🎨🌲 Happy Little Retrospective with Bob Ross
Take a canvas break with Bob Ross! Let’s paint our project’s journey—highlight joyful moments, color in lessons, shade in what’s missing, and dream up masterpieces for the next sprint. There are no mistakes here, only beautiful learning opportunities!
Template Columns
😊 Happy Accidents
Share what you liked and the joyful surprises in our project—celebrate every happy accident!
Base column: Liked🖌️ New Brush Strokes
Discuss what new skills or insights we learned that added depth to our work.
Base column: Learned🌫️ Missing Colors
Point out areas where something was lacking or didn’t make the canvas as bright as you hoped.
Base column: Lacked🌄 Masterpiece Dreams
Express your hopes and aspirations—what would you like to see painted into our next iteration?
Base column: Longed ForAbout this template
The Happy Little Retrospective with Bob Ross turns your sprint review into a creative, joyful exploration—celebrating surprises, learning, gaps, and aspirations for the future.
When to use this template
Use this format when the team needs a morale boost, wants to reflect creatively, or after a high-stress period. It's also great when you want to break routine and encourage fresh, open conversations.
How to facilitate
Set the scene by inviting your team to imagine themselves painting their project journey, embracing Bob Ross’s positive, growth-oriented mindset.
Introduce each column: Happy Accidents for enjoyable surprises and wins, New Brush Strokes for new skills/insights, Missing Colors for gaps or disappointments, and Masterpiece Dreams for aspirations.
Give everyone a few minutes to privately add their thoughts to each column in Kollabe, encouraging at least one note per area.
Invite participants to read each other's contributions anonymously, highlighting resonant items or adding comments to spark conversation.
Facilitate a group discussion starting from Happy Accidents and moving through each column, exploring successes, lessons, gaps, and forward-looking dreams.
As you discuss each area, collaboratively identify themes and connections that could drive action or improvement.
Conclude by asking the team to select one or two Masterpiece Dreams as concrete action items for the next sprint.
Pro Tips
Bring a lighthearted mood—use themed backgrounds or music to enhance the Bob Ross vibe.
Encourage visual thinkers to add sketches or metaphors to their notes for extra engagement.
Periodically gently redirect if talk turns negative—remind the team every 'mistake' is a learning brushstroke.
Reserve extra time for Masterpiece Dreams to ensure aspirations become tangible actions.
FAQ
How do I help the team open up in this creative format?
Set the tone by sharing your own lighthearted example, and normalize vulnerability by appreciating every contribution as a brushstroke.
What if discussion gets stuck on 'Missing Colors' or frustrations?
Acknowledge the feelings, but gently redirect the group towards how these gaps can inspire our future 'Masterpieces'—focus on solutions and growth.
How do I keep the session from running long?
Timebox each section, and use a visible timer. If discussion runs over, park longer topics for follow-up sessions.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
4 columns
- Base Format
Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective