❄️☃️ First Snowfall Sprint
Welcome to the first snow of the season! Let’s bundle up, reflect on fresh tracks, and melt obstacles while preserving the crisp successes of our agile journey.
Template Columns
❄️❄️ Start the Flurry
Identify new initiatives that will kick‑off our project’s fresh momentum.
Base column: Start🛑☃️ Stop the Ice
Highlight practices that are freezing progress and should be halted.
Base column: Stop🌨️🌟 Continue the Snowfall
Celebrate ongoing habits that keep our workflow smooth and sparkling.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A winter‑themed sprint retrospective that helps teams start new ideas, stop blockers, and continue effective practices.
When to use this template
Use when a team is beginning a new sprint or project phase and wants a fresh, seasonal lens to surface ideas and obstacles.
How to facilitate
Set the scene by welcoming the team, sharing the snow theme, and reviewing the agenda
Ask participants to write individual observations for each column—Start the Flurry, Stop the Ice, Continue the Snowfall—on virtual sticky notes
Group similar notes together in each column and discuss the underlying reasons, encouraging brief stories and data points
Prioritize the items in the Start and Stop columns by voting with a quick dot‑vote or emoji reaction to decide which actions to commit to
Summarize the agreed actions, assign owners, and capture them in the team’s action tracker before closing the session
Pro Tips
Use a winter background or snowflake emojis on the board to keep the theme alive and boost engagement
Limit each participant to three items per column to keep the discussion focused and timeboxed
When voting, set a clear threshold (e.g., two votes) so only the most impactful items move forward
FAQ
What if the team runs out of ideas for a column?
Prompt with specific questions like ‘What new experiment could we try?’ or use a silent brainstorming minute to generate fresh thoughts.
How do we handle dominant voices taking over the discussion?
Facilitator can use a round‑robin format or ask quieter members to share their top one item, ensuring balanced participation.
Can this format be used for a mid‑sprint check‑in?
Yes, the same structure works for any checkpoint; just shorten the voting phase to keep the session within 30 minutes.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective