🎆🎇 Stars & Stripes Spectacular
Let’s celebrate our project’s independence by lighting up what worked, putting out fizzled firecrackers, and launching new ideas! Gather round the virtual BBQ and let’s make our teamwork sparkle.
Template Columns
🚀 Light the Rockets (Start)
Suggest bold new practices or experiments to ignite our progress.
Base column: Start🧨 Fizzle Out the Duds (Stop)
Call out anything that’s holding us back, so we can retire those fireworks.
Base column: Stop🎇 Keep the Sparkle (Continue)
Highlight the traditions and winning practices that make our team shine bright.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Stars & Stripes Spectacular retrospective energizes your team to celebrate successes, retire ineffective practices, and spark new initiatives for future growth.
When to use this template
Use this format during milestone completions, national holidays, or whenever your team needs a fun, motivational boost and a creative way to reflect on progress.
How to facilitate
Open with a warm welcome and share the theme, encouraging the team to embrace a festive, reflective mood.
Briefly explain each column, clarifying that 'Light the Rockets' is for bold new ideas, 'Fizzle Out the Duds' is for retiring unhelpful practices, and 'Keep the Sparkle' highlights team strengths and traditions.
Initiate silent brainstorming, inviting everyone to add thoughts to all columns simultaneously for 8–10 minutes.
Once ideas are posted, review each column together. Invite team members to discuss entries, prioritizing those with the most engagement or upvotes.
Facilitate a group conversation to identify clear action items, especially from the 'Start' and 'Stop' columns, and celebrate the practices to continue.
Summarize key takeaways and make sure action items have owners. Close with a shout-out to great teamwork and a light-hearted reflection tying back to the theme.
Pro Tips
Encourage creative thinking in the 'Start' column—no idea is too bold for a brainstorming session.
Ask quieter teammates to contribute thoughts in writing before the meeting, so everyone’s voice is heard.
Set an upbeat playlist or fun icebreaker at the start to get everyone in the celebratory spirit.
Tie each winning practice in 'Keep the Sparkle' to recent, specific examples for added impact.
FAQ
What if my team doesn’t suggest many new ideas in the Start column?
Prompt with examples or ask about blockers they've noticed—sometimes reframing issues can inspire creative solutions.
How do you keep this format from feeling repetitive if used often?
Vary the energy with theme-related intros, rotate facilitators, or add a quick lightning round for bonus engagement.
What if team members are hesitant to call out 'duds' to stop?
Model psychological safety by thanking all input, anonymize submissions if needed, and frame feedback as opportunities to grow.
At a glance
- Duration
40–55 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective