📦 Special Delivery!
Welcome to our courier-themed retro! Let’s package our wins, track delays, and ensure every delivery hits its mark as we reflect on our journey to streamlined agile excellence.
Template Columns
🚚 Dispatch New Routes
Suggest new practices or ideas to boost our delivery game and streamline our process.
Base column: Start⛔ Return to Sender
Identify processes or habits that are slowing down delivery and need to be stopped.
Base column: Stop✅ On-Time Parcels
Celebrate and commit to the habits that consistently deliver value right on schedule.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Special Delivery! retrospective uses a courier metaphor to help teams reflect on their delivery practices, uncover delays, and celebrate reliable habits for agile improvement.
When to use this template
Use this template when your team needs to optimize delivery speed, address recurring blockers, or reinforce practices that ensure timely results.
How to facilitate
Set the stage by introducing the courier theme and explain each column to get the team in the right mindset.
Ask everyone to silently add cards to each column, focusing on new ideas (Dispatch New Routes), blockers (Return to Sender), and successes (On-Time Parcels).
Review the cards together, clustering similar items and clarifying any unclear points as a group.
Facilitate discussion, prioritizing items that frequently appear or are particularly impactful for delivery.
Collaboratively decide on clear action items, especially for new practices and processes to drop or reinforce.
Close by summarizing key takeaways and celebrating delivery wins to finish on a high note.
Pro Tips
Encourage specific examples on each card to spark actionable discussions, not just general complaints or praise.
Highlight even small delivery wins to build momentum and morale within the team.
Rotate the facilitator role each retro to keep perspectives fresh and inclusive.
Invite team members to suggest themes or analogies for upcoming retros to increase engagement.
FAQ
What if the same blockers show up every time?
Address recurring blockers by digging deeper into root causes and assigning clear owners for follow-up actions.
How do we avoid focusing too much on negatives?
Balance your discussion by allocating time to celebrate On-Time Parcels and encourage acknowledgment of positive habits.
How can I ensure ideas from Dispatch New Routes get tried?
Assign an owner and a follow-up date for each new idea to ensure accountability and track progress at the next retro.
At a glance
- Duration
45–60 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