🟡👾 Pac-Man Pursuit
Chomp your way through project challenges in this Pac-Man-inspired retro! Help your team gobble up wins, avoid pesky blockers, and keep moving forward on the maze to delivery.
Template Columns
🟩 Power Pellets to Pick Up
Identify new strategies or habits we should start to supercharge our progress, just like grabbing a power pellet!
Base column: Start👻 Ghosts to Dodge
Point out what we should stop doing to avoid project pitfalls and ghostly blockers.
Base column: Stop🍒 Cherries to Collect
Highlight the valuable practices we should continue, keeping our path clear and rewarding!
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
Pac-Man Pursuit is a fun, game-themed retrospective that helps teams identify new strategies, spot blockers, and celebrate ongoing wins by using playful Pac-Man analogies.
When to use this template
Use this retro when you need to boost team energy, encourage creative thinking, or want to help the group refocus on both challenges and achievements after a milestone or tough sprint.
How to facilitate
Introduce the Pac-Man Pursuit theme and explain the meaning behind each column to get the team in a playful mindset
Set a five-minute timer and invite everyone to brainstorm ideas for each column individually
Ask team members to share their notes in the matching columns: new strategies to start, blockers to stop, and practices to continue
Review all suggestions together, clustering similar items and asking clarifying questions as needed
Facilitate group discussion to dig deeper into the most important topics and uncover root causes
Collaboratively decide on a few actionable items that the team will try before the next sprint
Wrap up by reflecting on the Pac-Man theme and encourage everyone to share one thing they’re excited to chase or avoid next round
Pro Tips
Encourage lighthearted thinking by having participants reference specific Pac-Man moments or imagery to spark creativity
Use playful language or sound effects to keep energy high, especially if motivation is low
Rotate who facilitates to give everyone a chance to bring their own game-inspired twist
Prepare fun visuals or Pac-Man-themed icons for columns and action items to make the session visually engaging
FAQ
What if team members aren't familiar with Pac-Man?
Explain the theme in simple terms and focus on the analogies. The retro works even if the pop culture reference is new to some.
How do we avoid getting stuck on the blockers (ghosts)?
Encourage solutions-oriented discussion. Once a blocker is identified, prompt the team to suggest a 'power pellet' strategy to address it.
What if participants struggle to come up with new strategies?
Offer prompts or examples, or have the group brainstorm together for a few minutes to get ideas flowing.
At a glance
- Duration
35–50 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