💊 Medication Mission
Welcome to the Medication Mission! Let's prescribe what our project needs for a healthy sprint, review past remedies, and ensure we keep up good habits for strong team well-being.
Template Columns
💡 New Prescriptions
Suggest new practices or ideas we should start to improve our team's health and project outcomes.
Base column: Start🚫 Side Effects
Identify habits or blockers we should stop to prevent unhealthy side effects in our work.
Base column: Stop💚 Daily Doses
Highlight positive routines or processes we should continue for steady progress and long-term team wellness.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
Medication Mission is a health-themed retrospective guiding teams to identify new approaches, remove unhealthy workflows, and reinforce effective habits for ongoing success.
When to use this template
Use this template at the end of a sprint or project phase when your team needs to evaluate what’s working, address energy-draining blockers, and proactively adopt healthier work practices.
How to facilitate
Start by explaining the Medication Mission theme and the purpose behind each column to set an open, health-focused tone.
Invite each team member to reflect individually and share their thoughts in the three columns: suggest new prescriptions, flag side effects, and celebrate daily doses.
Encourage anonymized or open contributions, allowing people to express issues and ideas without fear.
Review the notes together as a group, grouping similar items to spot recurring themes or particularly impactful suggestions.
Discuss potential new habits or prescriptions, explore root causes for negative side effects, and reinforce the value of existing positive routines.
As a team, decide on 1–3 specific actions or experiments to adopt in the next sprint, clearly designating responsible owners.
Close out with a quick round of appreciations, focusing on the team’s commitment to collective wellness and improvement.
Pro Tips
Frame suggestions as health boosters for the team to keep feedback constructive and future-focused.
During the review, ask follow-up questions to clarify if a 'side effect' is a one-off issue or a broader trend.
Capture and revisit past 'new prescriptions' to assess if they're having a positive impact or need adjustment.
Encourage quieter members by using chat or anonymous board options to make sure all voices are heard.
FAQ
What if the team is hesitant to discuss blockers or negative habits?
Remind everyone that 'side effects' are a chance to remove obstacles for a healthier workflow, not to assign blame. Normalize open discussions through your own vulnerability and by using anonymous inputs if needed.
How do we make sure 'new prescriptions' lead to real change?
Select just a few new practices for the team to experiment with, and assign clear owners and review dates. Check progress in the next retrospective.
Can this format work for non-software teams?
Absolutely. The Medication Mission asks for habits, blockers, and improvements, which are relevant to any collaborative team environment.
At a glance
- Duration
30–45 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective