🧗‍♂️🏔️ Rock Climbing Expedition
Strap on your harness and grab your chalk—this retro is a climb to the summit! Reflect on successes, overcome obstacles, and reach new project heights together, one hold at a time.
Template Columns
🏅 Favorite Holds
Share the moments and strategies that boosted our climb upward.
Base column: Liked🧠New Techniques Mastered
Discuss the skills and knowledge we gained during this ascent.
Base column: Learned🪢 Missing Gear
Identify tools, information, or support we were short of on this climb.
Base column: Lackedđź—» Next Summit Goals
Express what new challenges or improvements you'd love for our next climb.
Base column: Longed ForAbout this template
The Rock Climbing Expedition retrospective uses the metaphor of a shared climb to help teams reflect on achievements, skills learned, resource gaps, and ambitions for the next phase. It blends celebration, learning, and forward planning in a dynamic, adventure-themed way.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective at the end of a challenging project phase or milestone to review successes, surface learning, and motivate the team for future goals—especially when you want a fresh, energizing format.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team and introduce the climbing expedition theme, framing the retro as a shared journey to the summit.
Describe each column—Favorite Holds, New Techniques Mastered, Missing Gear, and Next Summit Goals—to clarify what types of reflections belong in each.
Invite team members to add their thoughts to all columns for 8–10 minutes, encouraging both positive highlights and honest reflection on gaps.
Once contributions slow, have everyone silently review the board, then begin a round-robin share where each person briefly highlights one or two key items across the columns.
Facilitate a group discussion to cluster similar items, probe for deeper insights, and connect learnings with future goals and resource needs.
Guide the team to vote or prioritize which 'Next Summit Goals' to tackle next, and decide on 1–3 actionable steps together.
Wrap up with a gratitude round, inviting each climber to acknowledge a peer's contribution or improvement since the last ascent.
Pro Tips
Kick off by sharing a personal story about overcoming an obstacle, setting a trusting tone.
Mix up the order in which columns are discussed to keep the session energetic and avoid predictability.
Prompt quieter team members with direct but gentle questions tied to the climbing metaphor.
Use visuals or brief team pictures from the last sprint/release to boost connection and celebration.
FAQ
What if team members struggle to fill out the 'Missing Gear' column?
Guide with examples—missing tools, specific feedback, or resources. Remind the group that identifying gaps is crucial to learning and team growth.
How do I keep the session dynamic and not drag on?
Timebox each segment, incorporate energizing check-ins, and keep the climbing metaphor present throughout to keep the pace brisk and engaging.
What if most of the feedback is focused in just one or two columns?
Ask prompting questions for less-populated columns, and if needed, offer examples or rephrase the column description to spark new ideas.
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At a glance
- Duration
50–65 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
4 columns
- Base Format
Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective