🏝️🇵🇭 Odyssey Across the Philippines
Set sail through the islands as we explore our team’s journey, celebrating wins, learning from rough waters, and planning the next exciting stop. Let’s reflect on our adventure and chart a course for even greater discoveries!
Template Columns
🏁 Set Sail for New Shores
Suggest new practices or ideas we should start as we prepare to visit new islands on our agile journey.
Base column: Start⛔ Avoid Stormy Seas
Highlight what we should stop doing to steer clear of challenges and keep our voyage smooth.
Base column: Stop🌅 Continue Island Hopping
Share positive actions or traditions we should continue, as our journey through the Philippines brings more discoveries.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
Celebrate your agile journey by reflecting on wins, course corrections, and practices to carry forward as your team 'island hops' through continuous improvement.
When to use this template
This format is ideal at the end of a sprint, project phase, or after a significant milestone—especially when your team needs a creative way to revisit successes, challenges, and future plans.
How to facilitate
Open with a warm greeting and briefly introduce the Odyssey Across the Philippines theme to set an adventurous, positive tone.
Invite each team member to share their thoughts in the Set Sail for New Shores column, focusing on new practices or ideas to try next.
Move to the Avoid Stormy Seas column, where participants add examples of behaviors or processes to stop, referencing any recent team challenges.
Transition to the Continue Island Hopping column, asking everyone to highlight current strengths, traditions, or wins worth celebrating and maintaining.
Review the board together, clustering similar ideas and ensuring understanding across all contributions.
Facilitate a team discussion to prioritize one or two actionable changes from each column, assigning owners where appropriate.
Close with a brief reflection on the journey and next steps, underscoring the spirit of exploration and learning.
Pro Tips
Use thematic visuals or a quick intro about the Philippines to spark engagement and set a relaxed mood.
Encourage team members to use examples and stories to anchor their feedback—this increases relatability.
If conversations drift, bring the group back by referencing the voyage metaphor, focusing on navigating together.
Ask quieter team members directly for their input, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard on each 'island.'
FAQ
How do I help my team avoid giving only negative or only positive feedback?
Prompt participants with targeted questions for each column, and model balanced feedback yourself. The themed approach helps invite more diverse contributions.
What if my team struggles to suggest new ideas in the 'Set Sail for New Shores' column?
Kick-start brainstorming by recalling recent frustrations or asking what successful teams they've seen do differently.
How can I ensure action items are followed up after the retro?
Assign clear owners for top actions and agree as a team to review progress at your next check-in or retro.
Is this template suitable for newly formed teams?
Yes, the engaging theme and clear structure help new teams build psychological safety and share openly early on.
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