👾🕰️ Stranger Things Retro
Dive into the Upside Down of our sprint, uncovering hidden wins, eerie blockers, and the glowing lights that guide us forward.
Template Columns
🚀 Open the Gate
Identify new practices to start that will open portals to success.
Base column: Start⛔ Close the Portal
Spot habits and processes to stop that are pulling us into the dark side.
Base column: Stop🔁 Keep the Lights On
Highlight what we should continue to maintain the safe haven of progress.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A themed sprint retrospective that surfaces new ideas, stops harmful habits, and reinforces what’s working, using a Stranger Things motif.
When to use this template
Use when the team needs a fresh, engaging lens to surface hidden issues and celebrate successes, especially after a challenging sprint.
How to facilitate
Gather the team on a video call and share the Stranger Things board, explaining the three portals: Open the Gate, Close the Portal, Keep the Lights On
Give each participant three minutes to write down items for each column on virtual sticky notes, focusing on new practices, things to stop, and things to keep
Collect the notes, group similar items, and discuss each column in order, starting with Open the Gate, then Close the Portal, then Keep the Lights On, voting on the top items
Identify one to two actionable experiments from the Open the Gate column, assign owners and due dates, and add them to the sprint backlog
Summarize decisions, capture them in the shared document, and close the retro with a quick pulse check to gauge confidence
Pro Tips
Add themed emojis or GIFs to each column to keep energy high and make the board visually memorable
Set a timer for each discussion segment to prevent over‑talking and maintain momentum
Use a round‑robin or chat prompt to draw out quieter voices and ensure balanced participation
FAQ
What if we run out of time during discussion?
Prioritize the top‑voted items, defer lower‑priority points to a follow‑up channel, and capture any unfinished thoughts in a shared doc for later review.
How can we prevent dominant voices from taking over?
Use a timer for each speaker, employ round‑robin sharing, and encourage contributions via the chat or private sticky notes.
Is this format suitable for larger groups?
Yes, but consider breaking the team into smaller pods for the initial idea‑generation phase, then bring the consolidated list back to the whole group for voting.
What if a column has no items?
Acknowledge the gap as a positive sign, discuss why nothing surfaced, and use it as an opportunity to reinforce existing strengths or explore new possibilities.
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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
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective