🇺🇸 Memorial Day Reflections
Honor the journey of our project with a Memorial Day-inspired retro. Let’s pay tribute to our victories, acknowledge past challenges, and strategize for a brighter future together.
Template Columns
🌟 New Missions to Embark On
Highlight new actions, practices, or initiatives we should undertake to drive success.
Base column: Startđźš« Changes to Retire
Identify practices or habits we should leave behind to improve our process.
Base column: Stop🛡️ Traditions to Carry Forward
Celebrate the rituals and routines that have consistently proven beneficial.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Memorial Day Reflections retrospective fosters thoughtful team discussion through a structured approach to honor triumphs, recognize setbacks, and strategize forward with inspiration from Memorial Day themes.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective as a deliberate check-in after completing a major milestone or a meaningful period of work, especially when the team seeks to honor progress and refine its workflow.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team and set the reflective tone by introducing the Memorial Day theme, encouraging participants to think about their work from a perspective of honoring progress and learning from the past.
Explain the three columns—New Missions to Embark On, Changes to Retire, and Traditions to Carry Forward—and their meanings in context, providing examples if needed.
Allow personal reflection, where each participant individually considers points for each column and writes their ideas on sticky notes.
Facilitate a round-robin sharing session where team members place their notes into the appropriate columns, explaining their thoughts briefly as they add their notes.
Group similar ideas and lead a discussion to ensure clarity and shared understanding among the team.
Prioritize ideas for actioning; collaboratively decide which ideas should become immediate actions, which need further discussion, and which should simply be noted.
Conclude with a summary of key insights and an action plan, ensuring that the team feels valued and that the session leads to tangible improvements.
Pro Tips
Blend storytelling into sharing; ask participants to frame their contributions as reflective narratives, which can be more engaging.
Encourage quiet team members to share their thoughts by directly addressing them during the sharing phase.
Style the virtual whiteboard with a thematic design to set the mood and show effort in creating an engaging experience.
Prioritize psychological safety; emphasize that all feedback is about improving the team and is non-personal.
Document the discussed actions and confirm ownership immediately to guarantee follow-through.
FAQ
What if the team struggles to come up with ideas?
Use guiding questions, such as 'What is one thing we achieved that you're particularly proud of?' or 'What consistently causes delays in our workflow?'
How do we avoid focusing too much on negative elements?
Balance conversations by ensuring equal time for discussing positive and constructive aspects.
Can this be adapted to other themes besides Memorial Day?
Yes, you can customize the theme to fit any occasion aligned with the team's values and interests.
How can we ensure follow-through on action items?
Assign clear ownership and deadlines for prioritized actions during the session and follow up in subsequent team meetings.
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