🕵️♂️💎 The Heist
Suit up, crew! It’s time to review our caper. Let’s break down our flawless moves, near-misses, and plan our next heist to perfection. Ready to mastermind the next score?
Template Columns
💰 Perfectly Executed Scores
Celebrate the slick moves and smooth operations that made our heist a success.
Base column: What Went Well🚨 Close Calls & Missteps
Reveal the alarms tripped and fumbles that nearly blew our cover.
Base column: What Went Wrong🛠️ Sharpen the Master Plan
Discuss how to upgrade our strategy and boost our skills for the next big job.
Base column: What We Want to ImproveAbout this template
The Heist retrospective transforms your sprint review into a fun, action-oriented debrief, inviting the team to analyze successes, near-misses, and strategic improvements for next time.
When to use this template
Use The Heist retrospective when you want to inject energy into your team's reflection, especially after a complex project or high-stakes sprint where learning from both wins and missteps is crucial.
How to facilitate
Set the scene by introducing the heist theme and encouraging everyone to adopt a playful, creative mindset for the retrospective.
Ask team members to reflect and add notes to the Perfectly Executed Scores column, focusing on decisions, actions, and processes that led to success.
Invite the team to surface Close Calls & Missteps, shining a light on moments that almost went wrong or processes that need more attention.
Guide the crew in discussing Sharpen the Master Plan, brainstorming actionable improvements or new skills needed for the next project.
Review all input as a group, clustering related ideas and discussing underlying patterns or insights.
Prioritize one to three improvements as 'next heist upgrades' and assign clear owners or next steps.
Close the retrospective by celebrating what went well and reinforcing a shared goal for continuous mastery.
Pro Tips
Lean into the theme by using heist-inspired language and visuals to encourage engagement and creative thinking.
Encourage honesty about near-misses by framing them as valuable lessons rather than failures.
Use anecdotes or short stories to draw out details from quieter team members.
Keep the retrospective focused and fun, but ensure action items are concrete and tracked for follow-up.
FAQ
What if someone is uncomfortable with the heist theme?
Invite them to approach the activity at their comfort level, focusing on the underlying reflection rather than the theme details.
How do we ensure the learnings turn into actions?
Always assign owners and clear steps for each prioritized improvement, and revisit action items in your next retrospective.
What if participants only share positive feedback?
Actively model speaking about close calls and learning moments to normalize honest conversation about challenges.
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At a glance
- Duration
40–55 min
- Team Size
4-10 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
What Went Well, What Went Wrong, What We Want to Improve
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective