☕️🌅 Morning Coffee Kickoff
Wake up and smell the retrospective! Let’s brew up great ideas, filter out the grit, and savor what keeps us energized as a team—just like a perfect morning coffee.
Template Columns
🌱 Brew New Habits
Share new practices or experiments we should start to boost our mornings and sprints.
Base column: Start🚫 Bitter Aftertastes
Discuss unhelpful routines or blockers we need to stop, just like ditching stale grounds.
Base column: Stop☀️ Daily Rituals
Highlight routines or strengths that fire us up—let’s keep pouring them into our day!
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Morning Coffee Kickoff retrospective energizes your team by identifying fresh habits to try, unproductive blockers to quit, and daily rituals that keep everyone motivated—brewing a great foundation for productive sprints.
When to use this template
Use this template at the start of a new sprint, project, or after a lull in team energy to spark fresh routines and re-align on what keeps everyone motivated.
How to facilitate
Begin with a brief welcome and set the relaxed, energizing tone for the session, referencing the morning coffee theme to encourage openness.
Review the three columns and what each represents: Brew New Habits for new experiments or routines, Bitter Aftertastes for habits or blockers to leave behind, and Daily Rituals for strengths and positive routines to keep.
Invite team members to individually add their thoughts anonymously or openly in each column, reminding them to focus on daily and sprint-specific examples.
Give everyone a few minutes to review the board, then gather as a group and discuss the contributions in each column, exploring underlying causes and shared sentiments.
Facilitate a group decision on which new habits to try, blockers to prioritize removing, and rituals to consciously maintain; capture agreed-upon actions clearly.
Wrap up by recapping key takeaways, highlighting team energy boosters, and scheduling a quick check-in to review experiment outcomes next time.
Pro Tips
Kick off by sharing a fun anecdote or team memory related to morning rituals to spark participation.
Encourage using real examples from the current sprint to keep ideas actionable and relevant.
Rotate who leads the session occasionally to keep the energy fresh and share ownership.
Keep the session light and positive, but give space to dig into the 'Bitter Aftertastes' for meaningful blockers.
FAQ
What if the team feels awkward with the morning coffee theme?
Invite everyone to share their own 'ritual,' coffee-related or not, to connect on a personal level and break the ice.
How do we make sure new habits stick after the retro?
Assign clear owners and set a date for reviewing experiments, ideally as a brief kickoff in the next retro or daily standup.
What if 'Bitter Aftertastes' brings up sensitive issues?
Acknowledge the concern respectfully and remind the team of the shared goal to improve. Offer to discuss especially sensitive items privately if needed.
At a glance
- Duration
35–50 min
- Team Size
3-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective