🌱🏰 Jack and the Giant Beanstalk
Climb the beanstalk of improvement with Jack! Share bold leaps, missteps, and golden habits as we reach for success above the clouds. Let’s outsmart giants and harvest new ideas together!
Template Columns
🌱 Plant New Beans
Suggest new daring actions we should start to help us grow higher, like Jack planted the magic beans.
Base column: Start🪓 Chop Down Obstacles
Identify habits or blockers we should cut down, just as Jack chopped the beanstalk to avoid danger.
Base column: Stop🥚 Gather Golden Eggs
Highlight the valuable practices and successes we must continue to collect, like Jack kept the golden eggs.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Jack and the Giant Beanstalk retrospective uses a playful metaphor to help teams explore bold new actions, clear away obstacles, and reinforce valuable habits as they strive for continual improvement.
When to use this template
Use this format when you want to energize your team with a storytelling approach, particularly after a milestone, a challenging sprint, or when creative problem-solving is needed.
How to facilitate
Begin by setting the scene: recap the Jack and the Beanstalk story and connect its elements to team improvement.
Introduce the columns and explain how each relates to the team's journey: planting new ideas, chopping down obstacles, and gathering golden habits.
Ask the team to quietly reflect, then add thoughts to each column: new actions to try, blockers to remove, and successful habits to continue.
Give participants time to review and comment on each other's contributions, encouraging questions and clarifications.
Facilitate a group discussion to dive deeper into key items from each column, focusing on actionable next steps and learning.
Prioritize the most impactful actions from the Plant New Beans and Chop Down Obstacles columns for follow-up.
Conclude by agreeing on owners for action items and celebrating the team's golden eggs.
Pro Tips
Prompt the team with examples inspired by the fairy tale to help spark creative thinking.
Reframe blockers as 'giants' to make discussing challenges less personal and more objective.
Encourage quieter participants by specifically inviting them to share one idea in each column.
Remind the team that bold ideas (even those that seem a stretch) are welcome, much like planting magic beans.
FAQ
How do I keep the fairy tale theme from feeling childish for my team?
Frame the metaphor as a creative tool for problem-solving and relate each story element back to real team goals and challenges.
What if the team gets stuck coming up with new 'magic beans'?
Gently prompt with specific examples or ask the team to imagine 'wish list' changes if there were no limits.
How do I handle too many items in the 'Chop Down Obstacles' column?
Facilitate a quick vote to prioritize the most urgent or impactful obstacles to address first.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective