⛄️❄️ Snowman Sprint
Bundle up for a frosty retro! Reflect on the icy wins, the melt-downs, and how to stack our next snowman taller together.
Template Columns
❄️ Frosty Wins
Celebrate the chilly victories and smooth flows that kept us warm.
Base column: What Went Well☃️ Melting Moments
Identify the frosty mishaps and drifts that caused us to slip.
Base column: What Went Wrong⛄️ Build a Bigger Snowman
Plan enhancements to strengthen our team’s snowball effect.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
A fun, winter‑themed sprint retro that celebrates successes, surfaces setbacks, and builds actionable improvements for the next sprint.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a light‑hearted yet focused reflection, especially after a busy sprint or during a seasonal theme.
How to facilitate
Introduce the snowman metaphor, explain the three columns and set a playful tone
Give each participant 2–3 minutes to add sticky notes to the Frosty Wins column, focusing on concrete achievements
Allow 2–3 minutes for silent reading of all win notes, then invite brief shout‑outs or applause
Switch to the Melting Moments column, letting everyone write down obstacles or mishaps without assigning blame
Group similar melt‑down notes, discuss root causes, and capture key insights on a shared board
Move to Build a Bigger Snowman, brainstorm concrete actions that will strengthen future sprints and assign owners
Pro Tips
Use a timer for each column to keep energy high and prevent over‑analysis
Encourage participants to phrase melt‑down items as observations, not accusations, to maintain psychological safety
End with a quick “snowball” vote where the team picks the top three actions to focus on
FAQ
What if the team is hesitant to share negative feedback?
Reframe Melting Moments as "learning opportunities" and model vulnerability by sharing your own slip‑ups first.
How do we keep the retro from feeling too gimmicky?
Tie each metaphor back to real outcomes—e.g., each snowball represents a concrete improvement that will be tracked in the next sprint.
Can we run this retro with a distributed team across time zones?
Schedule a core 30‑minute window for the live discussion and allow asynchronous sticky note contributions beforehand.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective