⚡️🐉 Pokémon Training Camp
Welcome, Trainers! It's time to enter the Pokémon Training Camp retro. Let’s catch the best practices, release what hinders us, and evolve our team to be the very best—like no one ever was!
Template Columns
🔍 Pokédex Discoveries
Identify new practices, tools, or experiments our team should start to power up our evolution.
Base column: Start🛑 Release to the Wild
Share habits or blockers we should stop or release so our team can keep leveling up.
Base column: Stop🍃 Evolve & Master
Highlight strengths and successful strategies we should continue to evolve on our agile journey.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Pokémon Training Camp retrospective helps teams identify new opportunities, let go of blockers, and evolve their strengths using playful, Pokémon-inspired prompts.
When to use this template
Use this format when your team needs fresh ideas, wants to address persistent blockers, or aims to celebrate and amplify recent successes.
How to facilitate
Kick off with a fun introduction, inviting everyone to view themselves as Pokémon trainers ready to evolve their team.
Briefly explain each column: Pokédex Discoveries for new ideas, Release to the Wild for letting go of unhelpful habits, and Evolve & Master for strengths to build on.
Give team members a few minutes to reflect and silently add notes to each column, encouraging concise observations and specific examples.
Group similar items in each column and invite clarifying questions to ensure shared understanding.
Discuss each column as a team, starting with Pokédex Discoveries to brainstorm new tactics, then moving to Release to the Wild to identify blockers and finally Evolve & Master to celebrate and reinforce team strengths.
Prioritize action items or experiments, assigning owners and timelines for any commitments related to the discoveries and releases.
Close with a themed team cheer or a quick round where each person names one thing they’ll focus on evolving before the next sprint.
Pro Tips
Encourage playful references to Pokémon to build engagement and keep energy high.
Ask quieter team members for their thoughts in the 'Pokedex Discoveries' section to promote fresh input.
When identifying what to 'release,' focus on habits and processes, not people, to maintain psychological safety.
Connect action items to specific results the team wants to achieve for greater motivation.
FAQ
What if our team isn't familiar with Pokémon?
The themes are just for fun—explain each column plainly and focus on the underlying agile concepts to make everyone comfortable.
How do I prevent the session from getting off-topic with the playful format?
Set upfront expectations about balancing fun with focus and gently steer conversation back to the columns when needed.
How do I ensure action items are followed up?
Make commitments visible, assign clear owners, and review progress at the next retro to build accountability.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 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