🏇 Kentucky Derby Dash
Welcome to the Kentucky Derby of retrospectives! Let's gallop through our project, identifying hurdles, smooth strides, and strategies to win the next race together. Lace up those boots and let's ride!
Template Columns
🐴 Galloping Starts
Identify new initiatives or actions we should gallop towards to improve our sprint.
Base column: Start🏁 Racing to a Halt
Spot the habits or practices that need stopping before they trip us up.
Base column: Stop🌟 Winning Strides
Celebrate what smooth strides are working well and should continue.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Kentucky Derby Dash retrospective encourages teams to evaluate their workflows by focusing on starting new initiatives, stopping hindering practices, and continuing successful habits.
When to use this template
Use this template after a sprint to gather insights on how to improve processes, avoid pitfalls, and reinforce positive practices in a dynamic and engaging way.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team and introduce the 'Kentucky Derby Dash' theme to set an enthusiastic tone.
Define the three columns: 'Galloping Starts,' 'Racing to a Halt,' and 'Winning Strides,' explaining their focus areas.
Give participants time to consider the sprint and write observations or ideas for each column on digital sticky notes.
Discuss the entries in each column as a team, grouping similar ideas to identify recurring themes.
Prioritize items that need immediate action or further discussion that emerged from the 'Galloping Starts' and 'Racing to a Halt' columns.
Celebrate highlighted practices in the 'Winning Strides' column and identify how they can be reinforced.
Conclude with a brief summary of the main points discussed, assigning actionable tasks, and planning follow-up if needed.
Pro Tips
Incorporate a fun horse-themed icebreaker to engage the team at the start.
Use color-coded sticky notes to distinguish items originated by different team members.
Frame 'Racing to a Halt' with a positive approach to encourage constructive criticism.
Encourage everyone to contribute by prompting silent writing initially before group discussion.
Use the 'Winning Strides' column to boost team morale by focusing on shared successes.
FAQ
How can I encourage quieter team members to contribute?
Start with a short silent brainstorming session where everyone writes their ideas privately before sharing them on the board.
What if the team struggles to think of items for a category?
Prompt with specific examples or review sprint metrics and outcomes as conversation starters.
Can this format be adjusted for shorter sessions?
Yes, focus discussions on one or two columns instead of all three to save time.
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