🐾 German Shepherd Squad
Welcome to our German Shepherd Squad retro! Together, let’s sniff out what went well, learn new commands, spot what's missing, and fetch our future goals. Let’s make our teamwork as loyal and effective as a well-trained shepherd!
Template Columns
🥇 Loyal Achievements
Share the victories and moments of perfect collaboration our squad achieved this sprint.
Base column: Liked🐕 New Tricks Learned
Highlight new knowledge, skills, or insights we gained—just like learning a fresh command.
Base column: Learned🦴 Missing Treats
Identify tools, support, or opportunities we lacked that could have improved our performance.
Base column: Lacked🏆 Chased Dreams
Describe improvements, goals, or support we’re eager to fetch next time.
Base column: Longed ForAbout this template
The German Shepherd Squad retrospective invites teams to celebrate wins, reflect on learnings, identify what was missing, and set actionable team goals together.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective after a sprint or project milestone to boost morale, encourage shared learning, and align on concrete improvements.
How to facilitate
Kick off by welcoming the team and explaining the playful German Shepherd Squad theme to set a positive and inclusive mood.
Review each column name and its meaning to provide clarity and encourage thoughtful contributions.
Invite everyone to silently add notes to each column, starting with Loyal Achievements, then moving through New Tricks Learned, Missing Treats, and Chased Dreams.
Ask team members to briefly present their notes, grouping similar points and encouraging discussion to surface deeper insights.
Facilitate a discussion on Missing Treats and Chased Dreams to prioritize what will have the biggest impact on the team moving forward.
Collaboratively select 1–2 actionable goals or experiments for the team to try in the next sprint based on the discussions.
Wrap up the session by celebrating participation and committing to revisit the identified action items.
Pro Tips
Encourage storytelling to bring Loyal Achievements and New Tricks Learned to life and inspire the team.
For Missing Treats, frame items as opportunities for improvement rather than complaints to keep the tone constructive.
Make the squad theme interactive by adding a playful icebreaker or digital background featuring a German Shepherd.
Revisit previous action items to show progress and reinforce accountability.
Summarize key insights in a shared document or board so that the team can easily track outcomes.
FAQ
What if our team struggles to fill certain columns?
Prompt reflection with guiding questions: ask for specific examples or revisit the sprint board to jog memories. It's normal for some columns to have fewer notes as team focus shifts each sprint.
How do we avoid blaming when discussing Missing Treats?
Set a safe tone and remind the group that Missing Treats is about identifying what would help everyone succeed, not assigning fault. Focus on needs and collective solutions.
How can we make action items from Chased Dreams realistic?
Encourage the team to break large goals into small, incremental steps and assign clear owners to each action.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
4 columns
- Base Format
Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective