🌴🏙️ Riyadh Reflections
Step into the vibrant heart of Riyadh for our retrospective! Like adventurers navigating its bustling souks and ever-growing skyline, let’s uncover what to begin, halt, and maintain as our project expands.
Template Columns
🌅 New Sunrises (Start)
Share fresh initiatives and promising beginnings inspired by Riyadh’s spirit of growth.
Base column: Start🏜️ Desert Detours (Stop)
Point out practices or habits we should leave behind, like crossing the hottest sands at noon.
Base column: Stop🕌 Consistent Calls to Success (Continue)
Highlight what’s working well, just as Riyadh’s daily rhythms support its thriving life.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
Riyadh Reflections uses the inspiration of Riyadh’s dynamic energy to help teams identify what to start, stop, and continue for future growth. The template guides teams to celebrate what works, shed unhelpful practices, and spark new beginnings.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective at the end of a sprint or milestone when the team is ready to invigorate its process and welcome renewal. It's especially effective when recent changes in scope or team dynamics invite a fresh perspective.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by inviting the team to imagine themselves exploring Riyadh, encouraging them to embrace curiosity and openness.
Review the purpose of each column—Start (New Sunrises), Stop (Desert Detours), and Continue (Consistent Calls to Success)—and provide one example for each to spark ideas.
Give everyone quiet time to add their thoughts to each column, focusing on recent team experiences that align with each area.
Invite team members to read out or summarize cards, clustering similar themes together for clarity and discussion.
Guide a group discussion, encouraging the team to elaborate on key points, resolve uncertainties, and reflect on patterns across the columns.
Facilitate prioritization: ask the team to identify 1–2 ‘Start’ and ‘Stop’ actions to focus on next sprint, and ensure ‘Continue’ practices are acknowledged.
Close by celebrating progress, highlighting hopeful new beginnings, and clarifying ownership of any agreed actions.
Pro Tips
Encourage team members to reframe complaints into constructive suggestions to populate the 'Start' column.
Relate challenges or successes to Riyadh's symbols (e.g., resilience, innovation) to spark richer insights.
If discussion lags, use guiding questions like “What routine feels like a desert detour?” to prompt reflection.
Set a positive tone with visuals or music inspired by the Riyadh theme to energize your remote session.
FAQ
How do we encourage more creativity in the 'Start' (New Sunrises) column?
Prompt the team with open-ended questions and Riyadh-inspired metaphors, or let them reflect silently before sharing ideas.
What if our 'Stop' (Desert Detours) items feel repetitive across retrospectives?
Explore underlying causes of recurring issues and challenge the team to propose concrete actions or experiments to break the cycle.
How should we maintain momentum on 'Continue' (Consistent Calls to Success) practices?
Publicly recognize and appreciate these strengths during the session, and add them to team agreements or recurring check-ins.
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