💡🛠️ Hackweek Innovation Lab
Welcome, innovators! Step into our Hackweek Lab, where experiments spark and learning thrives. Let’s share what we should ignite, discontinue, and keep fueling, to transform our Hackweek ideas into breakthrough realities!
Template Columns
⚡ Spark New Experiments
Suggest fresh ideas or practices to ignite during our next innovation sprint.
Base column: Start⛔ Abort Failed Hacks
Identify processes or habits that hinder creativity and should be shut down.
Base column: Stop🔬 Keep Refining Wins
Highlight successful hacks or methods we should keep developing and using.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Hackweek Innovation Lab retrospective is designed to help teams reflect on their innovation sprints, identifying exciting new ideas to try, obstacles to eliminate, and successful practices to keep improving.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective after a hackathon, innovation sprint, or Hackweek to capture learning, encourage experimentation, and turn creative energy into actionable steps.
How to facilitate
Begin by setting the stage, highlighting the retrospective’s focus on innovation and experimentation.
Invite participants to individually reflect and add notes to each column: suggest new experiments to spark, flag hacks to discontinue, and call out successes to refine.
Once ideas are shared, group similar items together within each column and encourage clarifications if needed.
Facilitate a discussion around each column—explore why certain hacks should be sparked or discontinued, and celebrate the wins that need further refinement.
Prioritize which new experiments to try, and select a few actions based on group consensus that can be realistically pursued in the next innovation cycle.
Close by summarizing next steps and assigning action owners to ensure follow-up.
Pro Tips
Encourage honest sharing—even failed hacks are valuable learning opportunities when openly discussed.
Ask quiet participants targeted questions to surface less obvious ideas or observations.
Balance excitement for new experiments with realistic assessment of resources and team focus.
Document experiment outcomes so you can reference learnings in future hackweeks or sprints.
FAQ
How do we ensure new experiment ideas are actionable?
Encourage participants to suggest clear, practical steps for each experiment and agree on the smallest action to try in the next sprint.
What if there's disagreement about discontinuing a hack?
Facilitate an open discussion on why the hack isn’t working and weigh the pros and cons together, aiming for consensus before deciding to abort it.
How can we keep momentum on successful hacks?
Assign owners to each win, set concrete next steps, and plan for regular check-ins to ensure continuous refinement rather than one-off effort.
Want a custom template?
Create a retrospective template tailored to your team's needs with our AI-powered generator
At a glance
- Duration
40–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective