🕵️♂️🔍 Scooby-Doo Mystery Retro
Zoinks! Let’s unmask our project’s clues, celebrate the scooby snacks of success, and chase away the spooky bugs together.
Template Columns
🕵️♀️🔎 Start the Investigation
Identify new practices to kick‑off our mystery solving.
Base column: Start✋🚫 Stop the Ghostly Distractions
Pinpoint habits that haunt our workflow and halt them.
Base column: Stop🧩👻 Continue the Scooby Snacks
Keep the tasty habits that fuel our teamwork and progress.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A playful investigative retro that helps teams identify what to start, stop, and continue by framing work as a mystery to solve.
When to use this template
Best when the team needs a fresh, engaging way to surface blockers and celebrate wins, especially after a sprint with mixed outcomes.
How to facilitate
Gather the team on a shared board and explain the Scooby-Doo theme, emphasizing the three mystery columns
Begin with the Start the Investigation column: ask each member to write down new practices or ideas they'd like to try, using sticky notes
Move to the Stop the Ghostly Distractions column: have participants note habits or obstacles that are haunting the workflow and should be stopped
Proceed to the Continue the Scooby Snacks column: capture the behaviours and processes that are working well and should be kept
Group similar notes together, discuss each cluster, and vote on the top items to focus on
Create concrete action items for the top start and stop items, and assign owners and due dates
Close the retro by summarizing decisions, thanking the team, and perhaps sharing a fun Scooby-Doo image or sound
Pro Tips
Encourage the use of playful language or icons to keep the mood light and boost participation
Limit each participant to a set number of notes per column to keep the board manageable
Use anonymous digital sticky notes if team members are hesitant to share criticism
FAQ
What if the team struggles to come up with items for the Stop column?
Remind them to think about recurring frustrations, blockers, or anything that drains energy; you can also seed the discussion with examples.
How many items should we aim to vote on?
Select the top three items from each of the Start and Stop columns to keep the action plan focused and achievable.
Can this retro be used for non‑technical teams?
Yes, the mystery framing works for any group looking to reflect on processes, communication, or project outcomes.
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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