๐Ÿ’ชโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ Manly Valentine

Gentlemen, gear up for a bold Valentine's retroโ€”celebrate the strong wins, confront the bruises, and forge a tougher love for continuous improvement.
45โ€“60 min
4-12 people
Based on: What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
๐Ÿ’ชโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ Manly Valentine

Template Columns

๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’– Strong Hearts

Celebrate the victories that showed our strong, loving teamwork.

Base column: What Went Well
๐Ÿ’”โš”๏ธ Broken Arrows

Identify the misfires and bruises that need healing.

Base column: What Went Wrong
๐Ÿ‹๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ’˜ Level Up Love

Plan how to strengthen our bond and lift our performance.

Base column: What We Want to Improve

About this template

A bold, loveโ€‘themed 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 highโ€‘energy, themed retrospective that mixes celebration with honest reflection, especially after a sprint with mixed outcomes.

How to facilitate

1

Introduce the Manly Valentine theme and explain the purpose of each column

2

Ask participants to write individual strong wins on virtual sticky notes and place them in the Strong Hearts column

3

Gather the notes, read them aloud, and briefly discuss why they mattered

4

Invite team members to add misfires or bruises to the Broken Arrows column, encouraging honest but respectful input

5

Discuss each bruise, identify root causes, and capture insights

6

Move to Level Up Love, have the team brainstorm concrete actions to strengthen collaboration and prevent similar bruises

7

Prioritize the actions, assign owners, and set a followโ€‘up 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 loveโ€‘ledger 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 10โ€‘15 minutes on Strong Hearts, 15โ€‘20 minutes on Broken Arrows, and the remaining time on Level Up Love to generate actions

Can this retro be used for nonโ€‘sprint 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

    45โ€“60 min

  • Team Size

    4-12 people

  • Columns

    3 columns

  • Base Format

    What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve

Tags

team health
celebration
action-oriented
themed
continuous improvement

Ready to get started?

Use this template to run your next retrospective