🔪🧩 Saw Survival Sprint
Step into the Jigsaw’s arena: dissect successes, cut away blockers, and piece together the next sprint’s strategy.
Template Columns
🔪 Begin the Game
Identify new actions to kick off our next sprint, like setting traps for obstacles.
Base column: Start🚫 End the Nightmare
Highlight practices that cause dead ends or unnecessary pain.
Base column: Stop🧩 Keep the Puzzle Solving
Maintain the strategies that keep us moving forward and solving challenges.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A fast‑paced sprint retrospective that frames actions as a game, helping the team decide what to start, stop, and continue for the next sprint.
When to use this template
Use when the team needs a clear, action‑focused review and wants a playful framing to energize discussion.
How to facilitate
Kick off by reminding the team of the game metaphor and the goal to surface actions for the next sprint.
Ask participants to silently write down ideas for what to begin (new actions) on virtual sticky notes.
Collect and group the Begin ideas on the board, allowing brief clarification.
Repeat the silent write‑up, collection, and grouping for Stop items that cause pain.
Do the same for Continue items that keep the puzzle moving.
Facilitate a quick dot‑vote to prioritize the top three actions, assign owners, and close with a commitment statement.
Pro Tips
Use a timer for each column to keep energy high and prevent over‑analysis.
Encourage vivid, game‑themed language to keep the session playful and memorable.
After voting, capture the agreed actions in a shared document and set a follow‑up check‑in.
FAQ
What if participants are hesitant to share Stop items?
Assure the team that stopping harmful practices is a safe space, and frame Stop as removing obstacles rather than blaming individuals.
How do we decide which actions to commit to?
After grouping, use dot voting to surface the most critical items, then assign a clear owner and a due date for each.
Can this format work for larger teams?
Yes, split the group into smaller pods for the silent writing phases, then merge the results on the main board to keep the session efficient.
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At a glance
- Duration
30–45 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