💤🌀 Dream Within a Dream (Inception Edition)
Dive into the layers of our project’s subconscious! Like skilled extractors, let’s uncover what worked, what went awry, and plant the seeds for improvement to architect our own success story.
Template Columns
🌟 Totems of Triumph
Highlight the successful ideas and actions that anchored this sprint, keeping our reality solid.
Base column: What Went Well⏳ Paradoxical Pitfalls
Reveal the obstacles and unexpected paradoxes that disrupted our dream mission and slowed progress.
Base column: What Went Wrongđź’ˇ Dream Designs
Plant new concepts and strategies for improvement, shaping future layers of our agile dream.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
The Dream Within a Dream retrospective invites teams to dig beneath the surface, celebrate real strengths, expose hidden obstacles, and plant actionable ideas to architect future project success.
When to use this template
Use this format after complex sprints, ambitious projects, or when recurring issues suggest there are deeper insights to uncover and creative improvements to be made.
How to facilitate
Welcome everyone and introduce the theme, encouraging creative thinking and open-minded participation.
Set the scene by revisiting the sprint timeline and key moments to refresh everyone's memory.
Invite the team to identify and share their Totems of Triumph—what actions, decisions, or ideas grounded the team and drove success.
Move to Paradoxical Pitfalls, asking team members to discuss roadblocks, surprises, and underlying issues that caused friction or slowed progress; encourage observations, not blame.
Shift focus to Dream Designs, where the group suggests bold improvements, experiments, or process tweaks to plant for the next cycle.
Cluster similar notes in each column and guide the team in prioritizing which improvements to focus on first.
Agree on concrete action items, assign owners, and ensure each action is clearly understood by the team.
End the retrospective by setting a reminder to revisit these actions in the next session to close the feedback loop.
Pro Tips
Encourage storytelling with real examples for each 'dream layer' to make insights more vivid and memorable.
Create a relaxed, imaginative atmosphere to help participants move beyond surface observations and share bolder ideas.
If the team feels stuck identifying improvements, prompt with 'what if' scenarios to spark creativity.
Summarize key learnings visually (like a mind map) at the end to help teams connect how actions above and below the surface interact.
FAQ
How do I encourage team members to dig deeper and not just repeat common points?
Ask probing questions and challenge participants to reflect on root causes and patterns. Provide examples to illustrate how to move beyond surface-level feedback.
What if the team only focuses on negatives and skips celebrating successes?
Start with Totems of Triumph and encourage everyone to list at least one positive contribution or achievement before moving on.
How do we ensure that Dream Designs become actionable changes?
Facilitate a discussion to clarify each suggestion, develop concrete next steps, and assign clear ownership before closing the session.
Is this format suitable for a short sprint or a small team?
This works best for sprints where new or complex situations arose. For small teams or short sprints, consider abbreviating the discussion time per column.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective