🍂🚀 Q4 Sprint Launch
Welcome to our first official sprint of the fourth quarter—let's sprint into autumn, reflect on momentum, and set the pace for a high‑impact finish!
Template Columns
🚀💡 Ignite New Initiatives
Identify fresh actions or experiments to kick‑off this quarter’s momentum.
Base column: Start🛑🍂 Drop the Leaves
Pinpoint habits or blockers that are draining our sprint energy.
Base column: Stop🌟🍁 Keep the Harvest
Highlight practices that are bearing fruit and should stay in our workflow.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A Q4 kickoff retrospective that identifies new initiatives, drops energy‑draining habits, and reinforces high‑impact practices.
When to use this template
Use at the start of the first sprint in a new quarter when the team needs to set direction and align on priorities.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by reminding the team of the Q4 goals and the purpose of the Ignite‑Stop‑Keep exercise.
In the Ignite New Initiatives column, ask each participant to write one or two ideas for experiments or actions that could boost momentum this quarter, then group similar ideas.
Move to the Drop the Leaves column, have the team silently list habits, blockers, or processes that sap energy, and discuss the most critical items to stop.
For Keep the Harvest, let the team surface practices that have delivered results, capture them, and vote on the top three to reinforce.
Conclude by turning the top items from each column into concrete sprint commitments, assign owners, and record them in the sprint backlog.
Pro Tips
Use anonymous sticky notes or a digital poll for the Drop the Leaves column to surface hidden blockers.
Limit each idea to a single sentence to keep the board readable and the discussion focused.
After voting, turn the selected items into SMART actions with clear acceptance criteria before the next sprint planning.
FAQ
What if the team runs out of ideas for new initiatives?
Prompt with open‑ended questions about upcoming product goals, market trends, or technical debt, and allow a quick 2‑minute brainstorming round to generate fresh suggestions.
How do we prevent the discussion from turning into a blame session in the Drop the Leaves column?
Frame the column as ‘processes or habits to improve’ rather than personal faults, and keep the focus on observable impact rather than individuals.
Can we reuse this template later in the quarter?
Yes, run a shortened version at mid‑quarter to reassess initiatives, drop new blockers, and reinforce practices that continue to deliver value.
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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