🍹 Fresh Drinks Mixer
Welcome to the Fresh Drinks Mixer! Let's shake up our sprint by mixing together successes, stirring in challenges, and squeezing out ideas for a zesty project refresh. Raise your glass to continuous improvement!
Template Columns
🍉 Sweet Sips
Share the successes and refreshing moments from this sprint that quenched our team's thirst for progress.
Base column: What Went Well🍋 Sour Shots
Discuss the bitter tastes—challenges or mishaps—that left us puckering during the sprint.
Base column: What Went Wrong🍊 Zesty Upgrades
Suggest new ingredients and mix-ins for making our next batch of work even more invigorating.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
The Fresh Drinks Mixer retrospective invites your team to blend wins, challenges, and fresh ideas for a revitalized sprint. Its playful theme encourages open, energizing conversation for continuous improvement.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective at the end of a sprint or project phase to energize the team and stir up creative solutions. It's ideal when you want a fun format that helps everyone reflect honestly and collaboratively.
How to facilitate
Set the upbeat tone by introducing the Fresh Drinks Mixer theme and review the three columns: Sweet Sips, Sour Shots, and Zesty Upgrades.
Invite everyone to add candid reflections to each column: successes to Sweet Sips, challenges to Sour Shots, and improvement ideas to Zesty Upgrades.
Allow teammates time to read and react to others' notes, encouraging follow-up questions or virtual cheers for highlights.
Facilitate a discussion, starting with Sweet Sips to share positive momentum, then address Sour Shots to uncover pain points, and brainstorm Zesty Upgrades for actionable change.
Help the team prioritize the top improvement ideas and convert them into concrete action items for the next sprint.
Wrap up with a quick round where everyone 'raises a glass' to a key takeaway or goal, reinforcing commitment to improvement.
Pro Tips
Use playful language and visuals to keep the energy high and encourage participation, especially for quieter team members.
Invite everyone to contribute to each column to ensure balanced discussion and avoid focusing just on problems or wins.
Reference past Zesty Upgrades to show progress and build accountability.
Mix in anonymous contributions if your team is shy or new to retros to foster honesty without pressure.
FAQ
What if the conversation gets stuck in Sour Shots?
Acknowledge frustrations but gently steer the group toward solutions in Zesty Upgrades. Remind everyone the goal is to refresh, not dwell.
How can I keep the mood light without losing focus?
Lean into the playful theme, but use timeboxing to keep discussions productive and transition from sharing to action.
What if team members hold back from sharing candidly?
Create psychological safety by emphasizing that all flavors—wins, challenges, and ideas—are valued for team growth.
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