💘🕺 Gentleman's Valentine
Gentlemen, celebrate love and teamwork! Share the victories that made our hearts race, the missteps that left us bruised, and the ways we can sharpen our charm for the next sprint.
Template Columns
💘💪 Strong Hearts
Highlight the wins that made our hearts flutter and boosted team spirit.
Base column: What Went Well💔⚔️ Broken Arrows
Reveal the blunders that caused heartbreak and lessons to avoid future mishaps.
Base column: What Went Wrong🔧💖 Polish the Charm
Identify the areas where we can sharpen our charm and boost performance.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
A fun, love‑themed sprint retrospective that celebrates wins, uncovers setbacks, and identifies charm‑building improvements.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a light‑hearted, morale‑boosting session that still drives actionable insights, especially around sprint or quarterly endings.
How to facilitate
Begin with a quick Valentine icebreaker where each member shares a favorite love‑song or movie
Open the Strong Hearts column and have participants write down wins that made them feel proud, using virtual sticky notes
Move to Broken Arrows, asking everyone to note missteps or frustrations, encouraging honest but respectful sharing
Facilitate a group discussion to cluster similar items and extract key lessons from the broken arrows
Populate Polish the Charm with improvement ideas, vote on the top three, and assign owners for the next sprint
Pro Tips
Keep the tone light by using heart emojis on the board, but set a clear timebox for each column
Encourage the use of GIFs or images on virtual sticky notes to convey emotions quickly
After voting, turn the top improvement ideas into concrete sprint goals with measurable acceptance criteria
FAQ
What if team members are uncomfortable sharing failures?
Normalize the practice by framing broken arrows as learning opportunities and allow anonymous sticky notes for sensitive topics.
How do we keep the session from dragging longer than planned?
Set strict time limits for each column and use a visible timer; move on once the limit is reached, even if some items remain.
Can this format work for larger teams?
Yes, split the group into two or three smaller circles for the Broken Arrows discussion, then reconvene to share the main themes.
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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