⛄️❄️ Frosty Sprint

Bundle up and glide through our icy sprint! Celebrate the snowflakes of success, melt the drifts of trouble, and sculpt a smoother path forward together.
45–60 min
4-12 people
Based on: Drop, Add, Keep, Improve
⛄️❄️ Frosty Sprint

Template Columns

🧊 Melted Mistakes

Spot the things that melted away or didn’t stick this sprint.

Base column: Drop
⛄️ New Snowflakes

Add fresh ideas and practices to grow our snowman stronger.

Base column: Add
❄️ Frozen Foundations

Keep the solid, reliable parts that keep our snowman standing tall.

Base column: Keep
🔧 Carve & Refine

Improve and shape existing elements for a smoother, sturdier snowman.

Base column: Improve

About this template

A fun, winter‑themed sprint retrospective that celebrates wins, uncovers slip‑ups, preserves strong practices, and shapes actionable improvements.

When to use this template

Use when the team wants an engaging, themed way to reflect on a sprint while focusing on both successes and areas for growth.

How to facilitate

1

Begin by introducing the Frosty Sprint metaphor and the purpose of each column to set a playful tone

2

Ask each participant to write their observations on virtual sticky notes for Melted Mistakes, New Snowflakes, Frozen Foundations, and Carve & Refine

3

Collect the notes in Melted Mistakes, group similar items, and discuss why they slipped or disappeared during the sprint

4

Move to New Snowflakes, share fresh ideas, and vote on the most promising additions for the next sprint

5

Review Frozen Foundations, acknowledge what worked well and decide what should stay unchanged

6

In Carve & Refine select one or two items to turn into concrete action items, assign owners, and set clear next‑step deadlines

Pro Tips

Encourage brief, specific notes to keep discussion focused and timeboxed

Use a quick dot‑vote or emoji reaction to prioritize ideas without lengthy debates

After the session, capture the agreed actions in your team's backlog or task board for visibility

FAQ

What if the team struggles to generate items for New Snowflakes?

Prompt with open‑ended questions like “What could make our workflow smoother?” or share a recent success as inspiration to spark ideas.

How do we keep the discussion from drifting off topic?

Set a timer for each column (e.g., 8 minutes) and gently steer conversation back when it wanders, reminding the group of the column’s focus.

Can we use this format for a retrospective longer than one sprint?

Yes, simply adjust the timebox and consider grouping items by larger time periods, but keep the four‑column structure to maintain clarity.

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At a glance

  • Duration

    45–60 min

  • Team Size

    4-12 people

  • Columns

    4 columns

  • Base Format

    Drop, Add, Keep, Improve

Tags

team health
reflection
action-oriented
winter theme
process improvement

Ready to get started?

Use this template to run your next retrospective