🦝🏚️ Raccoon Lair Retreat
Step into the raccoon’s lair and examine the scraps of our project journey. Let’s rummage through successes, discard unhelpful habits, and gather shiny new practices to add to our treasure trove.
Template Columns
🔍 Shiny Discoveries
Uncover new opportunities or practices we should start implementing in our project.
Base column: Start🚫 Toss the Trash
Identify behaviors or practices that are no longer serving us and leave them behind.
Base column: Stop🪣 Keep the Keepsakes
Celebrate and continue the things that are working well in our process.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Raccoon Lair Retreat retrospective encourages teams to reflect on their project journey by celebrating what worked, discarding unhelpful practices, and identifying new opportunities for improvement.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when your team needs a creative and engaging way to review recent work and align on changes.
How to facilitate
Start by welcoming the team and introducing the Raccoon Lair Retreat theme, clarifying the purpose and structure.
Explain each of the columns: Shiny Discoveries (new opportunities), Toss the Trash (practices to stop), and Keep the Keepsakes (successful areas to continue).
Allow time for individuals to write their thoughts for each category on virtual sticky notes, sharing prompts if needed.
Go through each column collectively, discussing the items and ensuring team agreement on key topics.
Facilitate a prioritization exercise to focus on the most important actions arising from the discussion.
Summarize the retro by agreeing on actionable steps and assigning ownership to any follow-ups.
Conclude with a quick reflection on the retrospective process itself, gathering feedback to improve future sessions.
Pro Tips
Infuse fun by encouraging participants to embrace the 'Raccoon Lair' theme creatively, such as by sharing gifs or drawing icons.
Ensure equal participation by using techniques like round-robin sharing or breaking into smaller groups.
Keep the discussion focused by allocating specific time slots for each column.
Validate all contributions to maintain a positive and encouraging atmosphere.
Follow up on actions decided during the retrospective to showcase progress in the next session.
FAQ
What if participants struggle to generate ideas for the categories?
Provide guiding questions or prompts, like 'What process issues frustrated you?' for Toss the Trash or 'What new tool could improve our collaboration?' for Shiny Discoveries.
How can I keep discussions efficient and on track?
Set clear time limits for discussion and use facilitation techniques like parking lot for off-topic ideas.
What if the team resists dropping a particular practice?
Encourage a trial period where the practice is paused to evaluate outcomes objectively before making a final decision.
At a glance
- Duration
40–60 min
- Team Size
3-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective