🌸🌼 Garden Bloom
Step into a vibrant garden of reflection, where we celebrate our blossoms, prune the thorns, and plant seeds for future growth.
Template Columns
🌸 Blooming Wins
Share the bright successes that blossomed during the sprint.
Base column: What Went Well🌹 Thorny Challenges
Identify the prickly issues and wilted moments that need attention.
Base column: What Went Wrong🌱 Sprouting Ideas
Suggest new seeds to plant for continuous improvement.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
A colorful retrospective that celebrates successes, uncovers challenges, and plants ideas for future growth.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a balanced, uplifting review that highlights positives while still addressing pain points and generating actionable ideas.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by reminding the team of the garden metaphor and the three columns
Ask participants to silently write their thoughts for each column on virtual sticky notes
Collect and group the Blooming Wins notes, then have each owner briefly share the story behind a few highlights
Move to Thorny Challenges, cluster similar issues, and discuss the impact and root causes
Transition to Sprouting Ideas, encourage creative suggestions and prioritize the most promising seeds
Conclude by voting on top actions, assign owners, and plant a visual growth plan on the board
Pro Tips
Use a timer for each column to keep energy high and ensure equal focus
Invite a “garden keeper” to rotate each sprint, fostering ownership of the metaphor
Encourage participants to use emojis or icons on their notes to keep the visual vibe lively
When clustering, ask “What common theme ties these together?” to surface hidden patterns
FAQ
What if the team struggles to find any wins?
Encourage looking for small improvements or personal learning moments; even minor successes count as blooms and help set a positive tone.
How do we handle dominant voices during the discussion?
Use a round‑robin or timed speaking turns and rely on the silent sticky‑note phase to capture quieter input.
What if we generate too many ideas in the Sprouting Ideas column?
Group similar suggestions, then use dot voting to surface the top three to focus on for the next sprint.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 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