🎃🧡 Pumpkin Patch Retro
Gather around the pumpkin patch to sow fresh ideas, prune wilted habits, and celebrate the harvest of our teamwork.
Template Columns
🌱 Sprouting Seeds
Identify new ideas or actions to plant for future growth.
Base column: Start🛑 Rotten Pumpkins
Highlight practices that are decaying and should be removed.
Base column: Stop🎃 Harvest Highlights
Keep the successful practices that are bearing fruit.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A playful retro where teams plant new ideas, cut out bad habits, and celebrate what’s working, using a pumpkin‑patch theme.
When to use this template
Best for sprint endings or quarterly reviews when the team wants a fresh, energizing way to generate actions and recognize successes.
How to facilitate
Set the mood by sharing a quick pumpkin‑patch image and explaining the three columns
Ask participants to silently write ideas on virtual sticky notes for each column
Collect and group similar notes in the Sprouting Seeds column, discussing potential actions
Review Rotten Pumpkins items, decide which practices to stop and assign owners for removal
Highlight Harvest Highlights successes, agree on how to keep them alive
Prioritize the top three seeds, create concrete action items, and close with a brief appreciation round
Pro Tips
Use emoji reactions to vote on the most important seeds, keeping voting quick and visual
Limit each participant to three items per column to keep the board manageable
Turn the Harvest Highlights into a quick shout‑out session to boost morale
FAQ
What if the team runs out of ideas for Sprouting Seeds?
Prompt with future goals, upcoming projects, or ask each person to think of one improvement they wish to see; you can also use silent brainstorming for a few minutes.
How do we ensure the Rotten Pumpkins items lead to real change?
Assign a clear owner and a deadline for each stop action, and review progress in the next retro.
Can we use this retro for larger groups?
Break the group into smaller pods, each with its own board, then combine the top items in a plenary session.
Want a custom template?
Create a retrospective template tailored to your team's needs with our AI-powered generator
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