🏡✨ House Warming Party
Welcome to our cozy new team home! Let's unpack our experiences, rearrange what doesn’t work, and celebrate steps that bring warmth to our project. Grab a cup and help make our project feel just right!
Template Columns
🪴 Fresh Additions
Suggest new habits, tools, or practices to make our home (project) cozier and more effective.
Base column: Start🧹 Clear Out the Clutter
Identify old habits or blockers that no longer serve us, so we can tidy up our process.
Base column: Stop🔥 Keep the Warmth
Call out what brings good energy and teamwork—let’s keep these glowing!
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The House Warming Party retrospective is a creative, welcoming format for teams to settle into a new project or phase by introducing helpful practices, phasing out the unhelpful, and celebrating strong team dynamics.
When to use this template
Use this template when your team has kicked off a new project, onboarded new members, or simply wants a fresh, friendly approach to improving ways of working together.
How to facilitate
Kick off the session by welcoming everyone and setting the tone—this is a chance to create your team's ideal project 'home'.
Explain the meaning behind each column: suggest new ideas in Fresh Additions, clear out blockers in Clear Out the Clutter, and highlight positives in Keep the Warmth.
Ask team members to reflect quietly and add their thoughts or stories to each column; encourage specific examples and practical suggestions.
Invite everyone to review the board and cluster similar items to identify patterns or shared sentiments.
Facilitate a group discussion for each column, focusing first on clutter to clear, then on new ideas, and finally celebrating the team’s strengths.
Prioritize next actions from the discussion, ensuring someone owns any follow-up for new practices or process improvements.
Wrap up by expressing appreciation for contributions; encourage the team to carry forward the warmth and momentum into the next iteration.
Pro Tips
Encourage team members to share small, personal touches as well as larger process ideas—sometimes the small things make the biggest difference.
If suggestions are slow at first, lead by example with your own authentic experiences or learnings from recent projects.
Revisit the previous action items in your check-in to foster a sense of continuity within your team’s 'house'.
Capture visuals or team-created metaphors from this retro as digital artifacts to reinforce team culture.
FAQ
How do I get quieter team members to contribute ideas?
Offer anonymous input or encourage everyone to write thoughts before calling on individuals, providing a safe, inclusive environment.
What if the same 'clutter' keeps coming up?
Acknowledge recurring issues and facilitate a discussion to uncover root causes. Assign clear owners for specific actions to help shift long-standing blockers.
Can we use this template outside of project kickoffs?
Absolutely! It's effective any time your team needs a fresh perspective or wants to refresh collective habits and energy.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
3-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective