🍀 Emerald Isle Reflection
Let’s embark on a journey across Ireland’s rolling green hills! Share wins, weather the storms, and plan for brighter tomorrows as an agile clan. Sláinte to continuous improvement!
Template Columns
🌈 Pots of Gold
Celebrate our lucky successes and positive team moments from this sprint.
Base column: What Went Well🌧️ Celtic Storms
Reveal the challenges we faced, just like weathering an Irish rainstorm.
Base column: What Went Wrong🛠️ Building Castles
Plot a course for improvement, constructing castles of progress together.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
The Emerald Isle Reflection retro invites teams to celebrate wins, openly discuss recent challenges, and collaborate on actionable improvements inspired by the spirit of Ireland.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective at the end of a sprint, milestone, or after a project phase when the team could benefit from energizing reflection and actionable planning.
How to facilitate
Set the scene by sharing the journey theme and inviting everyone to picture themselves exploring Ireland’s landscapes together.
Ask each team member to add notes in the Pots of Gold column, highlighting achievements, small wins, and positive moments.
Guide the team to shift focus to Celtic Storms, encouraging open and candid sharing of challenges, obstacles, or difficult patterns encountered.
Transition to Building Castles, inviting suggestions for concrete improvements or experiments to try next sprint.
Organize and discuss all notes as a group, clustering similar themes and ensuring all voices are heard during each discussion.
Vote on the most important actions, and decide who will own or champion each improvement initiative.
Close with a quick round where each team member shares one thing they look forward to or want to try based on the retro outcomes.
Pro Tips
Kick off with a fun icebreaker, like sharing a favorite Irish proverb or photo, to set a collaborative tone.
Use empathy mapping when discussing storms to help understand what contributed to each challenge.
If time is tight, set a timer for each column to maintain focus and momentum.
Revisit the agreed-upon action items in your next retro to show progress and encourage accountability.
FAQ
How can we ensure everyone feels safe sharing challenges in 'Celtic Storms'?
Model open, non-judgmental feedback and remind the team that retros are a blameless space. The facilitator should thank team members for honesty and redirect any negative language toward constructive learning.
What if we have too many action items in 'Building Castles'?
Prioritize by group voting or dot voting, and commit to addressing only the top items to ensure focus and follow-through.
How do we keep the energy high throughout the retro?
Incorporate short breaks, visuals, and thematic check-ins inspired by the Emerald Isle theme—like sharing virtual scenery or upbeat Celtic background music.
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