🌪️ Disaster Response
Brace yourselves! In this disaster-themed retro, let’s assess our project’s earthquakes, floods, and rescues. Identify crisis points, quick responses, and survival strategies to transform setbacks into smart improvements and new strengths.
Template Columns
🆘 Emergency Protocols to Start
Suggest new actions or agile practices we should begin to better handle project disasters.
Base column: Start🚫 Hazards to Stop
Identify risky behaviors or processes causing chaos that we should eliminate to avoid future disasters.
Base column: Stop🛟 Lifelines to Continue
Highlight the effective responses and steady habits that help us weather any project storm.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
Disaster Response is a high-energy retro for surfacing crisis moments, immediate responses, and steady strengths by mapping project 'disasters' to actionable improvements.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective after turbulent sprints, challenging releases, or when your team has experienced high-stress scenarios that need unpacking and transforming into learning.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by inviting the team to recall recent 'project disasters'—moments when things felt chaotic, stalled, or at risk.
Briefly explain each column: Emergency Protocols to Start (new actions), Hazards to Stop (risky behaviors), and Lifelines to Continue (proven responses).
Ask each member to add their thoughts to the columns using real examples and specific situations from the recent project period.
Cluster similar items together to spot recurring patterns or systemic issues across the columns.
Facilitate a group discussion on the most impactful cards, focusing on why disasters happened, how they were handled, and what made certain responses effective.
Lead the team in prioritizing and converting the most crucial 'Start' and 'Stop' items into concrete action items for the next sprint or cycle.
Wrap up by recognizing the lifelines—these are the reliable habits or responses the team should celebrate and consciously maintain.
Pro Tips
Encourage the team to share even small 'near-misses' that could have escalated into major issues if unaddressed.
Balance the retro by highlighting both causes of chaos and stories of successful teamwork under pressure.
Ask thought-provoking follow-ups: What warning signs did we miss? Which protocols actually kept us afloat?
Use lighthearted disaster metaphors—it can help release stress and create a safe atmosphere for honest discussions.
FAQ
How do we prevent this retro from turning into a blame session?
Frame the discussion around processes and behaviors, not individuals. Emphasize learning and improvement over fault-finding.
What if team members struggle to recall 'disasters'?
Prompt with specific timeframes or examples, like missed deadlines, outages, or last-minute scope changes, to spark memory and discussion.
How many action items should come from this retro?
Focus on a few high-impact changes—quality over quantity ensures real follow-through and improvement.
Can this template be used for smaller, less dramatic sprints?
Yes, adapt the disaster theme to fit the intensity of recent challenges—even minor hiccups are valuable learning opportunities.
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At a glance
- Duration
40–60 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