, especially in periods of transition or long-term projects.
How to facilitate
Begin by welcoming the team and explaining the Cherry Blossom Reflections theme. Set the context and encourage participants to reflect metaphorically on their work as a garden.
Introduce the three columns ('🌺 Blossoming Ideas', '🍂 Falling Petals', '🌳 Evergreen Practices'), describing their meaning and relevance.
Provide a silent brainstorming session for each column. Allow participants to note their thoughts on digital sticky notes for each category.
Facilitate a group discussion where participants share their notes in each column, clustering similar ideas and deep diving into their implications.
Discuss actionable steps, prioritizing themes that emerged, and assign responsibilities where appropriate.
Conclude by appreciating the efforts and the insights shared during the session, encouraging the team to continue reflecting on growth opportunities.
Optionally, ask the team for feedback on the retrospective itself to continuously improve the process.
Pro Tips
Encourage the use of metaphors and imagery linked to the theme to make the session engaging and creative.
Share examples for each column to clarify expectations and spark ideas.
Timebox discussions to maintain focus and ensure all topics are covered.
Utilize visuals such as background imagery of gardens or cherry blossoms to reinforce the theme.
Capture all action items and ensure they are visible to everyone for future reference.
FAQ
What if the team struggles with the metaphor theme?
Provide clear examples or allow team members to use direct terms instead of metaphors to ensure inclusivity.
How can I prevent discussions from going off track?
Set clear time limits for each section and use facilitation techniques like summarizing to keep the conversation focused.
What if participants have conflicting opinions?
Encourage respectful dialogue, focusing on the team's shared goals. Facilitate consensus-building by highlighting common ground.
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