💻🔧 Software Engineering Workshop
Put on your engineering hats! Let’s debug, deploy, and optimize our teamwork like pros—celebrating wins, troubleshooting blockers, and squashing any pesky bugs together.
Template Columns
✅ Green Build Successes
Highlight the features and practices that compiled without errors and made us proud this sprint.
Base column: Glad🐞 Unexpected Bugs
Discuss the issues or blockers that tripped us up, making our development environment less enjoyable.
Base column: Sad🚨 Code Smells & Frustrations
Vent about the recurring frustrations or process hiccups that need urgent refactoring.
Base column: MadAbout this template
The Software Engineering Workshop retrospective helps teams debug their processes by celebrating successes, analyzing bugs, and addressing frustrations—just like maintaining a healthy codebase.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when your team wants to boost collaboration, reflect on what’s working in your workflows, and address lingering blockers or process issues. It’s ideal after a challenging sprint or before embarking on complex features.
How to facilitate
Begin by setting the stage and encouraging everyone to adopt a problem-solving mindset for continuous improvement
Invite team members to add notes in the Green Build Successes column, focusing on what compiled smoothly and where the team delivered value
Move to the Unexpected Bugs column, encouraging open sharing about any blockers or surprises that interfered with progress
Discuss the Code Smells & Frustrations column, allowing team members to voice persistent issues or processes that need fixing urgently
Cluster similar items together in each column to identify patterns and prioritize topics for discussion as a group
Facilitate a discussion around each cluster, drawing out actionable insights—especially for any pain points or recurring challenges
Document clear action items or experiments to address top-priority bugs and frustrations, assigning ownership where needed
Summarize the main takeaways and wrap up by recognizing the team’s collaborative efforts in both celebrating and troubleshooting
Pro Tips
Use real examples from the sprint to make points concrete and relatable, especially in the Green Build Successes column
Avoid blame in the Unexpected Bugs and Code Smells columns by focusing on solving the problem, not the person
Timebox each section to keep energy high and prevent deep dives into technical territory unless there is clear value
Rotate a scribe to document action items so the whole team can participate fully in discussion
Link action items directly to codebase or workflow documentation when possible to make follow-up easier
FAQ
What if team members hesitate to share issues in Unexpected Bugs or Code Smells?
Set a blame-free tone at the start and remind everyone that debugging teamwork is a collaborative activity—no one is singled out.
How can we prevent technical discussions from derailing the retrospective?
Park detailed debates on a 'parking lot' list for follow-up, ensuring the retro stays focused on patterns and actionable improvements.
Is this template suitable for non-engineering teams?
The themes work best for software teams, but you can adapt the language and focus areas for other technical or process-oriented groups.
How do we ensure follow-up on action items?
Assign each action item to an owner and check progress in the first few minutes of your next retrospective.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Glad, Sad, Mad
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective