🌹🗡️ Rose & Thorn Bud
Bloom through challenges! In this garden-themed retro, nurture new ideas, prune painful practices, and let successes blossom as we grow together.
Template Columns
🌱 Sprouting Starts
Identify fresh initiatives to plant for future growth.
Base column: Start✂️ Thorny Stops
Cut away practices that prick our progress.
Base column: Stop🌼 Budding Continuations
Keep nurturing actions that are already flourishing.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A garden‑themed retro that plants new ideas, prunes unhelpful habits, and nurtures actions that are already flourishing.
When to use this template
Use when the team needs to balance fresh initiatives with eliminating blockers and reinforcing what’s working well.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by explaining the garden metaphor and the three columns
Ask each participant to write down items for Sprouting Starts, Thorny Stops, and Budding Continuations on virtual sticky notes
Group similar notes together and discuss each column, starting with Sprouting Starts, then Thorny Stops, then Budding Continuations
Vote on the top two items in each column to prioritize actions
Create concrete action items for the selected starts and stops, assigning owners and due dates
Close by summarizing decisions and reflecting on the session’s flow
Pro Tips
Encourage participants to think in terms of growth cycles, not just tasks
Use colored stickers to differentiate new ideas from existing practices
Limit discussion time per item to keep momentum
FAQ
What if the team struggles to come up with new ideas for Sprouting Starts?
Prompt with open‑ended questions about upcoming opportunities, market trends, or pain points, and allow a few minutes of silent brainstorming before sharing.
How do we handle dominant voices during the discussion?
Set a rule that each person shares one point per round and use a timer; the facilitator can gently redirect if someone monopolizes the conversation.
Can we combine this retro with a sprint review?
Yes, run the Rose & Thorn Bud after the review to focus on process improvements, keeping the timebox separate to avoid overload.
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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