🐶🌟 Golden Retriever Rally

Gather the pack and sniff out our sprint’s best tricks and tangled leashes, turning wagging tails into agile wins!
45–60 min
4-12 people
Based on: Start, Stop, Continue
🐶🌟 Golden Retriever Rally

Template Columns

🐾 Start Fetching

Identify new habits or practices we’ll begin, like a pup chasing a fresh ball.

Base column: Start
✋ Stop Chewing

Highlight behaviors that bite the workflow and should be left behind.

Base column: Stop
✅ Keep Tail Wagging

Celebrate actions that keep momentum high and morale wagging.

Base column: Continue

About this template

A playful start‑stop‑continue sprint review that highlights new habits, discards blockers, and celebrates successes.

When to use this template

Best for teams that enjoy a light‑hearted, visual approach and need clear actions for improvement.

How to facilitate

1

Kick off by reminding the pack of the sprint goal and explain the three columns: Start Fetching, Stop Chewing, Keep Tail Wagging.

2

Give each participant 3‑5 minutes in a shared digital board to add sticky notes to the appropriate column, using brief, action‑oriented statements.

3

Group similar notes together, then discuss each column, asking the team to elaborate on the most impactful items.

4

Vote on the top two items in each column using dot voting or emoji reactions to prioritize actions.

5

Summarize the agreed‑upon start, stop, and continue actions, assign owners, and record them in the sprint backlog.

6

Close with a quick morale check, asking everyone to share one word that describes how they feel about the upcoming sprint.

Pro Tips

Encourage concise phrasing; limit each note to one sentence to keep the board readable.

Use a timer for the brainstorming phase to maintain momentum and avoid over‑analysis.

When voting, limit each person to three votes total to surface the most critical items.

Assign a ‘champion’ for each action to ensure follow‑through in the next sprint.

FAQ

What if the team runs out of ideas for a column?

Prompt with examples or ask each person to think of at least one item; you can also split into smaller breakout groups to generate more input.

How do we keep the session from becoming a blame game?

Focus language on behaviors and outcomes, not individuals, and frame each point as an opportunity for improvement.

Can we use this format for longer retrospectives?

Yes, but consider adding a brief reflection round after each column or extending the voting time to accommodate more items.

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At a glance

  • Duration

    45–60 min

  • Team Size

    4-12 people

  • Columns

    3 columns

  • Base Format

    Start, Stop, Continue

Tags

start‑stop‑continue
team health
agile
remote-friendly
fun

Ready to get started?

Use this template to run your next retrospective