🎄🍩 Simpsons Christmas Chaos
Gather around the Springfield tree and share the holiday highs, lows, and the next steps to keep our sprint as merry as a Simpson family dinner!
Template Columns
🎅 Start the Holiday Cheer
Identify new festive practices to kick off our sprint with holiday spirit.
Base column: Start🚫 Stop the Grinchy Glitches
Highlight behaviors that dampen the holiday vibe and should be halted.
Base column: Stop✨ Continue the Yuletide Yodel
Keep the successful holiday traditions that boost team morale.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A festive, three‑column retrospective that lets the team celebrate what’s working, stop what’s dragging, and keep the holiday spirit alive.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a light‑hearted, holiday‑themed reflection, especially at the end of a sprint that falls near the festive season.
How to facilitate
Begin with a quick ice‑breaker where each participant shares a favorite holiday moment from the sprint
Open the “Start the Holiday Cheer” column and ask the team to write down new practices or ideas that could add festive energy to the next sprint, placing each on a virtual sticky
Move to the “Stop the Grinchy Glitches” column, encouraging honest notes about behaviours or obstacles that stole the joy, and cluster similar items together
Explore the “Continue the Yuletide Yodel” column, capturing actions that lifted morale and should be kept, then vote on the top three to prioritize
Conclude by turning the top voted items from each column into concrete sprint goals, assign owners, and close with a brief holiday cheer or virtual toast
Pro Tips
Use holiday‑themed emojis on the sticky notes to keep the mood light and visually distinct
Set a timer for each column (e.g., 10 minutes) to keep discussion focused and prevent over‑analysis
Invite a team member to act as the “elf facilitator” who adds playful prompts and ensures everyone gets a voice
FAQ
What if the team feels the holiday theme is too gimmicky?
Acknowledge the concern, remind that the structure is the same as any Start‑Stop‑Continue session, and let the team decide to keep or drop the festive framing for future retros.
How do we handle dominant voices during the discussion?
Use a round‑robin approach or a talking token so each person contributes before opening the floor for follow‑up comments.
What if we run out of time before voting?
Prioritize voting on the items with the most stickers and defer lower‑priority ideas to a follow‑up chat or the next retrospective.
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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