🍕🇮🇹 Italian Getaway
Benvenuti! Grab an espresso as we tour the beautiful landscapes of our project, celebrating our wins like Italian festivals, learning from history, and savoring new flavors for next sprints!
Template Columns
🍝 Delizioso Moments
Share the wins and enjoyable moments from our journey—like a perfect plate of pasta!
Base column: Liked📚 Roman Roadmaps
Discuss the new things you’ve discovered, just like ancient Romans paving the way for innovations.
Base column: Learned🕰️ Missing Ingredients
Highlight anything we felt was missing, as if a pizza lacked its most important topping.
Base column: Lacked🎭 Dream Destinations
Share what you wished for in this sprint, like a dream visit to your favorite Italian city.
Base column: Longed ForAbout this template
The Italian Getaway retrospective is a lively, themed format designed to celebrate wins, explore lessons, identify gaps, and surface team wishes in a creative way.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when you want to energize your team, celebrate successes, and encourage inventive thinking after a sprint or milestone. It's especially effective when team morale needs a boost or when you want to shake up your regular routine.
How to facilitate
Welcome everyone to the Italian Getaway theme and briefly explain each column’s creative analogy to get the team in a positive and imaginative mindset.
Allow the team a few minutes to silently add thoughts and stories to each column reflecting the past sprint or project period.
Invite participants to read out or expand on the highlights they added, focusing first on Delizioso Moments to recognize successes.
Transition to Roman Roadmaps to discuss new skills, insights, or processes the team discovered or tried, encouraging open knowledge sharing.
Move to Missing Ingredients, prompting the team to constructively identify gaps or things that were lacking without focusing on blame.
Encourage everyone to share their Dream Destinations—hopes and wishes for future sprints—framing these as positive aspirations rather than complaints.
Cluster similar themes together in each column and facilitate a discussion to synthesize key points, prioritizing actionable items as a group.
Close the retrospective by aligning on 1-2 practical actions or experiments inspired by the discussion, and thank the team for participating in the Italian journey.
Pro Tips
Encourage participants to use the Italian metaphor fully; it helps unlock creative thinking and reduces tension around tough topics.
Kick off with a short, fun Italian icebreaker—like sharing your favorite pizza topping—to set a relaxed tone.
Encourage quieter voices by inviting everyone to contribute at least one idea to each column.
Use visual cues, such as Italian backgrounds or sound effects, to enhance engagement and reinforce the theme.
FAQ
What if team members struggle with the themed columns?
Briefly clarify each analogy and encourage them to map their usual feedback to the fun column names. The theme is there to inspire, not confuse.
How do we ensure we get actionable outcomes?
After discussion, group similar ideas and vote as a team on one or two priorities to address, turning wishes and gaps into concrete action items for next sprint.
How do I keep the conversation balanced and avoid fixation on negatives?
Always open with Delizioso Moments to set a positive tone and remind the team of successes before moving into challenges or wishes.
Is this format suitable for newly formed teams?
Yes, the playful style can help break the ice and encourage bonding, making it easier for new team members to share openly.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
4 columns
- Base Format
Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective