πͺβ€οΈβπ₯ Manly Valentine
Gentlemen, gear up for a bold Valentine's retroβcelebrate the strong wins, confront the bruises, and forge a tougher love for continuous improvement.
Template Columns
πͺπ Strong Hearts
Celebrate the victories that showed our strong, loving teamwork.
Base column: What Went WellπβοΈ Broken Arrows
Identify the misfires and bruises that need healing.
Base column: What Went WrongποΈββοΈπ Level Up Love
Plan how to strengthen our bond and lift our performance.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
A bold, loveβthemed retro that celebrates wins, surfaces pain points, and creates actionable steps to strengthen team bonds.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a highβenergy, themed retrospective that mixes celebration with honest reflection, especially after a sprint with mixed outcomes.
How to facilitate
Introduce the Manly Valentine theme and explain the purpose of each column
Ask participants to write individual strong wins on virtual sticky notes and place them in the Strong Hearts column
Gather the notes, read them aloud, and briefly discuss why they mattered
Invite team members to add misfires or bruises to the Broken Arrows column, encouraging honest but respectful input
Discuss each bruise, identify root causes, and capture insights
Move to Level Up Love, have the team brainstorm concrete actions to strengthen collaboration and prevent similar bruises
Prioritize the actions, assign owners, and set a followβup check
Pro Tips
Use emojis in the column titles to keep the mood light while still addressing serious topics
Limit each note to one sentence to keep discussion focused and timeboxed
After the retro, create a visual loveβledger that tracks progress on the Level Up Love actions
FAQ
What if team members are hesitant to share bruises?
Assure psychological safety, frame feedback as opportunities for growth, and allow anonymous sticky notes if needed
How much time should be allocated to each column?
Spend about 10β15 minutes on Strong Hearts, 15β20 minutes on Broken Arrows, and the remaining time on Level Up Love to generate actions
Can this retro be used for nonβsprint events?
Yes, the format works for any project milestone or quarterly review where you want to balance celebration with improvement
Want a custom template?
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At a glance
- Duration
45β60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective