🎮🕹️ Ready Player Retro
Welcome to the OASIS! As agile avatars, let's level up our collaboration by identifying new power-ups (Starts), glitches to patch (Stops), and combos to keep using (Continues). Game on for the next sprint!
Template Columns
✨ New Power-Ups to Collect
What new actions, skills, or experiments should we start using for future quests?
Base column: Start🐞 Bugs & Glitches to Fix
Identify and pause outdated moves or obstacles that should be stopped as we progress in the game.
Base column: Stop🎯 Combos to Keep Chaining
Highlight existing strategies, habits, or tools that have boosted our score and should continue!
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
Ready Player Retro is a video game-inspired retrospective that energizes teams to identify new opportunities, resolve blockers, and reinforce successful practices.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when your team needs a creative boost to reflect on recent work, especially when seeking fresh ideas or reenergizing collaboration.
How to facilitate
Kick off with a quick game-themed check-in to set a playful mood and review the goal: leveling up team performance.
Introduce each column with its theme: new power-ups (starts), bugs to fix (stops), and powerful combos (continues), encouraging team members to think in game analogies.
Invite everyone to brainstorm and add cards to each column individually, aiming for concise, actionable contributions.
Once all cards are posted, group similar items, clarify any unclear points, and invite discussion around each cluster.
Prioritize top action items for each column through team voting or consensus.
Close by reviewing agreed actions and celebrating high scores—acknowledge what's working well and thank the team for playing.
Capture action items and assign owners to ensure changes are tracked between sprints.
Pro Tips
Lean into the gaming theme to create energy—use references, images, or sound effects to make the experience memorable.
Encourage quieter team members to submit ideas in writing first if they're hesitant to speak up.
Spin 'bugs' positively, framing challenges as opportunities for bonus points rather than failures.
Timebox each stage to keep the pace lively, mirroring the rapid momentum of games.
FAQ
How do I help the team generate creative ideas for the 'New Power-Ups' column?
Prompt the team to think of skills from favorite games or experiments they've seen elsewhere, and relate those to your context.
What if we list too many 'bugs & glitches' and struggle to prioritize?
Have the team vote on which items feel most urgent or impactful for the next sprint, focusing on actions that unlock the most progress.
How do I keep discussions from getting too detailed or off-track?
Use a parking lot for deep dives and stick to identifying actionable points, circling back to details after the main session.
Can this retro work for a non-technical or non-gaming team?
Absolutely—any team can use the structure, just adapt references to fit their shared interests or workplace culture.
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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