💍🏞️ Lord of the Rings Quest
Embark on a journey across Middle-earth! In this epic retrospective, our fellowship will share victories, face shadows, and forge a stronger path for the next sprint. Let’s shape our own legend, one iteration at a time!
Template Columns
🌱 Seeds of Rivendell (Start)
Share new practices or ideas we should plant for the next leg of our journey.
Base column: Start🛑 Cast Into Mount Doom (Stop)
Call out any habits, processes, or obstacles we should throw into Mount Doom forever.
Base column: Stop🛡️ Guard the Shire (Continue)
Highlight what is worth protecting and carrying forward like Frodo’s courage.
Base column: Continueđź”® Council of Elrond (Change)
Suggest changes or bold adjustments to decide our project’s fate in the next sprint.
Base column: ChangeAbout this template
The Lord of the Rings Quest retrospective invites your team to journey through recent iterations, discovering new ideas, retiring unhelpful habits, protecting key strengths, and boldly planning for change.
When to use this template
This format is perfect for teams seeking fresh energy after a challenging sprint, or whenever you want to reflect deeply and inspire constructive change.
How to facilitate
Set the scene by briefly introducing the Lord of the Rings Quest theme to engage the team and explain the four columns.
Invite everyone to take a few minutes in silence to add thoughts to each column: Seeds of Rivendell (what to start), Cast Into Mount Doom (what to stop), Guard the Shire (what to continue), and Council of Elrond (what to change).
Review the ideas together, asking participants to share and elaborate on their entries as you move through each column.
Group similar items and facilitate discussion to ensure everyone’s perspective is heard, prioritizing the most impactful suggestions.
Collaboratively agree on specific action items to carry into the next iteration, giving each action an owner and realistic timeline.
Summarize key decisions and celebrate collective achievements, reinforcing the team’s journey and progress.
Pro Tips
Tie discussion points to real examples from the sprint to keep feedback practical and grounded.
Use the Lord of the Rings references for light-hearted fun, but keep the focus on actionable insights.
If the team is large, use breakout groups for initial idea gathering before sharing with everyone.
Encourage quieter members by asking direct open-ended questions related to each column.
FAQ
What if participants are unfamiliar with the Lord of the Rings theme?
Briefly explain each metaphor and focus on the core start, stop, continue, and change principles. The theme is for fun and doesn’t require deep lore knowledge.
How can we make sure action items actually get followed up?
Assign owners and due dates to each action item, and review the list at the start of the next retrospective to build accountability.
What if one column gets far more comments than the others?
Prompt the team with guiding questions to encourage more balanced feedback. If imbalance persists, discuss potential root causes as a group.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
4 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue, Change
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective