🧗♂️ Escalade Expedition
Gear up, team! Scale the peaks of our project together and reflect on our ascent. Identify strong holds, let go of slipping grips, and plan your next move to reach the summit of agile success!
Template Columns
🪢 Secure New Ropes
Suggest new techniques or practices to start that will help us climb higher.
Base column: Start🪨 Drop Loose Stones
Identify what we should stop doing to avoid obstacles and keep our ascent safe.
Base column: Stop🏔 Trust Your Holds
Highlight what’s working well—our reliable grips—to ensure we keep moving upward together.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
Escalade Expedition is a dynamic retrospective that encourages teams to celebrate successes, abandon unhelpful practices, and experiment with new approaches—all through the lens of a climbing adventure.
When to use this template
Use this template when your team is seeking a fresh, metaphor-driven format to reflect on progress, particularly after overcoming challenges or reaching milestones.
How to facilitate
Open the session by introducing the climbing metaphor and the intention to collectively summit new heights as a team.
Invite team members to share ideas in 'Secure New Ropes' for new techniques or practices that could boost the team's performance.
Ask everyone to contribute to 'Drop Loose Stones' by highlighting practices, tools, or habits the team should stop to avoid risks and slowdowns.
Guide the team through 'Trust Your Holds' to celebrate current strengths and effective practices worth maintaining.
Group similar ideas in each column and discuss the most pressing or promising actions together.
Align on two or three key actions as a team and define clear next steps, assigning ownership if needed.
Close the retrospective by reflecting on the journey ahead and encouraging continuous improvement.
Pro Tips
Reference real climbing gear or stories to make the metaphor engaging and memorable.
Ask quieter members to speak first in each round to ensure diverse perspectives.
Encourage visual brainstorming by letting participants place digital icons or markers on virtual cards for emphasis.
Vary which column you start with each retro to keep things fresh and avoid routine answers.
FAQ
What if team members don't connect with the climbing metaphor?
Explain that the climbing theme is just a creative frame and that the core focus is honest reflection and actionable improvement. Encourage them to think of examples as obstacles and wins from their own project experiences.
How do we prevent repeating the same feedback every sprint?
Prompt the team to get specific and connect items to recent experiences. Switching up which column you start with and the framing of questions can help unlock fresh insights.
What if too many actions are suggested?
Prioritize two or three actionable items for the next iteration and record the rest for future review.
At a glance
- Duration
40–50 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