🎃👻 Spooky Pumpkin Sprint

Gather ’round the glowing jack‑o‑lantern as we carve out what to ignite, extinguish, and keep glowing, turning our sprint into a hauntingly effective adventure!
45–60 min
4-12 people
Based on: Start, Stop, Continue
🎃👻 Spooky Pumpkin Sprint

Template Columns

🟠 Ignite the Flame

Identify fresh ideas to light up our workflow.

Base column: Start
🛑 Extinguish the Shadows

Pinpoint practices that dim our progress.

Base column: Stop
✨ Keep the Glow

Maintain the bright practices that illuminate success.

Base column: Continue

About this template

A Halloween‑styled sprint retrospective that helps teams surface fresh ideas, drop ineffective habits, and reinforce what’s working.

When to use this template

Use when you want a light‑hearted yet focused review, especially at the end of a sprint or during a themed team event.

How to facilitate

1

Begin by sharing the spooky theme, display a pumpkin image and explain the three columns: Ignite, Extinguish, Keep.

2

Ask the team to write down ideas that could ignite new energy in the workflow and place them in the Ignite column.

3

Invite participants to note practices that dim progress and add them to the Extinguish column.

4

Collect items that are working well and should stay bright in the Keep column.

5

Facilitate a quick dot‑vote on each column to surface the most important items.

6

Turn the top‑voted Ignite and Extinguish items into concrete action items with owners and due dates.

7

Close by celebrating the glowing successes and reminding the team of the next sprint’s focus.

Pro Tips

Use Halloween emojis or virtual backgrounds to keep the atmosphere fun without distracting from the discussion.

Limit each participant to three items per column to keep the board manageable.

Pair similar items during voting to avoid duplicate action items.

FAQ

What if the team struggles to generate ideas for the Ignite column?

Prompt with specific questions like “What new tool or practice could boost our velocity?” or run a quick brain‑writing round to spark creativity.

How do we handle dominant voices during the discussion?

Use silent brainstorming on the board first, then discuss each item in turn to ensure equal participation.

Can this format be shortened for a quick check‑in?

Yes, allocate 5 minutes per column and skip the voting step, focusing only on one high‑impact action item.

What if the team is not into the Halloween theme?

The structure works without the theme; simply rename the columns to Start, Stop, Continue and keep the process the same.

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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

themed
team health
action-oriented
remote-friendly
fun

Ready to get started?

Use this template to run your next retrospective