🎉✨ New Year Kickoff
Welcome the fresh start of the year! Reflect on what to launch, drop, and keep as we sprint into new goals, embracing agile spirit and celebration.
Template Columns
🚀 Launch New Initiatives
Identify fresh actions to begin this year’s journey.
Base column: Start🛑 Stop Old Patterns
Pinpoint habits or processes to leave behind for better flow.
Base column: Stop🔄 Continue the Wins
Highlight practices that should stay powering our progress.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A celebratory kickoff retrospective that helps the team decide what to launch, stop, and keep as the new year begins.
When to use this template
Use at the start of a new fiscal or calendar year to align goals, energize the team, and set clear priorities.
How to facilitate
Gather the team, set a festive tone, and briefly explain the purpose of the New Year Kickoff retrospective
Create three columns – Launch New Initiatives, Stop Old Patterns, Continue the Wins – and give participants 5‑7 minutes to silently write ideas on virtual sticky notes
Invite each person to place their notes in the appropriate column and share a short rationale for each item
Facilitate a group discussion to cluster similar ideas, vote on the top three items in each column, and capture any dependencies or owners
Summarize the agreed actions, assign owners and due dates, and close with a quick celebration or commitment chant
Pro Tips
Use a timer for each phase to keep energy high and respect everyone's time
Encourage outcomes‑focused ideas so launch initiatives are tied to measurable goals
Capture the final list in a shared document and send a visual snapshot immediately after the session
FAQ
What if the team struggles to generate launch ideas?
Prompt them with guiding questions about upcoming product goals, market opportunities, or process improvements, and remind them that even small experiments count.
How do we handle disagreements on what to stop?
Facilitate a quick impact‑effort matrix to surface the most disruptive patterns and let the group vote, focusing on data and observed outcomes rather than personal preferences.
Can this format be used mid‑year?
Yes, it works anytime a fresh reset is needed, but for mid‑year use you may shorten the voting phase to keep the session within 30 minutes.
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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