🚦📋 Kanban Flow
Let’s visualize our workflow, pull in improvements, and smooth out bottlenecks in this Kanban‑styled retro. Align our board with agile values and keep the momentum rolling!
Template Columns
🟢 Pull‑In New Practices
Identify fresh habits or tools to start adding to our board for smoother flow.
Base column: Start⛔️ Blocker‑Busting Stop
Highlight actions or processes that create bottlenecks and should be halted.
Base column: Stop🔁 Keep the Card‑Flow
Celebrate what’s working and continue the practices that keep cards moving.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A Kanban‑style retro that maps workflow, surfaces blockers, and decides new practices to improve flow.
When to use this template
Use when the team works with a Kanban board or wants to focus on flow efficiency and bottleneck removal.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by reviewing the current Kanban board and reminding the team of the three columns: Pull‑In New Practices, Blocker‑Busting Stop, Keep the Card‑Flow
Ask each participant to silently write items for each column on virtual sticky notes, focusing on the last sprint
Collect the notes, group similar ideas, and place them under the appropriate column on the shared board
Discuss the Stop column first, explore why each blocker exists and agree on concrete actions to eliminate them
Move to Pull‑In New Practices, prioritize the top two or three ideas that will most improve flow and assign owners
Finish with Keep the Card‑Flow, celebrate successes and capture any commitments to continue those practices
Pro Tips
Limit each column to 5‑7 items to keep discussion focused and avoid analysis paralysis
Use a quick voting tool (e.g., dot voting) to surface the most critical blockers and highest‑impact new practices
After the retro, update the actual Kanban board with the agreed actions so the work is visible to the whole team
FAQ
What if the team can’t agree on which blockers to stop?
Facilitate a brief impact vs effort discussion; prioritize blockers that cause the most delay and are within the team’s control.
How often should we run the Kanban Flow retro?
Every 2–3 weeks works well for most Kanban teams, aligning with the cadence of your delivery cycle.
Can we combine this with a regular sprint retro?
Yes, you can run the Kanban Flow as a focused segment within a larger retro, especially if flow issues dominate the conversation.
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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