👻🏚️ Haunted House Mystery
Step into our Haunted House Retro, where we uncover hidden secrets (learnings), banish the old ghosts (challenges), and keep the friendly spirits (successes) guiding our agile journey! Dare to reflect and exorcise blockers together!
Template Columns
🕯️ Light the Lanterns (Start)
Share what new practices or ideas we should start to illuminate our way through the haunted halls of the project.
Base column: Start🪦 Banish the Ghosts (Stop)
Reveal the habits or obstacles haunting our progress that we should stop for good!
Base column: Stop🎩 Befriend the Friendly Spirits (Continue)
Highlight what’s working, those friendly spirits we want to keep around on our agile adventure.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Haunted House Mystery retrospective invites your team to playfully explore what to start, stop, and continue in your agile practices, using a fun haunted house theme to foster deeper reflection and engagement.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when your team needs a fresh, creative format to address persistent challenges or rekindle engagement with agile improvement. It's especially effective at the end of a project phase or after a sprint with complex blockers.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team by setting the scene: you’re entering a haunted house to solve its mysteries together. Briefly explain the three spooky columns and their purpose.
Give everyone a moment to reflect individually on their recent project experience, jotting down their thoughts for each column: new practices (Light the Lanterns), obstacles to discard (Banish the Ghosts), and successes to keep (Befriend the Friendly Spirits).
Invite team members to add their notes to each column, encouraging playful but honest sharing. Use a timebox to keep the flow brisk and engaging.
Facilitate a group discussion, starting with ‘Banish the Ghosts’ to clear away blockers early, then move to ‘Light the Lanterns’ for fresh ideas, and end with ‘Befriend the Friendly Spirits’ to reinforce positives.
Cluster similar items and encourage the team to dig deeper into repeated ‘ghosts’ or promising ‘lanterns’, so you pinpoint the most impactful actions.
Collaboratively choose a small number of actionable improvements and record owners for each, ensuring the fun theme doesn’t overshadow accountability.
Close by inviting each person to share a single word or feeling about their haunted house journey this session, offering a light-hearted ending.
Pro Tips
Have fun with the haunted theme by encouraging playful language or background music but keep the focus on real team growth.
Mix up the order of discussing columns if the team feels stuck in negative thinking—breaking the sequence can spark new ideas.
Encourage quieter members to share by using anonymous notes or rotating facilitation for each column.
If sensitive ghosts arise, devote more time to them and agree on safe ways to address them outside the retro if needed.
FAQ
What if team members don't relate to the haunted house theme?
Remind everyone that the theme is just a fun wrapper for proven reflection categories. Encourage participation at whatever comfort level they prefer.
How do we ensure this stays actionable and not just entertaining?
End with a review of specific action items and assign clear owners. Fun should enhance engagement, not distract from follow-through.
What if sensitive or recurring blockers come up during ‘Banish the Ghosts’?
Treat sensitive issues respectfully. Allocate extra time or plan a follow-up discussion to address them thoroughly.
Is this format suitable for serious or high-stakes retrospectives?
Yes, as long as you adapt the tone to match your team's culture. The playful theme can often open up better, more honest conversations.
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At a glance
- Duration
40–55 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective