🌊🦑 Deep Sea Exploration
Dive into the ocean depths of our sprint! Let’s uncover buried treasures, avoid lurking dangers, and keep swimming toward success together. Ready your submersibles for a retrospective adventure far below the surface!
Template Columns
🧭 Plot a New Course
Suggest new initiatives or behaviors to explore uncharted waters, just like deep-sea explorers looking for new discoveries.
Base column: Start🦈 Avoid the Sharks
Identify obstacles, risks, or habits we should leave behind, much like evading dangers in the ocean’s depths.
Base column: Stop🐠 Swim with the Current
Highlight what’s working for us and how we can keep using these currents to propel our team forward.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Deep Sea Exploration retrospective lets your team uncover valuable insights by exploring new initiatives, identifying pitfalls, and building on existing strengths—all with an imaginative undersea twist.
When to use this template
Use this format at the end of a sprint or project when the team needs to reflect creatively on progress, spot risks, and proactively set a path forward.
How to facilitate
Set the scene with a brief introduction, inviting the team to imagine themselves as deep-sea explorers preparing for a new journey.
Review the three columns and explain their underwater-themed focus: 'Plot a New Course' for new initiatives, 'Avoid the Sharks' for things to stop, and 'Swim with the Current' for what’s working.
Open a quiet brainstorming session, encouraging everyone to add cards in each column based on their experiences this sprint.
Give the team time to read and cluster similar cards, fostering discussion around key themes and deeper root causes.
Facilitate a group discussion for each column, prompting the team to suggest actionable steps for new initiatives, concrete ways to avoid risks, and strategies to reinforce what works.
Prioritize actions together, making sure ownership and next steps are clear.
Wrap up by inviting reflections on the process and setting intentions for your team's next 'deep sea adventure'.
Document the agreed actions and share a summary with the team to keep everyone accountable.
Pro Tips
Lean into the exploratory theme by using ocean-inspired visuals or playful language to keep energy and engagement high.
Encourage quieter team members to contribute by inviting them to share one idea for each column, either verbally or in writing.
Translate any metaphors or abstract ideas into practical, tangible actions that lead to meaningful change.
FAQ
How do I keep the team focused and avoid distractions with the playful theme?
Clearly connect the metaphors to real team experiences and regularly bring the discussion back to actionable outcomes if conversation drifts.
What if team members struggle to come up with items for each column?
Prompt with examples or ask targeted questions, such as 'What helped us move forward?' or 'What slowed us down or posed a risk?' to spark ideas.
How can we ensure follow-through on the action items?
Assign clear owners to each action and add them to a shared action tracker so accountability is visible to all.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 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