🎧🔥 Hottest 100 Hits Retro
Spin the charts of our sprint like a top‑40 playlist—celebrate the hits, remix the misses, and queue up fresh tracks for next sprint!
Template Columns
🎤 Chart‑Toppers
Highlight the sprint successes that hit the high notes.
Base column: What Went Well⚡️ Missed Beats
Identify the off‑beat moments and glitches that disrupted the flow.
Base column: What Went Wrong🔊 Next‑Track Upgrades
Plan the tweaks to turn our next sprint into a number‑one hit.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
A music‑themed sprint retro that celebrates successes as chart‑toppers, surfaces missed beats, and plans next‑track upgrades.
When to use this template
Use when the team enjoys a playful vibe and needs a quick, engaging way to review a sprint’s highs and lows.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by sharing the music metaphor and displaying the three columns: Chart‑Toppers, Missed Beats, and Next‑Track Upgrades.
Give each participant 2‑3 minutes to write individual items on virtual sticky notes for each column, thinking of sprint events as songs.
Group similar notes together, then discuss each Chart‑Topper, highlighting why it resonated and how to repeat it.
Move to Missed Beats, explore the root causes of each glitch and decide if any require immediate action or further investigation.
Finally, brainstorm Next‑Track Upgrades, turn each idea into a concrete sprint action, assign owners, and add them to the sprint backlog.
Pro Tips
Encourage participants to use song titles or lyric snippets on their notes to keep the theme lively and memorable.
Limit each column to 5‑7 items to keep discussion focused and avoid analysis paralysis.
After the retro, create a shared playlist with tracks that represent the top items; it reinforces the outcomes and boosts morale.
FAQ
What if the team runs out of ideas for Chart‑Toppers?
Prompt them to think of any metric improvements, positive feedback, or smooth hand‑offs; even small wins count as hits.
How do we handle sensitive issues in Missed Beats without blame?
Frame the conversation around the process, not people, and use ‘I observed’ statements; focus on learning and prevention.
Can we use this retro for longer releases?
Yes, simply expand the timebox to 60‑75 minutes and allow more items per column, but keep the music metaphor consistent.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective