👨🚀🌌 Stranded on Mars Survival Mission
Welcome to Mars, crew! Like stranded astronauts, let's review our mission to survive and thrive. Examine what to start, stop, and continue so our agile quest is a success—even millions of miles from home!
Template Columns
🌱 Launch New Experiments
Suggest new initiatives or actions to help us adapt and flourish on Martian soil.
Base column: Start🛑 Abandon Malfunctioning Systems
Identify habits or processes that no longer serve our mission and should be left behind on the red planet.
Base column: Stop🔋 Sustain Life-Support Systems
Highlight reliable practices that keep our project alive and should be maintained in our Mars habitat.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
The Stranded on Mars Survival Mission retrospective uses a space mission theme to help your team decide what to start, stop, and continue for greater agility. It's a practical, engaging format to uncover new ideas, let go of obstacles, and reinforce proven practices.
When to use this template
Use this retrospective when your team needs to re-evaluate workflows, break old habits, or jumpstart creative problem-solving—especially after a challenging sprint or major change.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team and introduce the Mars survival theme to set a collaborative, playful tone.
Explain the purpose of each column: launching new experiments, abandoning malfunctioning systems, and sustaining life-support systems.
Allow quiet time for everyone to write ideas for each column, encouraging honest and creative input.
Invite participants to share their cards and briefly elaborate, ensuring all voices are heard.
Cluster similar ideas as a group and discuss root causes or patterns that emerge in each column.
Facilitate voting or prioritization to decide which actions or experiments the team will commit to for the next sprint.
Summarize agreed actions, assign responsibilities, and close by celebrating creative thinking and adaptability.
Pro Tips
Use space-related icebreakers to get participants in an imaginative mindset and foster engagement.
Invite everyone to share both small tweaks and bold new experiments—sometimes tiny adjustments spark big change.
Emphasize psychological safety so team members feel comfortable discussing what’s not working.
After the retrospective, revisit chosen experiments or actions at the next session to reinforce accountability.
FAQ
How do we encourage participation from quieter team members?
Use timeboxed silent idea generation and encourage everyone to share at least one insight to keep engagement balanced.
What if the team always fills the same columns?
Prompt for specific examples and encourage challenging assumptions to uncover overlooked ideas or issues.
How do we avoid too many experiments at once?
Prioritize ideas together and limit the ‘Launch New Experiments’ actions to 1-2 at a time for focus and follow-through.
At a glance
- Duration
35–50 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