💀 Skeleton Crew Standup
Let’s strip down our process to the bare bones! In this skeleton-themed retro, uncover hidden gems, exorcise bad habits, and reinforce what keeps us agile and strong—bone by bone.
Template Columns
🦴 New Bones to Grow
Suggest new practices or ideas we should start to strengthen our team’s skeleton.
Base column: Start💀 Bad Bones to Bury
Identify habits or practices that are dead weight and should be laid to rest.
Base column: Stop🦷 Strong Bones to Keep
Call out what’s keeping our framework healthy and ask to continue these solid practices.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Skeleton Crew Standup retrospective uses a playful, bone-themed structure to help teams identify new improvements, let go of unhelpful practices, and celebrate what keeps them resilient.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when your team needs to refresh processes, cut out what isn’t working, and highlight core strengths. It's especially effective for teams looking to shake things up or address ingrained habits.
How to facilitate
Welcome everyone and introduce the Skeleton Crew theme, setting a casual and open tone to encourage honest discussion.
Briefly explain each column and give examples to spark ideas: new bones represent new practices, bad bones are habits to retire, and strong bones reflect core strengths.
Set a timer and allow all team members to add cards anonymously to each column, encouraging everyone to contribute to every category.
After submissions, read out cards and invite clarifying questions or comments to ensure shared understanding without jumping to solutions yet.
Facilitate a group discussion, starting with ‘Bad Bones’ to quickly identify and release pain points, then move to ‘New Bones’ for growth opportunities, and finish with ‘Strong Bones’ for a motivational close.
Guide the team to select 2-3 key items (especially from 'New Bones' and 'Bad Bones') to turn into actionable steps or experiments for the next sprint.
Close the retro by celebrating strong bones, recognizing team wins, and confirming accountability for chosen actions.
Pro Tips
Link suggestions in ‘New Bones’ to issues found in ‘Bad Bones’ to create meaningful improvement experiments.
Encourage team members to be specific—naming exact behaviors or rituals, not just broad ideas.
Rotate the facilitator or have a team member share a light-hearted skeleton joke to keep energy up.
Make sure quieter voices have space by explicitly inviting their input before moving discussion forward.
FAQ
How can we make this retro relevant if we’ve already tried similar formats?
Use the skeleton theme to spark creativity—invite team members to think differently or frame old issues in a new way. The playful tone can help surface new insights.
What if team members are reluctant to share ‘bad bones’?
Start with anonymous input and remind everyone that even small frustrations matter. Opening with examples (including your own) helps break the ice.
How do we avoid repeating the same action items?
Review previous retros before the session and encourage the team to tie new suggestions directly to current sprint outcomes or team goals.
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At a glance
- Duration
30–45 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective